Nature vs. Nurture

BellaBean76

Just wondering what you all think.  How much of a baby's personality is nature and how much is it nurture.  If you have two are they similar or different?

elbou

I would say it's a little of both. I think that babies are born with their general personality "built in" and the nuances of it are shaped by their environment and how they are raised. My 2 girls have similarities, but are pretty different. I haven't done anything drastically different while raising them (they both have to follow the same rules, I have similar expectations of them, etc.) but have tried to make allowances for their personality when possible (they respond differently to incentives and discipline) while still being fair to both of them. That to me, speaks of nature, however, neither of them are as easy-going as they were as babies/toddlers. Combine that with my temper and sometimes short-fuse, and I start to wonder whether their current behaviour is the proverbial phase or if I've "nurtured" them into a more high-strung version of their early personality. I can certainly see them modelling some of my less desirable qualities at times, and that worries me. They pick it up so easily, and it's so much harder to undo!

tondraluv

I def think both. I just take myself for example; my younger sister (10 years younger) is very driven like me which I believe we got from my dad. At the same time, she is timid & I am outgoing, I do well by myself, she needs people around her all the times. I believe the fact that we were raised in different cultures, different environments, and different decades play a big role

ChicagoBroad26

My neighbor and I were just talking yesterday about how all of our kids have the same personalities as the day they came out of the womb. So, there's a huge nature and inherent personality quality. However, our parenting and their environment are huge factors in how they've been shaped, as well.  

arschm02

I say both. My husband's biological dad relinquished all parental rights when he beat his mom at the age of 1.5. He was raised by his birth mom and adoptive dad. Although my husband has a heart of gold and is a huge advocate against domestic violence (nurture) in general his temper he received from his bio dad (nature). His mom is very laid back and, well, Jesse is just a complete pain in the ass deal with when he gets pissed.