The Theory Of Personality, Nature Or Nurture Theory?

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When the word “personality” comes to mind, numerous factors that influence person characteristics accompany it. Personality is defined as being the uniqueness of an individual accompanied by an adopted idiographic view. (Theories of Personality, 2014) Over the years, scientists and psychologists have tried to figure out the link between genetics, environmental factors, and cultural influences with the way an individual’s personality is strengthened. Have you ever wondered if your personality is a result of the nature or nurture theory? Is it genetics related or environmentally driven? An extremely important question that must be included during the study of personality deals with the extent of which nature or nurture is involved in shaping …show more content…

On the other hand, if nurture is more important, then our experiences are likely to be particularly significant, and we may be able to flexibly alter our personalities over time. Evidently, genetics has a greater influence on a person’s personality than environmental factors and cultural influences. A person’s culture is one of the major environmental factors that shape and help in the development of personality. According to personality psychologist, there are numerous researches done to investigate the variations in personality traits within several cultures. Culture refers to all of the beliefs, customs, ideas, behaviours, and traditions of a particular society that are passed through generations. (Introduction to Personality, n.d.) Behavioural traits and norms are evident within all cultures and they dictate what all personality traits are important. The strength of personality traits varies between individualist cultures (European, North American & Australian cultures) and collectivist cultures (Asian, African & South American). An individualist culture takes pride in and encourages independence, competition and personal achievements are highly praised. …show more content…

Researches have been able to generate studies to investigate the correlation between specific genetic features, and personality traits. . (Scientists Have Found Genetic Links Between Personality Traits And Psychiatric Diseases, 2016) Genetics is seen to be one of the most influential factors affecting personality as it helps with self-control, social and learning abilities and give persons a sense of purpose. A research from Edingburg University involved more than 800 sets of identical and non-identical twins was conducted to prove that genetics has a greater effect on how successful people are in life. (It's nature, not nurture: personality lies in genes, twins study shows, n.d.) Although these twins shared most if not all of their genetic material; identical twins were twice as likely as non- identical twins to share the same personality traits. They were able to link certain genes with traits, for example, the genes WSCD2 and PCDH15 are linked with extraversion while the gene L3MBTL2 is linked to neuroticism. (Scientists Have Found Genetic Links Between Personality Traits And Psychiatric Diseases, 2016) The idea that a person’s DNA code may have a drastic effect on the way their personality is shaped is still new and not widely accepted. Through

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