Nature vs. Nurture: Which Tells Who We Are

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The debate whether nature or nurture determines who a person is has been going on for quite some time now. The nature side believes genetics and biology play a huge role in who we are, where the nurture side believes people are basically blank, and are shaped by their environment and the experiences around them. There are some traces in nurture however our genetics and biology factor into who we are, every human is created a different way, and nobody is exactly alike. Genetics factor into how a person is made up and some traits are more dominant than others. Let’s go back to biology when learning about dominant and recessive genes. Dominant genes tend to show more, however traces of recessive genes can be noticed. To figure out whether or not a person is vindictive, can be determined by the genes that make up personality traits. Some people are more kind than others, some are mean and some are comical again all these are samples of personality traits which is part of heredity. Most of this can be supported with the fact it’s how the person was created. Take for instant human instinct, every single person is born with it. The instinct to run when terrified or fight is basic survival skills that are all naturally programmed into our brains. As the author Nigel Nicholson points out: “You can take the person out of the Stone Age, evolutionary psychologists contend, but you can’t take the Stone Age out of the person”(Nicholson). One can even note how the idea of evolution can support the human instinct because since we all have inherited animal characteristics it can relate to instant knowledge for survival. At the University of Minnesota undergrad students conducted a long term project where more than 350 pairs of twins went throug... ... middle of paper ... ..., which is the influence of nurture. The vast majority that makes us who we are is influenced by nature. We are who we are and genetics and biology make us a complete whole. Works Cited  Collins, Nick. "It's nature, not nurture: Personality lies in genes, twins study shows." The Telegraph. 16 May 2012. Telegraph Media Group. 05 Feb. 2014 .  Goleman, Daniel. "MAJOR PERSONALITY STUDY FINDS THAT TRAITS ARE MOSTLY INHERITED." The New York Times. 02 Dec. 1986. The New York Times. 07 Feb. 2014 .  Nicholson, Nigel. "July 1998." Harvard Business Review. 07 Feb. 2014 .

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