Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Nature vs. Nurture
Monday night, after the kids were in bed, I settled in with a salad and water (I'm detoxing again) and watched my 2nd favorite show, The Closer. On Mondays Abe usually works late so I get some time to myself. Oh, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy hanging out with my husband but on Mondays it's just me and Brenda Leigh Johnson solving Top Priority cases for the LAPD. The episode this week was entitled Nature vs. Nurture and was essentially about an adopted 13 year old with an extremely violent temperament. The question that arose in the episode was does heredity or environment determine who we become or how we behave. This question has troubled me for many years and the show really disturbed me. Does it matter where my kids go to school? Will it make a difference how I raise them? Are criminals born or made? Is homosexuality a preference or a predisposition? Do IQ tests measure innate abilities or acquired skills? What do you think?
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5 comments:
Thought provoking tonight, Jac! Maybe I'm dull but I've never really thought too much about it. I guess I think it's both. Hmmm. Something to ponder while I watch the beach volleyball on the Olympics! :)
I believe we live in a fallen world where there is always the opportunity to do wrong (or right) regardless of how you are brought up or what you were born with (or without)...
However, I think your chances are greater to choose right when you have loving, caring, parents that do their best to guide you toward good. And then God takes care of the rest according to his plan and not mine...
At least that's what I believe.
BTW - you're doing a great job nurturing your brood! love, J
I have to ask you and myself "What do you think made you think the way you do, make the decision you make, feel the way you do about things, take care of your family the way you do, etc? If you get it figured out, call me.
Love,
Ni
I ponder the same question re: nature vs nurture, and the answer is always the same...both.
My answers to your questions (for what they are worth, only my opinion obviously...)
1. Does it matter where my kids go to school. Yes, to some extent. But it's not AS important as we make it in our own minds.
2. Will it make a difference how I raise them. Absolutely.
3. Are criminals born or made? Some are born, some are made, and some are both.
4. Is homosexuality a preference or a predisposition? Is heterosexuality a preference or a predisposition? Same answer.
5. Do IQ tests measure innate abilities or acquired skills? Both.
Very interesting post Jacolyn!
Billie
I watched that episode of the Closer also. Anyway, I think it is both. In movies or TV shows it shows the kids who grow up in a good home can still fall prey to the bad influences around them. I think that we give our kids a much better chance in the way that we raise them. I think our kids who are siblings of a special needs child have the extra advantage of learning to not take things for granted.
I have a good friend who is a lesbian and she swears that she was born that way but just kept denying her feelings because that was not the way to be. Her sister is a lesbian as well. Kind of funny but I do not really know what to say on that note.
I will agree with Billie, good post.
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