Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick, the famous identical twins from the movie The Parent Trap, were separated from their divorced parents at a young age. Sharon was raised in Boston by a socialite mother while Susan grew up in California on her father's ranch. Sharon had structure while Susan's life was very relaxed. They looked the same and liked many of the same things, but their personalities were very different. What is responsible for these differences? Is it simply that they are two different people with different interests and preferences? Or did the environments they grew up in play a role in creating who they are? In the nature versus nurture controversy, nature proclaims that our genetic composition plays the primary role in human development, while nurture declares that our environment determines our development. The nature versus nurture controversy is an age-old issue in science and psychology. world with both camps having evidence to support their theories. The controversy lies in which factor is the most influential in the development of human beings. While there is no definitive answer to this, it is interesting to look at them separately. There is something to be said about heredity and the traits we inherit from our elders. With recent advances in genetics, such as mapping the human genome and studying epigenetics, scientists have a better understanding of which traits are inherited. There are obvious traits such as eye color, hair color and skin color that are inherited from parents and there are genes that make a person predisposed to certain diseases such as breast cancer. However, the line gets a little blurry when it comes to behavior, mental psyche, and intelligence. The nurturing behaviors...... in the center of the card ......cial for older children. While both nature and nurture have evidence to support each theory, it is the effects of each other that may be responsible for shaping development. . As we enter a new era where it is no longer nature versus nurture, but instead nature versus nurture, the study of behavioral epigenetics will become even more important as we begin to recognize the relationship that exists between the two and how influence each other. .ReferencesKim-Cohen, J., Moffitt, T., Taylor, A., Pawlby, S., & Caspi, A. (2005). Maternal depression and children's antisocial behavior: Effects of nature and nurture. JAMA Psychiatry:62(2), 173-181.Natsuaki, M., Ge, X., Leve LD, NJ, Shaw, DS, RD, C., LV, S., . . . D, R. (n.d.). Maternal depression: The roles of maternal depression and parental responsiveness. National Institute of Health.