Nature vs Nurture - What is your opinion?

[Seeking_Wisdom]

I used to be able to be swayed by either side of the nature vs nurture argument until I had children. Now I have a more definate opinion.

From birth I could pretty much define the personality traits of both of our children - serious, light hearted, physical, moody, observant, etc. Now I believe that nature plays a HUGE part. The nurture part is the tool which God has given us to shape the nature into the holiest person which each one can be.

What is your opinion?

 

[Tom]

I read your post earlier and wasn’t going to respond because I wasn’t sure what you were talking about, seems others haven’t understood the question either.
Seeking Wisdom:

I used to be able to be swayed by either side of the nature vs nurture argument until I had children.

Is there an argument?
Seeking Wisdom:

From birth I could pretty much define the personality traits of both of our children - serious, light hearted, physical, moody, observant, etc. Now I believe that nature plays a HUGE part. The nurture part is the tool which God has given us to shape the nature into the holiest person which each one can be.

I agree. Are there people that don’t agree?

 

[BobCatholic]

In scientific circles, the jury is still out on nuture versus nature - they won’t come up with anything seriously scientific on this.

I see life as a poker game. We may have no control over the cards dealt to us, but we can choose how well we play them. Sometimes, ya gotta bluff, sometimes ya gotta fold, sometimes ya gotta play hard. We make the choice.

 

[Paul_W]

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING

foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120914,00.html

Fox News reported a story in May about a 38-year-old man. When he was 8 months old, a doctor botched his circumcision.

A psychologist then decided that this would be a great way to answer the Nature vs. Nurture question. Since the boy had an identical twin brother, the psychologist recommended that the disfigured boy be turned into a girl, via further surgery and hormonal treatment. The twins would then be raised in the same environment, presumably unaware of their original nature.

Although the psychologist published a study claiming complete success, the Fox report indicates that it was anything but. The man recently committed suicide, after several attempts, beginning in his teenage years.

I have generally learned toward the Nature camp, and after reading this expose I feel even stronger in my opinion.

 

[Akiliana]

Nature vs. Nurture
Spiritually speaking, God defined and designed us to fit into the ‘traditional’ gender roles of society.
Men are built with more upper body strength for instance, because they were designed for hard labor. Meanwhile, woman’s body was designed for bearing and raising children.

If we get into the role that society has played on gender roles, I can only call it disgusting. Perhaps it is because I was raised in a Catholic Christian household that I feel so strongly about this subject. I was raised with dolls, and my brothers with trucks, I was raised learning the teachings of the church and firmness, my brothers taught to support the Church without doubt. As children we were all allowed to play in the mud and such, I made mud pie, my brothers pretended sticks were swords. Outdoor play was not regulated in any way but we were naturally drawn to typical roles. Children who are raised without gender definition are not happy, because they aren’t sure where they fit into the world. Granted “Metrosexuality” seems to be becoming more common amongst males, it is not natural. Even though I am sure that I will get a lot of argument on what I am about to say it needs to be said. Metrosexuality is the product of mothers raising sons withut a strong father figure in place, and perhaps even, women raising thier sons to NOT be like thier fathers.

Traditional gender roles have been tabu for far too long, but they are something that we as Christians should be reenforcing. I am not saying that women should not be in the work force, I think that single and childless women can work without guilt, but we should not let our careers get in the way of becoming what we should be, namely mothers. I’ve already discussed in another thread the roles of women in the church, and I don’t think that motherhood is limited to biological children.

Men are our strength, physically and emmotionally. That is why they head the church.

If we tiptoe around this and allow it to fester the body of Chirst will become ill with it.

 

[Seeking_Wisdom]

Akiliana:

Nature vs. Nurture
Traditional gender roles have been tabu for far too long, but they are something that we as Christians should be reenforcing. I am not saying that women should not be in the work force, I think that single and childless women can work without guilt, but we should not let our careers get in the way of becoming what we should be, namely mothers.

Men are our strength, physically and emmotionally. That is why they head the church.

.

Agreed! Traditional gender roles need to be reinforced. Is there already a thread on the topic of the roles of men & women? I’d like to review it.

What is your opinion, however, on whether people are born with strong tendencies/personality traits which need to be molded vs. whether parenting & experiences on their own is what develop the final adult product (gender issue aside)?

 

[space_ghost]

I have seen too many PHD’s come from the ghetto or the underpriveledge… I have seen too many failures that came from upperclass, had both parents, had economic abundance, had every shot in the world to succeed but Chose not to…

there was a time that i thought nurture vs nature meant something, then we had 4 children, and that went right out the preverbial window…

Peace…