The dichotomy of the “nature vs. nurture” debate has been a key topic of conversation within the realm of psychology and philosophy for centuries on end. How, you may ask, do genetics and/or our environment contribute to the development of our identities?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered what things in my life have led me to become the way I am. What exactly makes us “us”? Humans are innately complex beings, unlike any other species on the planet. We have much larger brains relative to the size of our bodies and a level of intelligence with which other mammals simply cannot compete. However, along with this intelligence comes the development of preferences, opinions, habits, thoughts and ideas. What determines these individual characteristics which make each person distinctively different?
Advocates of the “nature” perspective typically promote the notion that our instinctive behaviour is a result of evolution, contending that genetics handed down from parents to their offspring directly influence the individualism that differentiates every single person to some extent.
Millennia ago, ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato believed that a certain proportion of individuals were born with “innate knowledge” present in their minds at birth.
To a certain degree this may be true as every parent can agree that babies are born with innate characteristics, whether it is agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness or other attributes. However, nowadays, people have largely abandoned the notion that a person’s personality traits are bound to be passed down to future generations, as (especially in the previous century) this theory has been reflected in a fiercely negative light. Most famously, the Nazis implemented eugenics and compulsory sterilisation on people with traits such as neurodivergence which they deemed undesirable. Additionally, in less extreme contexts, many people believe that this notion is outdated and thus, not relevant to our society today.
Instead, “pluralism” and “diversity” are now being pushed to the forefront of decision-making processes worldwide.
On the other hand, “nurture” theorists, believe that our personalities are predominantly determined by our experiences and the people around us. Meanwhile, behaviourists believe that all actions and thoughts are influenced by the conditions in which we find ourselves. Therein, our ethnic background holds no weight. You might have noticed that there are inherent differences between different generations in approaching day-to-day challenges and learning, as well as ideologies and broad mindedness. If so, then you have first-handedly experienced the impact of environmental factors on our lives.
As a member of Gen Z, why might I have more in common with a girl my age from Nigeria, then perhaps my great aunt?
It’s simple. Technological advancements, specifically the growth of social media and online platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc., are at the centre of these global trends.
I have never known a life without the existence of an iPhone. From the moment I was born, I was immediately connected with millions of people across the globe. I think this is an important conversation to have as I, for one, realise that my parents and grandparents do not share the same thoughts and ideas as I do, and thus, may not understand me the same way a person my age does.
Consequently, this proves that in spite of genetics, environmental factors notably influence the ways we, as humans, process thoughts and ideas.
To put these two concepts into practice, consider a psychopath, and what makes one inherently more of a danger to others than a neurotypical human being? Significant evidence suggests that psychopathy is mainly a biological condition, related to the underdevelopment of crucial segments of the brain, responsible for the regulation of emotions and impulse control, often resulting in an inability to empathise with others. Nevertheless, this doesn’t necessarily mean that psychopaths are inherently future serial killers. This only leads to a single, separate pathway; environmental factors create serial killers, not some biological abnormality. Thus, it is almost impossible to predict what someone will become in later years.
You may even be in the presence of a serial killer at this very moment, and you would have no clue who they are.
The future assassins may not know themselves either. I guess this is one of the things that make our lives dangerous and unpredictable, but “thrilling” in a way, because the future is unknown.
This also somewhat correlates with the concept surrounding “destiny”. According to Greek mythology, the three goddesses of the Morai set one’s destiny from the moment they were born. However, is it possible that our fates are not “written in stone”? Do our environment, the people with whom we interact, our culture, and the conditions in which we grow up, play a role in the development of our choices and opinions?
We will never truly obtain a clear answer to whether it is our nature or how we are nurtured that holds more value in the development of our distinctiveness. It is also very probable that the degree of these variables might vary between different people, thus, it is impossible to come to a decisive conclusion. All that we can do is acknowledge the likelihood of both perspectives and formulate our own opinions as to what we think is right, and what makes us different (or similar) to every other person in the room.
