The study and discussion regarding nature versus nurture is a conversation that will always have people leaning to one side or another. As a person of recovery, I think there is significant argument to believe it is a combination of the two. The concern would be, if it is nature then to what degree did my nurture empower the nature to be predominant in my life. When it comes to passing the genetic ingredient for addiction studies find that sons born to fathers who are alcoholic are seven times more likely to become alcoholic. Does this mean that I must become alcoholic or be predisposed to other like addictive and compulsive behaviors? If so, does changing my nurturing environment overcome the pre-disposition of nature. If nature is the dominant contributor at what point do I take responsibility for being or not being a particular way? One of the great quotes that Zig Ziglar shared is “if I am born poor it is not my fault if I die poor it is.“ That tends to appear more nurture than nature, but the same thing could be aid. If I am born with a nature to behave or respond in a way then it is not my fault, but once I have the freedom and the power to not be that then it becomes my responsibility.
Looking at both nature and nurture we find that the nature proponent is thinking of it as a pre-wiring or a predisposition and is primarily influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors such as DNA. When we consider the nurture of things it’s more of an influence of external factors. In other words, we are the product of exposure and life experiences and things we learn as an individual. Once again, a person can make an argument sufficient to sway a person from one side to the other. My challenge with being locked into a nature perspective is it moving me from personal responsibility into a position of it not been up to me to make changes. I’m not saying that the argument for nature requires that, I just know that many people would use it as an excuse as to not making an effort and not taking responsibility for necessary changes that need to be done in their life. When we take a close look at the debate it seems to be contributing influences that could either make or further shape things such as behavior, personality, how we think, how we respond and other important contributing attributes to our living. Obviously, we do know that physical characteristics are inherited. We even know that we can be predisposed to genetic disorders and or diseases through DNA inheritance. No one would argue that, but the question as to what role do other types of characteristics play in the discussion between nature and nurture are open for debate. I’ll let the scientist decide that. What I do know is that regardless of what we feel we are predisposed to it does not mean that we are destined to become or remain that way. Some people may have more of a challenge than others. It does not preclude them from becoming well, despite the contribution that nature and nurture plays. We may not be able to change our nature, but we can overcome any debilitating characteristics by changing our nurture.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
All posts by Robert Pardon