Do you think who you are is more the result of breeding or your environment?

i think its both, because its really hard to tell and hard to differ from each other.

I agree , its some of both but more environment. Like the person above me said we are born with traits that we got from our parents so that might make up some of our personality. But environment influences people to be the person they are today. For example peer pressure, if a person had friends that liked to smoke they are likely to start smoking, that is influenced by their environment. If they were never around smoking its more likely that they would have never started. So I think the person you are depends mostly on whats around you.

To be honest EsKaren I really don't know lol as I am different from the whole of my Mums Family I am sure they found me on the Doorstep lol But I do believe that it always depends from what Background People come from is what makes them in some cases

I think it is a little of both, I mean we get most of character traits from our parents but the environment we are raised in play a pivotal part of our lives.

I think it's more environment. But humans are unpredictable, a man from a nice family can become a serial killer. I don't understand why such things happen. Also, people from bad environments may have some smarts to them and realize they want to leave that situation and do better. I'm not sure where I'm going with this lol.

As someone who has studied this issue I definitely believe that it is almost 50-50. The nature,nurture argument will probably go on for as long as human behavior is studied. I have seen people overcome hereditary defects that affected other members of their family and I have seen and heard of stories where someone born to a poor family overcomes all obstacles and succeeds beyond most people's imagination.

I see our genetic inheritance as being a challenge to realise who we really are. I have inherited poor blood circulation and blood that clots easily that resulted in a heart attack last year. I was totally ignorant to that, thinking it would never happen to me as it had with my dad. I practice meditation as you probably already know, and as a result am reasonably calm and accepting of most conditions that come in my life. Also I have always watched what I ate and have been physically active, unlike my dad. So, where my dad had a massive heart attack at 58 with severe artery damage, I had a mild one and my arteries (according to my angiogram) are in A1 condition. So whilst my genes have influenced my health, my life-style limited the damage of my genetic inheritance. I think we are all here to learn and that's my aim. I like to stay open to all things as truth has a habit of proving contrary to beliefs anyway. I wasn't born to wealth, but my dad, having lived through the poverty in South Wales of the early 20s, had a determination that his kids would not know such hardship and had this drive to be well-off and was quite a successful businessman as a result. Having been forced to leave school at 14, he educated himself. I think my character has been moulded by his relentless drive, but mine goes in a different direction I think. Where he needed wealth, I just need to know more an more about the essence of who I am.

Naturally a lot goes with the environment we grew up in... now I'm primarily speaking of us regular folks who are born in the "real" world of economics...I don't necessarily think one is "condemned" to continue to live in an economic factor say if they were born in a poor or middle class situation and remain that way as is evident by people who ARE born in such circumstances and rise above it...this is a generalization of course..as some people can never hope to climb out of their environment as I'm thinking of people who live in third world countries where the poverty level is overwhelming...with them it's not only environment but hereditary too, since the parents of the children are poor as their parents before them...As for rich people...they too are born into that situation...its a shame though that so often they have so many resources at their fingertips never have to worry about one thing and don't utilize there wealth to the fullest and where it could do the most good..for some reason..I'm thinking of the "ditz" Paris Hilton...LOL...and it's like a case of "well I'm rich...I can do whatever I please.."