Study Skill · Argument
Building an Argument
How to take a position, support it with evidence, and make a persuasive case in academic writing.
What is an academic argument?
An academic argument is not a disagreement — it is a reasoned position supported by evidence. In a psychology essay, arguing means taking a clear stance on a question (e.g., "early attachment significantly influences adult relationships, but its effects are not deterministic") and then using theory and research to support, challenge, and refine that position throughout the essay. Strong arguments evaluate evidence critically, consider counter-arguments, and reach a nuanced conclusion. Description alone — simply reporting what theorists have said — is not argument.
📖 Example 1: Paragraph That Advances an Argument
Student Writing
Bowlby's claim that attachment disruption causes irreversible damage is challenged by evidence from adoption studies. Rutter et al. (1998) followed Romanian orphans adopted into British families and found that those placed before six months showed normal development by age four. This suggests that the effects of early deprivation can be reversed, provided the child receives sensitive and consistent caregiving. However, children adopted after six months continued to show some difficulties, which partially supports Bowlby's emphasis on a critical period — though it reframes the concept as a sensitive period rather than an absolute one.
Why this works: The paragraph opens by stating what it will argue (that Bowlby's claim is challenged), presents specific evidence, explains what the evidence means for the argument, and then adds nuance by acknowledging the counter-point. Every sentence advances the argument rather than just describing research.
📖 Example 2: Descriptive Writing vs. Argumentative Writing
❌ Descriptive (No Argument)
Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation in 1978. In this study, infants were observed being separated from and reunited with their mothers. She found three types of attachment: secure, avoidant, and resistant. Many infants were classified as secure.
Why this lacks argument: This paragraph describes what Ainsworth did and found, but never explains why it matters for the essay question. There is no evaluative statement, no link to the broader argument, and no analysis of what the findings mean. It reads like a textbook entry, not an essay paragraph.
✅ Argumentative Version
Ainsworth's Strange Situation (1978) provides the strongest empirical support for individual differences in attachment quality. By systematically observing infant responses to separation and reunion, she identified three distinct styles — secure, avoidant, and resistant — with 65% of infants classified as securely attached. The reliability of these classifications across multiple samples strengthens the claim that attachment styles are a meaningful psychological construct. Nevertheless, the procedure has been criticised for reflecting Western, middle-class parenting norms, raising questions about whether these categories are universally applicable (Takahashi, 1990).
Why this is stronger: The opening sentence makes a claim ("provides the strongest empirical support"). The evidence is used to support that claim. The final sentence introduces a counter-argument, showing critical engagement. The paragraph takes a position and evaluates it.
✏️ Practice: Turn Description Into Argument
The bullet points below describe a study. Your task is to write an argumentative paragraph — not just describe the study, but use it to support or challenge a claim about whether behaviour is influenced more by nature or nurture.
- Study: Bouchard et al. (1990) — Minnesota Twin Study
- Method: studied identical twins reared apart; compared their IQ scores, personality traits, and attitudes
- Findings: identical twins reared apart showed IQ correlations of about 0.70, very similar to twins reared together (0.76)
- Implication: suggests a strong genetic component to intelligence
- Criticism: small sample sizes, twins may have been placed in similar socioeconomic environments, self-selection bias in recruitment
Write your argumentative paragraph below: