Posted by paxvox on May 29, 2003, at 18:38:41
In reply to Not to be nosy....., posted by kid47 on May 29, 2003, at 15:29:13
Nature vs. nurture. Yes, certainly applicable. I had a "normal" life as a youth, at least I thought I did. I was happy for the most part, and thought that my family was pretty much like my friend's were. However, looking back at things now, I can clearly see how certain personality traits that I have were learned from my dad, or passed down genetically. OCD for example. My dad was (still is) very time-oriented, and impressed that upon me. To be 5 minutes early was to be on time, to be on time was to be late. I am STILL that way at 43! I think I am passing that on to my daughter as well. Now, was that nature or nurture? Hard to know for sure. Interestingly, I have known some folks from REALLY screwed up homes who act and appear very well adjusted now, so what's to explain that? I think that certain mental illnesses clearly run in families. I suspect that there is literature to support that thought. The question is, can one AVOID such conditions, even if predisposed, by avoiding the triggering mechanisms? For instance, can a child of an alcoholic who would probably also be an alcoholic if they began drinking, avoid that result by totally abstaining from alcohol before it becomes an issue? I would say "yes". So, can a child of an OCD parent avoid THAT trait by consciously avoiding THOSE characteristics? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........
PAX
poster:paxvox
thread:229981
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030517/msgs/230033.html