Nature Vs Nurture

As an adolescent, there were countless times that I disagreed with my parents. Ninety-Nine percent of the time I argued with my parents, just for the sake of an argument. I know that after almost every argument I can remember muttering to myself, that I will never treat my kids as my parents did. To fulfill this teenage fantasy I will need to overcome two giant hurdles. First, my nature or genetic makeup comes from my parents. Also, the environment that I’m raised in or nurtured in is solely with my parents. In the following, I will discuss my views on how nature and nurture both contribute to who I am.

My political views are greatly influenced by nurture. In the fourth grade, my mother was participating in a school related election for the President of the United States. My mother distinctly remembers that she did not know any of the candidate’s positions or political views. To find out which candidate my mother would support she turned to her father. Because of my grandfather’s influence, my mother then voted Hubert Humphrey for president. Because of this incident she learned that my grandfather is a split ticket voter, he votes for the best candidate and not for a political party. Those are the same views that she possess today and attributes them to the nurture of her father. My parents share the same political views and have voted identically since they have been married. I can attribute my split ticket voting to the nurture of my parents.

I believe social behaviors to be directly related to nurture. My mother was the middle child out of thirteen children. My mother often felt like “the one there.” My mother was either too old or too young to for her siblings and often felt excluded or left out. When my mother was in elementary school she tended to shy away from social events and people. My mother’s feelings of anxiety in social situation can be attributed to the lack of inclusion during her early childhood. Because my mother was often excluded from activities within her family she tended to spend more time with her friends than with her family. This detachment was formed because of the lack of inclusion as a child. I am the middle child out of five boys. My mother often feared that I would have these same feelings of exclusion and loneliness. My mother also did not want me to experience social anxiety as she felt growing up. My mother went to great lengths to include me in my older brother’s activities. When I was nine years old, my brothers were going to teepee my cousins’ house. My mother sensed my desire to go and encouraged my brothers to drag me along. My mother went to great measures to ensure that I received the attention that she didn’t receive. I did not experience the fear and anxiety of social situations because of the positive social experiences of my childhood. I fell very close to all of my brothers because of the inclusion I received from them. I attribute my social behavior to nurture.

Athletic ability is determined by nature. My father was an exceptional athlete. He played many sports and