Page 15 - Biblical Counseling II

3. Is children’s language (grammar) innate or formed from experience?

4. How are intelligence and personality influenced by heredity and by environment?

5. Are disorders like depression because of the brain, experiences, or both?

6. Are emotions like anger and happiness learned or part of heredity?

The debate over these types of questions continues even today. Yet over and over again, we will see
In science today, the nature-nurture debate shows that nurture works on what nature gives (Myers, 2009).

“Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his
birth.” Francis Galton, English Men of Science 1874

Let’s get Personal…

Your Nature-Nurture Drawing. Take a few minutes to reflect on what you were born with (nature) and what
you have learned from your environment (nurture). Think about your personality, emotions, and activities
you are good at, as well as areas you struggle in. Are you strong in sports? Music? Is it easy for you to talk to
people? Do you prefer to be alone? Are you a patient person? Easily angered? What physical traits came
from your genetics? Think about which side you would put these characteristics on: nature or nurture. Write
down as many traits as you can on both sides of the nature and nurture drawing. We will refer back to this
later in this course.

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