Heredity vs. environment
When discussing the impact of heredity vs. environment, heredity almost invariably seems to 'win' when one considers the impact of genetic diseases, or lack thereof, on an individual's life. A person born with Downs' Syndrome because of an extra chromosome in his or her genetic code will have a vastly different way of perceiving his or her environment than someone who does not. In the case of schizophrenia, a debilitating mental disease, the risk of developing the illness is 10% greater if one has a relative with the illness, versus the risk for the general population, which is about 1%. An identical twin raised in the same household has a 60% likelihood of developing schizophrenia as his or her sibling (Cloninger, 2009).
Yet -- the real surprise about this figure is that "about 40% of the co-twins of a schizophrenic live completely normal lives without disease," despite having the same genetic material and upbringing as their affected twin (Cloninger, 2009). Clearly, environment has some impact on the development of the human psyche. And a child who is malnourished, not properly educated, and not allowed to play and develop his or her body and mind will not flourish like a child who does, regardless of his or her genetic gifts.
Think of a great sports star. This individual needs certain genetic gifts -- height, flexibility, and coordination -- that he or she must be born with, as every mediocre athlete knows who has had 'the right coaching,' and the right parental and financial support yet still is only adequate on the field. Yet that same sports star, had his talents not been nurtured, had he or she not been given the correct equipment, instruction, and chance to play would never have developed his or her extraordinary skills. This is also true for intellectual gifts. Thus heredity is perhaps 'the hand you are dealt' in the poker match of life, and there is only so much you can overcome, but you need to learn to play your genetic cards 'right' to truly benefit from them.
Work Cited
Cloninger, C. Robert. Is schizophrenia inherited? The Open Mind. March 28, 2009.
http://www.mhagstl.org/OM-InheritingSchiz.htm
