Nature Vs. Nurture

Humanities

By: Joe Cox

Mrs. Strutz 4th hr.

What makes one exhibit the tendencies that define its existence? Is it the natural chemical balances and imbalances that one is born with? Or could it be the way they breathe in the life around them engrained in their mind from those who care for them. The age-old question regarding nature and nurture can be argued either way and has by countless learned and brilliant people. Examples are aplenty supporting both sides. But what does this mean form me? I am an 18 year old young man trying to shape myself into an ideal person, I have tendencies, habits, talents, these come from both sides of this paradox we have before us, nature or nurture, what is it? For me I think it is a little of both, nurture can explain a lot of what is Joseph Cox, however it can't explain everything and for everything else we look to nature. I personally believe I am who I am because of both nature and nurture.

Chemistry is an important aspect of why we act the way that we do. Genetically, our parents can pass down many of their traits to us. One may be genetically dispositioned to be an alcoholic like myself. But if a child grows up around alcoholics and sees at a very young age that alcohol rules the worlds of those around them they may be prone to think this same why. I am an alcoholic not because I drink too much or even too often but because everyone in my family is. And like the color of skin this trait is passed down with ease. My brain is addicted to nicotine. Like alcohol the brain becomes addicted to this chemical unlike alcohol this vice is an acquired one. I nurtured myself into this habit. So to support my thesis the chemistry of the brain can be both.

Every teenager exhibits similar tendencies. Many of these tendencies can be credited to the numerous physiological changes occurring in the body at the time. Many teenagers act out or change study habits these changes can be because of the internal confusion that one is feeling. Not all of the typical behavior shown by teenagers comes from the chemical changes occurring in their bodies. Teenagers often rebel because of the certain way their parent parents, or the crowd the run with. Teenager's undeveloped rapidly changing entities are extremely vulnerable and can be morphed through the attention given to them in a certain social situation.

Now in relation to the wild child we once again show both sides. This child was left out to fend for herself in the wild and there for nurtured herself. The product of this: and anti social being but one still containing the characteristics of a human girl. Who is to say that this girl wasn't naturally a schizophrenic or suffered from autism? Exactly.

Now the phenomena concerning twins baffles me. To hear about twins separated at birth but exhibit the same tendencies suffer the same illnesses amazes even the most intelligent people. This would most definitely be nature. On the other hand some twins never separated, who grew up wearing matching