Recently, I have been contemplating in the back of my mental space as to how much I am a product of my environment/experience and how much is a natural inclination.
Over the years, I have done a few character/personality tests as well as through tons of self-help resources reflected upon who I am when it comes to being able to label why I act/respond/behave the way that I do. No matter how much I might not want to be put into a box, life is easier when I have at least an outline of definition for who I am.
Recently, I did another test as part of a writing group for adoptees that I have joined. While the characteristics listed at the top and bottom of my list were not overly surprising, I considered again my contemplation of nature vs. nurture in my development as a human being and whether or not I want to change the labels, especially as a writer.
Since the time of my first memories, I have been an organizer. I remember putting toys away exactly as I found them or being able to remember just how pieces of something went so that I could put it back together again as they were. However, I am not certain if this is a naturally developed skill or one that I developed as a coping mechanism. Was I already naturally inclined to understand the organization and mechanics of things or did it develop as a way to control what I could of my life? Did my A-mom’s own tendency for being organized enhance what was already in me or confirm my need for it?
My eternal love for a schedule and routine can be clearly shown as a result of not being able to have any control or stability in my early childhood years. Thus, as an adult I learned that it was also a strength for success (however that is defined) and so I nurtured it further. But, was I naturally inclined anyway?
In Japanese culture, they have a belief that your personality is related to your blood type. This has spread to the West along with the idea of eating according to a blood type. If I follow this line of thinking, then the description for my blood type B+ would suggest that I am as I am based on nature.
Yet, upon my recent reflection of the top 5 character strengths according to the VIA Institute on Character, I feel that some points must be because of my early adoption experience.
Still, the truth is that people change and develop over time through both their natural tendencies and also their environment/experiences. So, my conclusion is that it’s probably both and, really, it doesn’t matter that much. More, it is a curiosity. Also, even more importantly, I have the power (control) to change whatever I want. So, if I want to move my least strong of 24 traits up on the list to a higher position, then all I have to do is train myself to be a bit more humorous! π
~T π
