What Is The Role Of Heredity And Environment In Shaping Human Behavior?

Discuss the role of heredity and environment in shaping human behavior. Substantiate your arguments with at least two research studies from peer-reviewed journals.

The role of heredity in the development of personality is an old argument in the personality theory. Heredity refers to those factors, which were determined at conception, and reflexes, energy levels and biological rhythms are characteristics that are generally considered to be imported either completely or substantially by one’s parents. The heredity approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an individual’s personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes. And here are some of the character that are said to inherit by all humans.

Physical

Personality development happens through the help of environment. Environment is a board term and includes such factors as culture, the way we talk to other, the way we behave, etc. The methods by which an infant is fed and is toilet trained and makes transition from adolescence to adulthood are all culturally determined. So we can say that the influence of environment occurs only after growing up, after we understand our surrounding or after we become adult. We tend to develop our personality when we have friends, when we start going to school/colleges. While growing the child learns to behave in ways expected by the culture of the family to which the baby was born. One of those expectations has to do with sex roles. Most cultures expect different behavior from males than from females. The cultural sub-groups exert its influence on personality. Although culture has significant influence on personality development, linear relationship cannot be established between personality and given culture. The cultural impacts on individual are not uniform. We live in a society were ones thinking is very different from others. Their thinking, parents and others whose values and practices are not at all alike transmit us. We try to get the best and listen to each and everyone and that sometimes led us to a different way. Each individual also has a different and unique experience. Each individual react to social pressure in a different way and therefore there are different perspective and view of people on the society and