i posed a questions in larry's red head thread:
http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/cg...=011585#000011
of nature or nurture. are we who ae are because of genetics, or are "we" formed as a result of how we were raised? i like this question and i hope to have a nice debate without any fights.

Simply put: Equal portions of both.

not always so simply put djinn. ask anyone who was adopted. at that point their physical make up is who made them, but most personality traits were given to them by who raised them. easy to say both if you ahve both natural parents. i personally sit on the fence for this. i think both in varying degrees for each individual, which sounds correct but i also know there are ppl out there with strong veiws that say otehrwise.

I'll have to agree that both play a part, but I think how we are raised is the final influence on our genetic base.

I agree with both but not in equal portions.
Genetically, we are who we are...our physical make up, our vulnerabilities to certain diseases, cancers, etc, and in part, our I.Q.

Environment has many aspects that affect us as we develop and grow but the outcome for different people in the same environment is not always the same.

Resiliancy vs vulnerability has proven that resiliant children are more apt to be successful adults than vulnerable children growing up in the same detrimental environment.

By successful, I don't mean just their place in adult life (job/education level) but also as in that they are able to function emotionally and socially as well...not all to the same extent as we ARE all different people but more so than their more vulnerable counterparts.

I think nurture is a heavy factor, but nature seems very influential as well. I honestly believe, from my experience, that a lazy child almost always becomes a lazy adult. Regimentation and effort can make the person very productive, but there is a certain something about the trait of whether you are a "go-getter" or not that I think has more to do with nature. This is just one example of one trait - I just think some "personality" traits remain visible throughout the creature's life.

And, I think pet owners, especially owners of multiple pets, can also attest to a lot of the personality traits that are visible from the time the animal is quite young.

Other traits, I think, can be more heavily affected by nurture - such a shyness. Ever see a very shy person born into an extroverted household? They likely won't become a complete extrovert, but their shyness softens.

So - a mix of nature and nurture, sometimes more or less of one than the other depending on the person and the trait being examined. :D

If that were true, I (by all statistics that apply to the way I was raised and where I should be) would be a homicidal maniac in prison for mass murder.

Resiliancy made the difference in me.

You can't touch a genetic base with environment...genetics are what they are and cannot be changed without evolution playing a part. (or surgery ;) )

Also, Revruby, to add a twist to your statement about personality traits...my 21 year old son is exactly like his father in many ways including personality and physical characteristics including not only how he looks but also how he acts (hand motions, the way he walks etc.) and he has never laid eyes on the man.

Not true. I live in a very bad area, and next to me there lived a lass who came from a big family with successful brothers and sisters. The rest of her family were working full-time jobs, buying houses, generally leading decent but unexceptional lives. The lass who lived next to me? She was an alcoholic, foul-mouthed tart. It turns out she was adopted as a baby.

Nature or nurture? You decide? ;)

Actually, I *do* think it's alot of both. It's a hard question to answer, but in *any* situation where you ask - is the person like this genetically, or were they raised like this - you cannot give a cut and dried answer. There is alway a large portion of both.

I hate the idea of fate, so i'm going to say more Nurture than nature. [img]smile.gif[/img] I'm nothing like my parents. I don't look or act much like em. Some people, some not all, are going to be who they are no matter what anyone says to them. So if they end up a little differently from their parents, or their adopted parents, who's to say they're parents genes had something to do with it? Enviroment plays a big role too, but then again not all the time. I'm going in circles again. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Redblueflare,
You are showing the application of individuality that (bottom line) makes us who we are...nothing that either nature or nurture can influence. ;) [img]smile.gif[/img]