Is nature or nurture central to personal development?

Intro

Today I’d like to explore a question that has sparked many debates {…}

As people, we like to believe we know ourselves, that our intelligence, ambitions and personalities are simply who we are - a product of our genetics.

But is that really the case?

Is who we are shaped more by the world around us or our experiences and opportunities?

Too often, we assume that nature alone determines our future, ignoring the overwhelming influence of nurture.

But the real question isn’t which one is stronger, but when does one win over the other - if that ever occurs

Para 1 - Gender expectations

Let’s look at gender for example:

From birth, boys and girls are pushed towards different toys, the fire truck vs the tiara set. Different behaviours, with boys expected to be assertive whilst girls are expected to be accommodating

Even something as neutral as colours receiving masculine and feminine labels

For generations, society told us that women were naturally more nurturing and therefore more well-suited for domestic life while men were more rational and suited for the workforce

These beliefs kept women from education, careers and leadership, justified as ‘biological truth’.

Modern data disproves these claims - in countries like Sweden and Norway where men are encouraged to take active roles at home through extended paternity leave, we see no innate gender divide in caregiving.

Women, when given equal opportunities, succeed in fields that were considered ‘unnatural’ for them

What we once assumed was nature, was actually nurture shaping our behaviour

Para 2 - Personality and Genetics

Yet, while gender roles are clearly socialised, our personalities do have genetic roots.

Twin studies carried out by psychologists show that personality traits are 40-60% inheritable, showing us that while genetics influence our character, what we do with those traits, so how we express them and which strengths we develop, is still shaped by the environments were in

Para 3 - Educational success

Even nowadays, we still undermine the influence of nurture on our personal development. Let’s consider education and social mobility - we like to think that success is based purely on intelligence and hard work. But research consistently shows that the greatest predictors for academic success aren’t IQ or genetics - they’re postcodes, family income and school quality.

When children from disadvantaged backgrounds are given access to better schools and resources, they perform just as well as their more advantaged peers.

Although the cycle of poverty makes poor educational outcomes feel inevitable, even natural - when given opportunity, those barriers crumble. So, when someone succeeds, is that really their nature? Or was their environment designed for success?

Para 4 - Neurodivergence

But let’s flip the argument - while nurture plays a massive role in shaping behaviour, some traits are deeply biological and can’t be erased by the environment. I think that neurodivergence is a perfect example of this. Autism, ADHD and dyslexia cannot be ‘taught’ out of someone and studies show that they are over 70% inheritable, meaning ther’re overwhelmingly genetic.

Society may try to force neurodivergent individuals to mask but research shows that prolonged masking leads to high anxiety, burnout and worse mental health.

Instead, when these individuals receive accommodations tailored to their needs, they thrive.

This aligns with the neurodiversity paradigm, which argues that neurological differences should be embraced, not treated as deficits and proving that there is no one type of ‘normal’ brain.

In this case, nature clearly plays a more dominant role.

C

Conclusion

So, which is more central to personal development - nature or nurture? The truth is, we can’t separate them.

Personality has genetic foundations, but socialisation decides how those traits manifest. Intelligence may have some hereditary bases, but access and opportunity shape success. Neurodivergence may be biological, but the environment determines whether it’s seen as a strength or a struggle.

This shows us that nature and nurture cannot be seen separately, but rather as two influences that heavily interact with one another.

Nurture has changed what we see as natural, so if we can challenge these narratives and biased, then maybe we can take control of our own development.

Thank you for listening