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Does Nature Or Nurture Influence Personal Development?

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What is it that influences our personal development? Some say that genetics is the basis for it, while others argue that it is the environment that influences personal development. However, there are some people who argue that both nature (genetics) and nurture (the environment) play a key role in influencing personal development. In my life, both nature and nurture played and continues to play a huge role in my personal development. Nature is defined as “the inborn, innate character of an organism” (Rathus p. 56). Essentially, nature is one’s genotype, or genetic makeup. A person’s genetic makeup ranges from eye color to height and everything in between. My parents are very athletic and I certainly inherited my athletic ability and coordination from them. However, I …show more content…

Many people act the way their peers do. Those who hang around violent people tend to be violent. Likewise, I hang out with easy going people who care about their grades, future, and hobbies, just like I do. My home environment also played a part in who I am today. My parents laid out the rules and I was to respect them. They were also very supportive and continue to show their support for me today. I am very disciplined and responsible and that certainly comes from the environment that my parents raised me in. My parents used reinforcement to teach me right from wrong. They also lead by example, allowing me to learn from observing them. My parents are the ones who essentially developed my morals. Infants do not know right from wrong, they know what feels good or bad (Daeg De Mott). As Gelernter states, “by age 3 or 4, the parent is still their ‘external conscience,’ reinforcing their memory of what they’re supposed to do” (Gelernter). In other words, a toddler’s morals are shaped by their parents. Social learning and behaviorist theories support the idea that humans gain morals from the external environment (Daeg De

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