11/30 Oldest Sibling

Think about the person you are today: your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, your attitudes, etc. In what ways has your birth order position shaped you? In what ways have your relationships with your siblings helped make you the person you are today? To what extent does the research about birth order that you read about last night reflect your experience? Be specific and make connections.

I think the fact that I am the oldest in my family has given more characteristics of a leader. Because both of my siblings are younger than me I have always learned to take control of situations. In addition, it is very stereotypical that the first born is the child most driven and most likely to be a book worm. I see myself as being both of those things. My sister, two years younger, cares about school, but she doesn't study nearly as much as I do and my brother, four years younger, only does school work when he's forced to. I learned through my reading that the oldest is competent and responsible and always strives to achieve the very best and I pride myself in all of those qualities.

11/9 Nature v. Nurture

Examine yourself in the context of the nature vs. nurture debate. Think about your personality characteristics, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses. Are you the way you are because of nature (heredity) or nurture (environment, parenting, education, etc.)? If you were to pick a side, which one would win out in your development as a person?

If I were to take a side on the nature vs. nurture debate I would without a doubt agree with the nurture argument. I recognize the fact that a lot of who a person is comes from who their parents are, but I think that pertains more to outward appearance than anything else. I think behavioral characteristics come from one's parents as well, but those traits are developed as a child grows up. For instance, I know that my mom is a very strong willed person. She stands up for what she always stands up for what she believes in and I think that I often behave in a very similar way. But I believe I act this way, so similar to her, because it is something I learned as a I developed. I view this as an acquired trait, not something I was born with. I think there are certain behavioral things that are inherited like athletic ability. Some of that comes from practice and training but there are some people out there just born with superior genes. I don't think there is one definite answer. Some traits are inherited and others are acquired. I just always find myself leaning towards the nurture side of the argument. I think despite the way a person is born and what characteristics he or she is initially given, nurturing that goes on in the outside world can either shape that initial makeup for the better or for the worse.