I'm going to ignore fictional characters in my argument because an author can make them do anything.
I think nature and nurture play equally important roles. But I think there's a factor that's overlooked: self determination. Let me give you an example.
I know a young woman who has lousy parents. One is schizophrenic and the other has borderline personality disorder. It's not necessarily their fault that they're lousy parents, but they are lousy nonetheless. This young woman was removed from the home when she was very young. She was thrown from one foster home to the next for perhaps a dozen years. In that time, she suffered some horrible treatment including being raped by a foster mother's boyfriend.
That young woman is now a mother and an EMT. She and her fiance have a healthy, loving relationship. She overcame both her nature (some potentially crippling mental problems) and her nurture (being treated as an object for most of her life). I admire her more than anyone I know.
no subject
I think nature and nurture play equally important roles. But I think there's a factor that's overlooked: self determination. Let me give you an example.
I know a young woman who has lousy parents. One is schizophrenic and the other has borderline personality disorder. It's not necessarily their fault that they're lousy parents, but they are lousy nonetheless. This young woman was removed from the home when she was very young. She was thrown from one foster home to the next for perhaps a dozen years. In that time, she suffered some horrible treatment including being raped by a foster mother's boyfriend.
That young woman is now a mother and an EMT. She and her fiance have a healthy, loving relationship. She overcame both her nature (some potentially crippling mental problems) and her nurture (being treated as an object for most of her life). I admire her more than anyone I know.
Lisa//Slytherin