I agree stuttering may have it's roots in genetics - as it travels in families - however, many children grow out of there stuttering. Us unfortunate ones who take it into adulthood seem to have strong emotional aspects related to our stutter. Basically, at some point in our lives our stutter became a problem. John C. Harrison of the NSA goes on to break stuttering down into a hexagon including: Physiological responses - Behaviors - Emotions - Perceptions - Beliefs - Intentions Basically I am in line with the idea of taking a big picture approach to stuttering, and although stuttering may have started as a purely physiological thing, as with children, I believe it is a behavior we can change (nueroplasticity). I have reduced the anxiety in my life tremendously by facing up to my avoidance behaviors and emotionally coming to terms with my stutter. I opened up to my family and friends, force myself to talk to strangers and on the phone, and my stuttering is becoming more fluent and life is getting easier. The hardest part for me was getting this ball rolling and I needed professional help in this regard. I just hate to see a fellow stutterer believe that they cannot change their stuttering behavior, that it is going to be with them forever. There are countless examples of people who have went from severe stuttering to nearly or completely fluent. The map they all have for us is self acceptance and facing up to feared situations. That's my take on it - I'm not going to go back and forth anymore, but I do appreciate you taking the time to research and I hope you can see my side a little more.