Where does behavior come from?

                Thank you for your question reader, it’s a complex one! It sounds to me like you are asking the “nature vs nurture” question that scientists have been trying to answer for a long time. The basic question is, do we do what we do because we are born that way or because we learn how to do things a certain way based in our environment? One of the ways that researchers have tried to answer this question is by studying twins over a long period of time. Scientists have studied identical twins that have been raised by the same families as well as identical twins that were raised in separate environments to look at similarities and differences over time. Results of these studies have generally shown that twins are remarkably similar, even when raised in totally different environments without knowledge of one another. This suggests that genetics play a major role in developing behavior.

                We also know that social learning is a huge part of how we develop. From the time we are born, babies are learning from observing and modeling the behaviors of others. Simply put, our best understanding of where behavior comes from is that much of what comes naturally to us is inborn, or genetically predisposed. However, behavior can be strengthened or lessened based on what we learn from the people and situations around us. Natural development can also be impeded by things in our environments. For example, children who experience traumatic events may have more difficulty developing healthy relationship attachments than they would have without the traumatic experiences. Additionally, in order to learn new skills, we have to be exposed to people or situations that present the opportunity to teach something new. A child could have an inborn ability to learn many languages, but if adults around them speak only one language, they will learn only one.

                Some people think that because genetics play such a role in developing behavior, we have little control over what we do or how we respond to the world. However, people are very capable of change when we are motivated to develop healthier behaviors or break old patterns that are not working for us. It takes practice, new learning, and work, but we are very capable of changing what we are given to work with from birth. Working with mental health professionals can be an effective part of learning to change behaviors.