The debate between nature and nurture explores whether people are shaped more by the traits they are born with or by the experiences and environment around them. This question has guided psychologists and researchers for years, as they work to understand how personality, behavior, and identity develop.
Many people believe personality begins at birth, formed by natural traits that develop before a person even learns to speak. Junior Lorena Valdes says, “I haven’t had an experience that changed or shaped who I am. I’ve been the same since I was little, so I believe we’re born with our personalities.”
Others argue the opposite, saying experiences, especially during childhood, play a stronger role. Sophomore Kylie Montenegro says, “I believe experiences shape people. Speaking for myself, going through middle school shaped who I am.”
Family is often the first place where the debate starts to show itself. Guadalupe Perez, a junior, says, “I’m a lot like my mother and father. I get the way I view things from them. They are my ultimate influence.”
Others feel they developed traits on their own, separate from the people around them. “I would like to say growing up I got more like my friends. I mean you know the saying “You are who you hang around.” I share more values with my friends than I do with my family,” says, junior Angelina Jimenez.
Others see change as something pushed by environment, new schools, new responsibilities, new expectations. Delmer Sanchez, a senior, says, “We spend 8 hours a day at school with our teachers. I believe that a lot of what they say and teach us beyond academics shapes us.” Gabriel Fuentes, a junior, said, “I’ve seen people change from switching to a more mature environment.” Bruna Dangelo, a junior, says “I recently moved to the U.S from the U.K, and being here so far has changed a lot in how I act and what I’m used to.
Social media adds an even stronger influence, shaping how young people view themselves and how they present their identity to others. An anonymous junior says, “Social media changed the way I view myself a lot. I got more insecure looking at the expectation as a girl, so I became what the expectation is.”
Throughout these conversations, many students point to key people in their lives, friends, relatives, mentors, who have had the strongest impact on their development. Whether these influences come from natural connections or learned behavior, they leave a lasting mark. Ronin Rene, a junior, says, “I remember being in 3rd grade and there was this teacher who purposely stayed after school to help me with math, and they didn’t have to. That teacher taught me that kindness is always the answer. It shaped the way I act towards others now.”
In the end, the debate remains open. Some believe nature lays the foundation, while nurture builds the structure. Others feel nurture holds more power, especially in a world where environment and experiences change so quickly. What becomes clear is that both forces work together, shaping every person in ways that are complicated, personal, and always evolving.
Derick Avellan, a junior, says, “They both are equally fundamental to the shaping of a person, while one is where we come from and the other is who we end up becoming.” Maria Lopez, a junior, adds, “One is not any more important than the other; they can both determine a person’s personality and who they are.”
