This editorial is about children who have been physically abused, and of a new study that shows how this type of ordeal can have a negative effect on the rest of their life. These abused children often grow to become troubled adults. Briefly put, the study involved two types of children. These two groups of kids were shown a computerized image of a face whose expressions changed slowly from fear or sadness to one of anger. The group of kids that had been physically abused recognized immediately the approaching anger and responded. The kids that had not been abuse were slow to detect any anger. It seems the most revealing part of the study came after both groups of children were put into a more calming environment. The abused children were unable to relax, due to the fact that they were fearful of expected anger. This preoccupation stops them from evolving socially.
Constantly encountering people who never accept responsibility for their actions has made me a very cynical person. It makes me very angry when I hear people blame their divorced parents, or neglectful father/mother for how terrible life has been for them. No one accepts the fact that life is what he or she makes of it. Bad luck notwithstanding, as adults our decisions are our own to make. Right or wrong, it is our choice to make. Well after reading this article, I realized that my feelings in this matter had become somewhat tainted. That being said I still firmly believe that we alone are to blame for what we do or do not do. .
I believe this editorial is a good example of nature vs. nurture or something close to it. The study talked about in the article questions whether or not we are born with certain traits and characterization or do we learn these emotions after birth from our surrounding environment. Our appearance is the only thing that is predetermined before birth; the rest is up to our experiences and how we deal with them.