Post #4: Family Influences

One of the most common debates within the sociology community is that of nature vs. nurture. In other words, do our genetics or our environment determine out behaviors. While plenty of people like to choose a side, I tend to thing that our behaviors are determined by a mix of nature and nurture.

As a child, we are first socialized by our family. This means that our family not only contributes to our genes, but also provide our first experiences. Because of this, our family has a huge impact in our early developmental behavior. However, once the child progresses into their elementary school years and beyond, they are socialized with people outside of their own family and are given the opportunity to develop new behaviors and opinions. This opens up the possibility of nurture having a bigger impact on their behaviors.

Looking at the facts listed above, it would be easy to conclude that nurture provides a bigger impact on behavior, but I don't believe this is the case mostly because of genetic disorders. Mental disorders which run in families, such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, can majorly impact someone's behavior and personality. Because of this, no matter how they are socialized by exterior elements, their genetics still strongly influence their behavior. Along with this, we also tend to inherit personality traits from our family members, even if they are very minor. For example, I inherited being an introvert from my dad, Along with this, I also developed a love for animals from my mom. However, the latter could be debated as a product of nurture since I was raised around so many animals.

As you can see, the line between nature and nurture can also be a blurry one. Am I empathetic because my mom is or because I learned to be empathetic towards others because of my experiences? This line makes it even more difficult to decide whether nature or nurture has a greater impact on behavior.

All in all, I believe that both nature and nurture can equally impact our personalities and behaviors. Without one or the other, we wouldn't be able to be properly socialized.