Bruce Reimer Nature Vs Nurture

An obstacle in the middle of developmental psychology’s advancement has stumped psychologists for many decades. Psychologists from all over the spectrum have argued this question, but with particular interest from those with a nativist view in which “certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn” (Schacter 5) and nurturists which believe that rearing is stronger than innate characteristics. The nature and nurture discussion has been prevalent for many years in history and has had its share of debates for decades from renowned scientists like Rene Descartes, an early explorer of the human brain (Lecture), and John B. Watson, founder of the behaviorist school of thought (Lecture). More recently, however the deliberation has been illustrated in the case of Bruce Reimer. Bruce Reimer was born with an identical twin, Brian Reimer, on August 22, 1965 in Winnipeg, Canada to parents Ron and Janet Reimer. Despite being born slightly premature, they were healthy baby boys. At eight months of age the boys’ mother noticed they had difficulty urinating. This complication was diagnosed as phimosis, a condition where the “foreskins seemed to be sealing up at the tip and making it difficult...to pass water” (Colapinto 10). To treat the condition, the

Ron and Janet Reimer were notified of the incident and any possibilities of restoration. Despite not having a positive outlook, the Canadian doctors recommended the Reimers visit one of the major American medical centers where all they were offered was “that Bruce have an artificial phallus constructed [which] required multiple surgeries through childhood, and the cosmetic and functional results were not promising” (Colapinto 16). The young Reimers were stuck at in a state of desperation for the first two years of their kids lives until their “small black-and-white TV” (Colapinto) provided them with news changing the Reimer’s