Recently, I've gained a different perspective on humans in my psychology development class. One of the famous debates that psychologists have had over the years is nature versus nurture. This debate looks into how much of humans' personality and behavior is shaped by their experiences and the way they're brought up and how much is shaped by how they are chemically built.
In one study, we learned that a psychologist can predict with extremely high accuracy whether a several-month-old baby will be outgoing, shy, or somewhere in the middle as an adult, based on how the babies react to toys presented in front of them. This experiment shows that people's personalities can be part of their DNA.
Another studied followed triplets who were separated at birth. When they were reunited as adults, the men shared many qualities. However, parts of their personalities still differed, implying that personalities could be shaped by how one is brought up and also part of how they are built.
Through this, I began to think about how I can judge others without really stopping to think about what they might be going through, or simply what they feel. What I realized is that you can never truly know what someone is going through. You might know your best friend really well, but even if you tried to put yourself in their shoes, you'd never fully seeing what they're seeing. They've had different experiences than you throughout their life that has molded future decisions and views. They also could have a very different brain chemistry than you, thus also shaping their reactions to situations.
If someone is outgoing or shy, for all we know, that could be as simple as having red hair. It might just be part of their DNA, and they cannot help how they are made. We shouldn't jump to conclusions on why someone acts a certain way, and not be so judging. Give people the benefit of the doubt, because we can never truly understand them.
