Personal Narrative: Forces Of Nature Vs. Nurture

All people are subject to forces that are out of their control. These forces shape and influence their lives in ways that are big and ways that are subtle. These two forces are our nature, “The inborn, innate character of an organism,” (Rathus 56) and nurture, “The sum total of the environmental factors that affect an organism from conception onward,” (Rathus 56). In my own life, the forces of nature and nurture have both played a huge part, although nurture has played the bigger part.

A person’s nature is tied to their genotype. A genotype is, “One’s genetic makeup, based on the sequencing of the nucleotides we term A, C, G, and T,” (Rathus 56). Our genetic makeup is comprised of different traits and genetic factors that we inherit from our

A phenotype is, “one’s actual development and appearance, as based on one’s genotype and environmental influences,” (Rathus 56). I grew up in a two-parent household, with one sibling, in Union, South Carolina. The way my parents raised me, coupled with my environment, had a huge impact on me. Football is one of my earliest memories. I come from a family, and a community, that loves football. As a young child, my family would take me to see the South Carolina Gamecocks play on weekends. I would sit and watch the NFL games with my dad on Sundays. So football was something I have always been interested in due to exposure. This led to me wanting to play Stinger Football when I was old enough. From there I played high school football, where I excelled, because of my passion and the size I inherited from my nature. Because I’ve always been involved in football, I have a natural urge to stay in shape. Weekly I lift weights and jog in order to maintain my physical condition. This has led to me being very healthy and has led to good self-esteem. I feel like I look good, so I feel good. The nurture aspect I’ve had influencing my life has also been very

My nature gave me a good foundation to build on, but much of the way I act and the things I do can be traced back to my upbringing and the environment I grew up in. Due to growing up with a sibling, and working with so many people on a football team, I’ve developed great team work skills. I’m able to work well with anyone in order to achieve a goal, which is a very important skill to have. As previously stated, my time playing football has instilled the value of being healthy in me. I work hard in order to lead a healthy lifestyle, and this has led to me being encouraging to others to make similar choices in their own lives. It has led to me preferring outside work and physical activity. The outside is where I prefer to be if I can help it. Also, working with so many people has made me very outspoken. If I have issues or opinions I share them. All of this is built on my nature, but it is the nurturing that I’ve had that’s made me into the person that I am