One of the oldest debates in psychology borders around the question;
"what determines an individual’s behavior?"
We all agree that both our nature (inherent makeup gotten from our lineage) and our nurture (environment, life experiences, style of upbringing etc) play a role in the final outcome of our behavior but the question is do we owe our behavior more to nature or to nurture?
Interestingly, we tend to attribute most of the behavior of nonhumans to their nature but readily attribute human behavior almost exclusively to nurture. However, recent data has shown without a doubt, that nature plays equally, if not more importantly, in determining someone’s behavior. The best way to have researched on this was investigating the outcome of identical twins separated in infancy and raised in different social environments. The expectation from this research was that if nurture is stronger, the twins would turn out behaving differently but if nature is stronger, they would end up behaving alike. Eventually, several hundreds of such pairs have been analyzed and the results were quite similar not to mention amazing.
Bessie and Jessie: identical twins separated 8months after birth following their mother’s death. They were first reunited at age 18 and It was discovered that both girls had each suffered a bout of tuberculosis, had similar voices, energy levels, administrative talents, decision making style and most interestingly had their hair cut short in early adolescence. Jessie had a college-level education while Bessie had only 4years of formal education; yet Bessie scored three points higher than Jessie in an intelligence quotient test (i.e. 156 and 153 respectively). Both girls were avid readers therefore this may have compensated for Bessie’s sparse education hence the deduction that she seemed to have conquered a deficiency from nurture with a strength from nature.
Jim L. and Jim S. were reunited at age 39. They were identical twins but reared apart since infancy by different adoptive families in the city of Ohio (living in the same city? One wonders the kind of confusion they would have caused an unsuspecting passerby that was unfortunate enough to notice them….The kind of stuff that inspires great movies). Anyway each boy was totally unaware of the other boy’s existence however it was discovered that as children, each twin bit their fingernails and had a dog named Toy. Also outstanding was the fact that since age 18, they both suffered from mixed headache syndrome and had been married twice, first to a Linda and then to a Betty. One twin had named his son James Alan, while the other had named his; James Allen.
Both Jims had put a circular bench around a tree in his garden, worked in a gas station at some point and later picked up part-time jobs in law enforcement; each as sheriffs. They both chained smoked Salems and preferred an occasional Miller Lite beer plus they both had the unique romantic habit of scattering love notes to their wives around the house. Coincidentally every summer, unknown to the other, they both drove their families in a light blue Chevrolet from Ohio to the Pas-Grille Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, for summer vacation. They also had similar voices, hand gestures, and mannerisms.
Jerry L. and Mark N.: identical twins separated in infancy were reunited at age 30. Each was nearly bald and had a bushy mustache; both were volunteer firefighters and made a living installing safety equipment. Each wore aviator glasses, big belt buckles complete with big key rings. They both enjoyed drinking Budweiser in a unique way with their pinky finger hooked on the bottom of the can and could not end the exercise without crushing the can when they were finished.
A quote from the good book says…”in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses let a word be established”… From the above findings and more, it becomes clearer that nature wins the argument and emerges as a key determinant of human behavior. So the next time you see or hear about world leaders throwing fist cuffs in public, friends who should know better struggling with poor habits, ordinary folks excelling against all odds and geniuses springing up from the most unlikely quarters; understand that these traits may just be emerging from deep within, a place far beyond their control.
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