Running head: THE ENVIRONMENT SHAPES WHO WE ARE TODAY 1

How Our Surrounding Environment Shapes Who We Are Today

Humber College
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How Our Surrounding Environment Shapes Who We Are Today

There is a constant debate about what truly influences who we are and who we will

become. The two main forces which shape us are nature and nurture. In the following essay, I

will demonstrate why nurture plays a bigger role in human development. Our environment is

what shapes us physically, mentally, and socially. Overall, the greatest force behind our

development is the environment because it shapes almost every aspect of who we are.

Our surrounding environment influences our physique. During the industrial revolution,

peppered moths changed colors due to natural selection as their lichen-covered environment

became sooty and favored darker moths. (Hewitt et al., 2006, p.492) This shows us that the

environment influences genetic change which in turn changes physique. Even so, “natural

selection does not act directly on genes.” (Hewitt et al., 2006, p.497) This means that these

changes are due to environmental causes rather than genetic mutations. Some may argue that this

does not apply to humans but similar selection occurred when Europeans developed fair skin.

Those living in the tropics had developed dark skin in order to protect folate reserves from the

sun while those further from the equator developed fair skin to produce enough vitamin D to last

them through the winters. (Kirchweger, 2001, para.12) This shows us that the environment has

shaped the most vocal part of our physique being our skin tone.

Our surrounding environment shapes us mentally. The dynamics between dominant and

subordinate groups shape the mentality of the population whether it be consciously or

subconsciously. The social structure determines “who gets the best jobs, whose history will be

taught in school, or whose relationships will be validated.” (Tatum, 1997, p.23) This shows us

that the social environment around us shapes how the population perceives certain people and it

demonstrates that control over education correlates with the mentality of the population. Our
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self-identity is also influenced by the environment. Composing the past, present and future of

one’s life is a lifelong journey. (Tatum, 1997, p.20) This shows us that knowledge of who you are

as a person is based on how one has experienced the world. Negative experiences can also cause

a shift in one’s mind. Women who have been abused explain that they have become better at

noticing the slightest shifts in the mood of their partners. (Tatum, 1997, p.25) This demonstrates

that an environment can have a direct impact on how one perceives certain elements in their life.

Our surrounding environment shapes who we are socially. The dynamics between

dominant and subordinate groups shape how a person sees themselves and how society views

them. Some people in subordinate groups are influenced by these social pressures. Some Jewish

people get nose jobs, some Asian people get double eyelid surgery, and some black people bleach

their skin all in order to fit into a dominant group in a society. (Tatum, 1997, p.26) This shows us

that the social environment can influence change in a person. Also, a person’s identity is formed

based on “social, cultural, and historical context.” (Tatum, 1997, p.18) This shows us that a

person’s social identity is formed based on the contextual environment of a society. Furthermore,

those in subordinate groups identify themselves with their subordinate characteristics such as

race, sexuality, disability, etc. (Tatum, 1997, p.21) This means that a person’s social identity is

also developed through the environment surrounding the dominant and subordinate groups of a

society.

In the end, almost every aspect of who we are as a person is developed due to the

environment and it’s various influences. The environment influences the development of our

physique, our mind, and our social identity. There are stronger arguments in favor of nurture in

the nature vs. nurture debate which leads to the conclusion that our environment is what truly

shapes who we are and who we will become.

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References

Hewitt, Paul. G., Lyons, Suzanne. A., Suchocki, John., Yeh, Jennifer. (2006). Conceptual

Integrated Science (2nd edition), Pages 487-511.

Kirchweger, Gina. (2001). The Biology of Skin Color: Black and White. Discover Magazine.

Retrieved 30 October 2019, from http://discovermagazine.com/2001/feb/featbiology

Tatum, Beverly. Daniel. (1997). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?,

Pages 18-28.