More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of environment in child personality development
Biological influence on personality
Biological influence on personality
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Your personality is determined by your DNA. Your family history determines your intelligence. You are born gay. The idea that genetics has an influence on a person’s personality, behaviour and sexuality is a very old concept..
A person’s personality is influenced by their behaviour. (Higgins, 2000) “Human behaviour is a loosely defined foundation for individuality, generally considered to be influenced and developed by the environment. However, recent molecular studies have exposed genetic factors that suggest a more biological origin for behaviour.” (Deering, 2014) Twin and adoption studies have shown that behavioural characteristics can be genetic, such as self-esteem, various personality traits, general intelligence and academic achievement.
Until the 1960s, researchers looking for the origin of human behaviour looked at the environmental factors, such as attributing schizophrenia to bad parenting. However, schizophrenia is believed to be genetic due to the increased risk of recurrence in close relatives and the high concordance between identical twins, it does however have a high environmental component too. (Lewis,1997, p. 133) The greater the genetic contribution to the expression of a trait, the greater the chance of inheriting that trait. (Stine, 1989, p.151)
Studies have shown that behaviour can be inherited in more than one way. In the 1980’s, researchers who attempted to isolate the gene that caused bipolar affective disorder identified three different chromosomes that predispose a person to this very distinct behaviour pattern, however association of one gene with one behaviour is usually only partially conclusive.(Deering, 2014) Behaviour depends on the interaction of multiple gene sequences with environmental in...
... middle of paper ...
...ct link with this research and human behaviour, scientists believe that it is possible for homosexuality to be genetic.
Works Cited
Deering, R. 2014. Behavioral Genetic Determinism: Do Genes Equal Behavior?. [online] Available at: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web3/rdeering.html [Accessed: 1 Mar 2014].
Higgins, E. T. 2000. Does personality provide unique explanations for behaviour? Personality as cross-person variability in general principles. European Journal of Personality, 14 (5), pp. 391--406.
Lewis, R. 1997. Human genetics. 2nd ed. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.
Plomin, R. and Petrill, S. A. 1997. Genetics and intelligence: What's new?. Intelligence, 24 (1), pp. 53--77.
Stine, G. J. 1989. The new human genetics. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown.
Woodhead, A. D. and Barnhart, B. J. 1988. Biotechnology and the human genome. New York: Plenum Press.
Does personality determine behavior? Phelps (2015) dived into this discussion in his article by reviewing the perspectives of personality, how psychology relates to behavior and the idea of self, and further, how behaviorists define personality and all of its components. Phelps (2015) compares and contrasts the common beliefs of personality and the view of self as attributed to personality theorists with those characterized by behavioral theorists. A typical understanding of personality is one that defines it as an internal substance that drives behavior, and therefore, by seeking to understand a person's personality we can almost assume their actions (Phelps, 2015). Behavioral theorists, on the other hand, do not lean on vague internal conditions to explain behavior, but rather they evaluate a person's past and present settings to define behavior, according to Phelps (2015). The conclusion is that behaviorists' perspectives on these topics are far more parsimonious in nature and most popular views of personality speak to a more internal and far-reaching position rather than the behavior itself (Phelps, 2015). Likewise, Phelps (2015) addresses the issue of meeting specific criteria for discerning whether a theoretical viewpoint is valid in helping us understand people. He continued to remark that behaviorists' stances meet a large portion of the criteria as presented by Gordon Allport (Phelps, 2015). For example, they have less assumptions, they are consistent, and not to mention, they are testable and falsifiable, Phelps (2015) supports. In my opinion and critical review, this article is useful because it provides an unbiased assessment of a variety of personality theories and definitions of personality and the self. Likewise, it is simple and easy to understand, thus qualifying it as parsimonious. Overall, I think the article did its ultimate job of evaluating different perspectives and
Most scientists and psychologists believe that homosexuality is caused by a gene determined at birth much like your hair, skin, and eye color are determined, meaning homosexuality is not a choice and is no more a choice than choosing your skin color. Studies known as adoption studies show that sexual preference is genetic by adopting a young infant child and placing them in either a homosexual or h...
In conclusion, homosexuality is not caused by a mutation, although it could be an allele that is passed down on the X chromosome. There as many theories as to why there are homosexuals, some say it is nature, others say it is nurture. There are also many limitations which stop us from finding a ‘gay gene’, many of these limitations are due to ethics. [Words: 2888]
The quest to find a biological substrate for homosexuality resembles an earlier movement in research to determine the nature of I.Q. scores. Both revolve around finding a biological basis for differences in human behavior. Like the previous research on intelligence, the research on homosexuality is plagued with difficulties. One large obstacle in this type of research is the difficulty in making statements about causality from correlational studies (simple, linear relationships between two variables) (4). In other words, it is difficult to determine what comes first the chicken or the egg.
Many people now believe the reporting of many popular newspapers and magazines report of the "discovery" of a link between a certain gene and homosexuality, but hasn't it been considered a choice for such a long time? Is homosexuality a choice rather than genetic? To answer this question we'll start off by revealing some myths of homosexuality. The next part will explain the difference between a behavioral trait and a genetic trait. Finally I'll end be unveiling the truth behind the "homosexual gene."
Genes are thought to play a critical role in sexual orientation, however which genes are actually contributing this effect is unknown. There are some genes being explored carefully, but there is no strong evidence existing. An example that demonstrates the correlation between genes and sexual orientation is twin studies. Evidence shows when one twin is homosexual the other twin will have a 50% chance of being homosexual as well. There seems to be a high concordance rate of sexual orientation between family members (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). It is evident, biology play a significant role in the development of sexual orientation, however much research is still being conducted to prove its
What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?
The first possible cause of homosexuality is genetic factors. Homosexuality is a trait from birth (Buchanan, 2000). Studies found that identical twins share many common traits. A study found that identical twins normally share homosexual behavior if one of them is homosexual. This proved that genes are likely to cause homosexuality. In addition, according to (Santinover, 2002), homosexuality is a heritable behavior. Based on heritability studies, almost any human trait is heritable including the homosexual behavior. He stated that behavioral genes are found in specific chromosome. Thus, the behavior is obviously heritable. Moreover, Italian University of Padova (2004) believes that homosexual trait is passed from mother to male offspring by natural ...
Behavioral genetics is a field of research that investigates the relative effects of heredity and environment on behavior and ability (Plomin, 1997). Two of the primary methods used by behavioral geneticists are the twin study method, first used by Galton (1975) in his studies of heredity, and the adoption method.
According to Jeffrey Satinover, MD, there is no evidence that shows homosexuality is genetic. Stating “homosexuality may run in families but you get viruses from your parents too, and some bad habits…” (Top 10 Pros). Brian S. Mustanski, PhD, agrees that though there may be no ‘gay’ gene, multiple genes potentially interacting with the environment could explain sexual orientation. Ex- gays are living proof that homosexuality is not fixed permanently. Therefore, for someone to be born gay, obviously that person would not be able to change ones sexual preference.
The study of personality traits is beneficial in identifying the many variables that exist from human to human; the combinations of these variables provide us with a true level of individuality and uniqueness. In the field of psychology, trait theory is considered to be a key approach to the study of human personality (Crowne, 2007; Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). This paper aims to identify a number of significant contributors who have played crucial roles in both the development and application of trait theory. This paper then moves focus to these theorists, outlining their theory and analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of those theories. An illustration of the methods used in trait measurement is given and includes the arguments for and against such procedures.
Human behavior is a loosely defined foundation for individuality, generally considered to be influenced and developed by the environment. However, recent molecular studies have exposed genetic factors that suggest a more biological origin for behavior. Gene segments in the genome of humans and other animals have been identified and associated with particular behavioral traits. Is it possible that the presence or absence of even a single gene may predispose one to alcoholism, increased irritability, or enhanced intelligence? Clearly exploration of the nature versus nurture argument with regard to genetic predisposition has social, political, and legal significance.
... have come to the conclusion that genetics is very important for the development of personality but even they have to determine how these genes are investigated for the purpose of determining a particular personality. “What scientists have found is that there does not appear to be a single gene for a particular trait, but that genes show their effects by working together in complex combinations. For example, there is no single gene for dancing or music. Whether a child will be musically inclined will be determined by the way that child's genes interact with one another. Some parents would like to believe that by creating an environment rich in music while the child is young will develop the child's talent towards music. However, despite assumptions like this, there is no evidence that shows long term effects of growing up in a particular environment” (Pinker, 2003).
As numerous research and studies' findings have shown, both nature and nurture work together. These shouldn't be considered as separate, but instead intertwined, as they both interact and depend on each other. An interaction of genetic and environmental factors are responsible for influencing and determining intelligence levels.
Height, hair color, eye color and sex are just a few examples of ways our DNA has shaped us. But could it be possible that our DNA also effects the way we behave in society. It is possible that genetics effect us is more ways that we may have imagined. Dr. Peter B. Neubaur believes that shyness, eating disorders, obsessive behavior and psychological illness can all be traced back to our genetics. Sexual orientation is also believed to be derived from genes in our body which determine what sexual preference we prefer. Violence and other types of crimes can be linked back throughout a person’s lineage to witness that other family members have been committed similar crimes without ever meeting one and other.