The Nature vs Nurture debates the importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature") versus personal experiences ("nurture") in determining an individual’s differences in physical and behavioral traits. The question is, does either one have a greater influence over the development of personality?

In my opinion, you are born blank. And the environment shapes up your behavior, I'm not really convinced that you are really wired and is pre-written that you'll be this or that way because of your genes.


Discuss.

I think usually you are born blank. But you have to remember about birth defects, and the environment as the baby is growing (like a mother smoking/drinking can have bad outcomes).

But, after being born, I think it's a heavy mix of both. how your brain functions, is a strange mix of genes from your parents, but how the brain(and therefore everything else operates) is critical of the environment surrounding it, including social, physical etc.

Oh no, it's English 10 all over again.

I agree with the being born blank thing, but ZL, a mother smoking or drinking during pregnancy would still fall under nurture. Nature suggests that personality traits are somehow related to genes your born with.

But nature does play a part. It's hard to deny that if you take into consideration disorders and all that people can be born with.

I saw this book originally on The Colbert Report, I believe, and added it to my list of stuff to read but have yet to get to it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blank_Slate
It sounds pretty interesting.

I also believe that people are born as blank slates, and agree that the environment of the individual has the biggest impacts on that personality. Mental perception, and our ability to re-evaluate and change that perception --or the perspective-- I believe is a huge part of a person's development and growth, and behavior. A child who steals a toy from a friend for instance, may not do so again after he himself is stolen from and then -sometimes and hopefully mind you- understands a part of why it was wrong for him to do so in the first place.. and be both remorseful and hesitant to do so after. I guess for me it all boils down to the facts as they've been proven to me in my experiences: you learn as you live, first by the examples set from others.. then from the mistakes and joy you yourself make. The best lessons you learn come by stopping to breathe and changing your perspective to learn as much as you can from the experiences you've had or are having. Never, ever, look at anything from just your perspective or, just one angle. You cheat yourself that way, and others.

In other word: Nurture.