The following quote from Albert Einstein will serve as the basis for the stand to be taken on the effect of environment on a person.

“I do not believe in freedom of the will. Schopenhauer’s words: ‘Man can do what he wants, but he cannot will what he wills’ accompany me in all situations throughout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others even if they are rather painful to me. This awareness of the lack of freedom of will preserves me from taking too seriously myself and my fellow men as acting and deciding individuals…”

The only way to properly understand, and address, the issue is to grasp, first, what composes the environment for any person.

If environment is the complete surrounding conditions, or situation, or atmosphere, then undoubtedly people are entirely the products of their environment.

Shifting the argument into Nature versus Nurture brings one to the same conclusion if environment and nature are taken as being synonymous.

It must be noted also that what is called nurture is only so from the point of view of the nurturer. As far as the nurtured party is concerned, the nurturing process is part of the environment in which they are brought up.

If the embryo is taken as the starting point, it is nature which is in control, to the extent that any contribution of the parents towards the well-being of the fetus is nature as far as the fetus is concerned.

What the child is born with is unarguably nature. From the moment of birth the argument begins as to which is predominant, nature or nurture.

If, going back a step, what the child is born with came from the parents, it is those very parents who now contribute to the environment of that child.

What this means is that there is no significant break in the environment between the womb and immediately after birth, except for the physical separation from the mother.

There will not be much argument over this during the infancy stage. Things will begin to change as the child moves into the toddler stage. Now it is not just the physical environment which is a factor; the mental and emotional environment becomes significant.

This can easily be resolved by taking into consideration that the very same parents who contributed the genes of the child are providers of the nurturing. Which means that the mental and emotional nature of the child in these early years is closely attuned to that of the parents.

The difference in the character begins to show in due course. Then comes the stage where the child seemingly begins to walk its own path as far as character formation is concerned.

It should be noted, though, that whether the child seems to adjust well to the situation, or appears to be at loggerheads, that is, shows signs of a rebellious character, the result will still be entirely dictated by what the environment throws back at the child.

How the parents cope is part of the child’s environment. Where the child is placed for daycare is environment. The early friends, the neighborhood, the beginning school years, all are completely out of the control of the child.

Remember also that the level of education, the type of work, the financial position, and the religious beliefs, of the parents all contribute to the environment that the child grows up in. Which parent is the dominant partner in the marriage is also part of the environment.

In situations such as the child being brought up by single parents, the adopted child, the handicapped child, or any other unusual occurrence, it is again environment which is providing all the stimulus and the circumscribing circumstances.

The kind of school, public or private; the nature of the teachers; the situation of being bullied or being secure; in all these cases there is nothing that is in the control of the child; adolescent; youth.

The proponents of nurture might argue that the way the child responds to whatever the environment contributes plays a significant role in character formation.

Whatever the response of the child, or even of the adult, to the environment is determined by their genes and upbringing. Every additional link in the chain is determined by the previous link, going back all the way to the embryo.

And, in everything that has been said regarding the environment of the child, remember also that the parents who are providing the nurture are also the products of the environment they were raised in. It just goes back indefinitely.

It is environment all the way. There is no breaking away from it.