At the regional conference for Helping America's Youth, previously mentioned, I  had the pleasure of spending some time with Psychologist William Pollack, a fellow speaker. I enjoyed hearing his views on nature vs. nurture. He believes that contrary to popular opinion, boys are not by nature tougher than girls; in fact, they are more fragile--parents just think they are tougher and parent, accordingly.

His views coincide with a recent article I read from The Associated Press on a study about teen violence. The researchers found that not only was there indeed a link between teenagers who repeatedly watched pro wrestling on TV and those that behaved more violently than other kids, but that GIRLS were more prone to violence than boys! This certainly suggests that nurture (the environment of watching wrestling) played an important role in the higher rates of problematic behavior. We generally don't think of girls as being more aggressive.

I agree with Dr. Pollack: The bottom line is that both nature and nurture are significant factors in child development. The powerful  impact of graphic visuals canot be underestimated. While it's possible that adults are not as affected by violence (although that's debatable), children are intensely influenced by what they watch and experience.

All the best-

Barbara

Barbara McRae,   My Blog
MCC Author, Coach, Parent/Teen Expert
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