There are millions of them. Not one is the same, no matter how similar they may be. Of course, I'm talking about people. Many factors influence the way humans work. They are shaped by parents, peers and biology. From their mannerisms to the way their chin points, their upbringing and nature affect every aspect of human life. A debate rages in the psychological, sociological and scientific communities as to which of these two elements has the greatest influence. While most members of these communities recognize the fact that both nature and nurture affect development, some believe that only one determines certain aspects of life, such as gender. Dr. John Money is one of those people; he believes that gender identity is solely the product of education. He advocates that when humans are born, they have a blank psychosexual slate. That is, at birth, individuals do not have a gender identity and can be raised as male or female. However, he has his skeptics. Milton Diamond was the first to publicly challenge his beliefs. Nature versus nurture is a debate that has existed for ages, and research is still being done to help determine which is the true winner. In order to better understand all aspects of the debate, you need to know some key terms in relation to studies. In this article, upbringing refers to parenting styles, peer influences, and other external factors such as social acceptability. Nature will reference biological evidence, the physical and psychological similarities between the twins, and how people actually feel when asked how they personally feel their lives have been influenced. In the analysis of the John/Joan affair, references to a “bl...... middle of paper ......archer April 3, 1998: 289-312. Internet. November 16, 2011. “CBC News in depth: David Reimer. » CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. CBC News, May 10, 2004. Web. November 16, 2011. Colapinto, John. As nature intended: the boy who was raised as a girl. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.Collins, W. Andrew et al. “Contemporary Research on Parenting: The Case for Nature and Nurture.” » American psychologist. 55.1 (2000): 218-232. PsycNET. Internet. November 16, 2011. McCrae, Robert R et al. “Nature rather than nurture: development of temperament, personality, and lifespan.” » Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 78.1 (2000): 173-186. Web PsycNET. November 16, 2011.Szalavitz, Maia. "The 'Sissy Boy' Experiment: Why Gender-Related Cases Require Scientists' Humility." TIME Healthland - A healthy balance of mind, body and spirit. June 8, 2011. the web. November 14. 2011.