Nature vs Nurture Debate

The Forever Debate Christine Nerren South University Online Outline:

I. Nature: Definition: The traits we are born with through heredity from both of our parents.

a. Appearance -eye color -hair color -skin tone -freckles or no freckles

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b. How we laugh

c. Some personality traits -aggression -intelligence -possibly sexual orientation

II. Nurture: Definition: The traits of which we are that are formed by our environment.

a. Taught behavior

b. Life experiences good or bad

c. Sense of Humor d. Manners I believe that Nature and Nurture are both true. You cannot have one without the other.

Yes, we inherit certain physical and personality traits from our parents but, I also think that we become who we are mostly by our environment and how we perceive the world around us. There are situations where nature takes over one’s life more than others when it comes to personality but, ultimately it comes down to nurture for most of us. I can say this from my own personal experiences. Let me explain…. My younger sister and I were removed from our biological home when we were very young. I was 14 months old and my sister 3 months of age. The state removed us due to neglect and abuse.

We were placed into foster care at this time. My younger sister was treated well and I was continuously abused by my foster mother. We stayed in this home until I was 4 years old and she was 3 years old. We were then adopted into a wonderful family. As my sister was quiet and timid, she seemed to be adjusting and doing well. I on the other hand I had suffered tremendous abuse and acted out at every chance I got. With a lot of love, patience, and counseling I started to change in my personality.

I became a very caring loving child who befriended the underdogs. My sister, on the other hand, seemed to snap.Even with all of the love, patience, and counseling she received she appeared to lose control out of the blue one day in the sixth grade. She was no longer that quiet timid little girl. She had become abusive, both emotionally and physically, started using drugs, and running away. She also started making false allegations toward our adopted parents. The only thing every counselor she went to and us could figure was that she had witnessed the abuse that I had suffered and locked it away and it lay dormant for years.

She still has not dealt with all of what we went through and she is now 37 years old.My point is, the environment she witnessed at the most critical point in her life molded her into what she is today. She is constantly stuck in that period of time. I on the other hand, continued to grow and change in my environment. I became a person who can continue to change with my life situations and experiences. Most all of this is a product of our environment for my sister and me. I do think that my sister did inherit some of the personality traits of our biological parents, such as her addictive behavior and some of her mental issues.

I am predisposed as well to these issues but, I have a stronger will to fight these things, which I believe is also a personality trait I inherited. So, in conclusion, my sister and I did inherit some traits from our biological parents but, ultimately we are a product of our environment. We are completely different although we were raised together. Our life experiences have made us who we are and where we are in our lives.

References

Nature vs Nuture: Are We Really Born That Way? By Kimberly Powell, About. com Guidecom/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture.htm">http://genealogy. about. com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture. htm

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