Section 4-1: The Nature vs. Nurture debate.

I know one thing. It's lunch time.
-Image of www.kiddicare.com-

While it has often been debated how much of our personality sprouts from a genetic origin and how much of it is formed by what we are exposed to throughout our youth, a study known as epigenetics, no one has been able to create a definitive answer. What I offer you today is no more of an answer than anything else including scientific research. This is simply my own opinion on the matter with reinforcements provided by my studies in psychology and my own personal life experiences. As with the answer to who is right in the field of psychology studies, my answer is the amount that someones personality varies according to their environment is an extension of their genetic personality, paired with the persistence of the external influences. To put this into simpler, more understandable terms. I believe that our personality will continue to shift and develop as long as we are open to accepting the changes that are presented to us

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I know exactly who I am. I am Draconius Lord
of Darkness, Prince of Evil.
-Image courtesy www.wwe.com-

Have you ever asked a teenager or a pre-teen if they knew "exactly" who they were? chances are you may have encountered one or two who are fairly confident in their in their response. Overall consensus is that most people at that age are impacted from so many outside forces and pressures all screaming at the individual to change that they have no Idea whats going on in their own heads. Some individuals such as my makeup covered friend on the left will go to extremes to find that unique identity to label themselves as different. Even I myself had waist long jet-black hair, wore all black, and listened to metal in high-school  Now, I present myself as a business professional with a short-to-medium length haircut and the majority of my wardrobe is now dress clothes. I would have laughed at you if you had suggested to me in highschool that one day my Tie collection would be larger than my videogame collection.

Those dang kids and their wubstep music!!
-Image courtesy immediateentourage.com-

On the opposite side of the coin, ever notice how most of the elderly seem to be "stuck in their ways" and very resistant to change from outside forces? It's my opinion that most people, myself included, will reach a certain point where society stops having such an effect on their character. I believe that the age at which this occurs is different for everyone and has three major factors that impact this "Identity Resolution" are genetics, prevalence of external stimuli, and a persons subjective measurement of their current comfort level with their life as a whole. If they have passed the age at which they readily accept new information (affected by genetics), If they are no longer affected by external pressures or those pressures are less prevalent, and if they are likely to view their current life as "good" then Identity Resolution is complete and the individual in question (my opinion on the matter only) will afterwards have a fairly stable and predictable personality.