Nature or Nurture?

[Evariium]

Well, I found this on another forum and think its pretty interesting.

What do you believe shapes who we are? Is it genes that we naturally inherit and possess throughout the course of life or does the environment determine how we behave and think?

I believe in Nature. It is often up to ourselves what we choose or discover.

Despite learning environments at school, colleges or home, what is most important is an internal drive for knowledge, or any obsession one may nourish. Sometimes one needs to reject temptation and other rogue activities in order to preserve human moral.

There are equal chances for a person to be influenced by something good and something bad. Experiences may impel for the better or condemn that person forever. One can not always rely on chances to shape his character.

Let's say I'm at school. If I am easily affected by the languid aptitude, I will only waste time and rot before I sit for any exam. Even it teaching quality is mediocre, I have to still be able to independently complete tasks set at an international standard and not be hindered by slower paces set by intramural stipulations.
On the other hand of course, good teaching or instructing, will of course assist the child to develop well.

[Askyria]

LOL I know where you got thiss 8DD

Anyways. I personally think it's mostly our environment that shapes who we are. Everyone goes through all kinds of experiences, from which they learn. For example, your group of friends can really easily influence you, since most people, to a certain extent, want to conform to the ways of society. That, and haven't you ever noticed yourself picking up some of your friends' quirks? Like phrases they tend to say, etc.

I also think that your morals are shaped a lot by your environment. If, for example, no one around you thinks that abortion is wrong, then you will likely think so too.

Murders, for example, aren't committed by everyday people who were just 'born that way'. They were committed by people who were often abused and wronged before. (There are other reasons, of course, which is why I said often.)

Sure, everyone's born with certain characteristics that also show, but that's inevitable. It only goes up to a certain extent when your environment begins to influence you much more.

[leisa]

I agree with both of you.

But, i saw a study a while back, probably around 2 or so years ago, where they observed identical twins who were seperated and put into two VERY different environments.

It was shown that genes had some to do with the way we grow up, probably effecting the ability to absorb knowledge and cope with certain environments, but overall the people and environment around them effected them the most.

Well, idk, it's probably a bit sketchy to me so some of that could be wrong...too long ago. XD

but as Nao said, an individual's own drive plays a large role. So I'll have to concurr that as far as education goes, if I didn't push myself to do my best, I'd be average or worse, and I can't settle for that academically. Yes, my teachers do often push me to do better because they know I'm already ca-pable. But when the day is over and i go home, I'm filled with distractions that make me have to set up my will power to do what I need to do, rather than what I want.

And despite my peers being in a similar environment to me, I feel like some of them lack the drive I do, which cannot be instilled in a person simply through the environment.