Do you know how much your personality is the result of your genetic makeup, and how much is the result of the environment? The "nature-nurture" question is one of the oldest issues in psychology. This question is applicable to identical twins. They are the same age, same-sex, have the same genes, live in the same house, share same stuff, given identical presents, so in other words, they share the same environment from birth. The researcher tends to know if identical twins really share the same personality.
In Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler, each person is an integrated whole, striving to future goals, and attempting to find meaning in life while working harmoniously with others. There are four areas of individual psychology, the Family Constellation or the position of an individual in a family as regards birth order among siblings, gender and age, presence or absence of parents. The second area of individual psychology is the Early Recollections which is the reconstructing memories that produce clues for understanding person's style of life. It is always consistent that produce clues for understanding both final goal present style of life. The third area is Dreams, for Adler, it is providing clues for problem. Lastly, the fourth area is the Psychotherapy. Adlerian's psychotherapy's purpose is to enhance courage, lessen feeling of inferiority and encourage social interest.
Another theory that the research related is the Analytical theory of Carl Gustav Jung. According to this theory, the occult phenomena can and do influence the lives of everyone. The analytical view of the individuals is basically people are motivated by archetypes that are inherited from ancestors that form a collective unconscious. It is the rese...
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...l is traits that are less pervasive but still quite generalized disposition and lastly Secondary is traits that are more specific and narrow dispositions.
Lastly Hans Eysenck’s biological theory also associated this research. This theory is more focused on physiology and genetics. Eysenck considers personality differences as growing out of genetic inheritance. In this theory, there are three (3) basic personality dimensions. They are the extraversion-introversion (Quiet people vs. Out-goers), neuroticism (dimension that ranges from normal, fairly calm, and collected people to one’s that tend to be quite nervous) and psychotism ( high psychotism does not mean that a person is psychotic, the individual only exhibit some qualities commonly found among psychotics).
Works Cited
Ask.com , Personality Psychology by dr. roxel apruebo, Personality by jerry m. burger
In a study conducted in 1983, researchers studied more than 350 pairs of twins in order to research if human personality traits were largely inherited or learned. Daniel Goleman, author of “Major Personality Study Finds that Traits are Mostly Inherited,” shares with his audience the parameters and results of this elaborate twin study. Goleman introduces his reader to Auke Tellegen, a psychologist and principal researcher on the long-term study, performed at the University of Minnesota, discovered that the human traits most strongly determined by heredity were leadership, obedience to authority, and even traditionalism. He would surely argue that heredity, more than influence of experience, is more responsible for development in human traits. Tellegen may have substantiating facts that nature is more predominant in a mere handful of traits, but what about the several other traits he failed to test? It is possible for a person who shows leadership and obedience during one part of their life to have an experience in which their obedience and leadership is thwarted. The study Tellegen conducted could not have been without environmental influence. Every single one of the participants, whether a twin or not, had environmental experiences separate from the others. Since every person experiences and responds to environmental stimuli differently, how can several prior years of experience be measured in order to present an unbiased result in this study? Unquestionably, it is impossible. Just as this particular study failed to take into consideration a persons’ prior experiences, it also failed to consider the probability of future environmental factors that could affect the traits Tellegen focused on in his study. Although difficu...
Have you ever wondered, or thought where you have got your personality from? The debate over nature versus nurture is whether people like identical twins, for example, are born and raised by genetics,(nature) and if they are born and raised by influences and influenced by the environment around them(nurture). The debate over nature versus nurture is very important and cannot be ignored. Identical twins are different in many ways. Studies have shown that nurture, is more dominant than nature. My personality has also changed in many ways as I have been raised. So as you can see I am on the nurture side by far.
What makes us who we are? Does the answer lie in our genes, our environment, or in the way we are raised? For years, there has been an on-going debate between nature and nurture. T.H. White, author of The Once and Future King, explores the debate through many of the book’s characters. The issue clearly appears in the relationship of Queen Morgause and her sons, the Orkney brothers. The debate caused people to pick a side, to pick nature over nurture, or nurture over nature. However, it does not have to be one or the other. Nature and nurture work together to determine who we are.
The issue of whether or not criminal or aggressive behavior and violence is caused by biological or environmental factors has proven to be one that has caused a dispute for many years now. The biological or genetic factor of violent/criminal or aggressive behavior is certainly a much talked about topic. The idea that certain individuals could be predisposed to violence is something definitely deserving of doing research about. The nature vs. nurture topic has been a continuing debate for many aspects of human behavior, including aggression/violent behavior and criminal behavior. There have been many studies indicating that chemical relationships between hormones and the frontal lobe of the brain may play a key role in determining aggressive behavior as well as genetics, while other studies have explored environmental and social factors that have been said to control patterns in human aggression. Aggressive/violent behavior can’t be answered directly if it is caused by either nature or nurture; instead it is believed that both cause it.
In the well-received novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” Mark Twain skillfully addresses the ancient argument about the origin of one’s character and whether it’s derived from his nature or his surroundings. We can best see this battle between nature versus nurture by inspecting the plot lines that follow the characters Thomas a Becket Driscoll, Valet de Chambre, and Roxana the slave. Thomas was born into a wealthy white family while Roxy birthed Chambers into a life of slavery. It seemed as though each would have gone their separate ways into opposite walks of life, but Roxy secretly swapped the children, which destined each to their counterintuitive fates. Through their words and actions, Tom, Chambers, and Roxy have proven the idea that one’s behaviors and desires are a result of his upbringings and the environment he lives in rather than by his innate nature.
I think that there is no fixed statistic. For instance, it isn 't sixteen percent genes and eighty four percent experience. I think it fluctuates between people. I might have thirty percent genes and seventy percent experience making who I am, while my sister may have forty percent genes and sixty percent experience making her personality. I think the reason identical twins are so similar in personality are because when they split in the womb, they already have their characteristics like hair color and any eye color in their genetic makeup, so why not their genetic trait and experience percentage? So while identical twins might be, for lack of a better word, identical, siblings will be similar but not carbon copies in terms of personality. I also think the personality genes you get will be either reinforced or pushed back as you get experience. If a empathic young boy is told by stern parents that “girly” sad feelings aren 't “manly” he will push back that empathic part of him that came through genetics and repress it. Hopefully he will realize one day that his parents social constructs put on him are illogical and go back to the empathic part of him, but the damage by experience could be done and
Support is provided to suggest that genetics and nature have a bigger impact on the personality of the twin due to the similarity in characteristics and personality of separated twins. Although there are still many viewpoints and various information that support both sides of the argument, the results of these studies have been beneficial for the nature-nurture debate. Through the research and evidence that has been presented, it can be seen that twin and adoption studies have had a positive influence on the nature-nurture debate as the information has provided evidence to support agreements surrounding the debate.
Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick, the famous identical twins from the movie The Parent Trap, were separated at a young age by their divorcing parents. Sharon grew up in Boston to a socialite mother while Susan grew up in California on her father’s ranch. Sharon had structure while Susan’s life was very laid back. They looked the same and liked many of the same things, yet their personalities were very different. What is responsible for these differences? Is it simply that they are two different people with different interests and preferences? Or did the environments that they grew up in play a part in making who they are? In the nature vs. nurture controversy, nature proclaims that our genetic make-up plays the primary role in human development, while nurture declares that our environment dictates our development.
The argument of nature vs. nurture is a long-standing one in the psychological and social worlds. It is the argument about whether we are ruled by our genes or our upbringing. It is my thought that neither is true. It is nature working with nurture which determines our personality and our lifestyle.
The psychodynamics theory which was introduced by Freud to understand the human mind and psyche, reached a new level in the continuous analysis from therapists. Psychodynamics originally has been explained as a study of various psychological forces that affect human behavior which is related to early experiences. It specifically discusses the connection between the conscious and subconscious motivations. The theory was further analyzed and developed by Melanie Klein, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. Based on the theory, the psychodynamic therapy evolved to help patients through psychoanalysis. With time other therapies like individual, group and family therapy evolved to offer treatment by understanding the present day complexities in more detail. The main aim of the therapy is self –awareness through identifying the various influences of many past events in life. The therapies are continuously evolving since it was introduced by Freud to help in solving a variety of psychological disorders within people.
Within the scope of analytic psychology, there exist two essential tenets. The first is the system in which sensations and feelings are analyzed and listed by type. The second has to do with a way to analyze the psyche that follows Jung’s concepts. It stresses a group unconscious and a mystical factor in the growth of the personal unconscious. It is unlike the system described by Sigmund Freud.
Personality is a consistent, yet flexible pattern of behavior and emotion that varies from person to person (Comer, 2010). An individuals personality, or temperament, is apparent from the time they are an infant, and continues to expand and develop throughout their life (Santrock, 2011). Personality may be influenced by a number of factors, such as genetics, learning, experience, or a combination of these (Comer, 2010). Birth order and its effects on personali...
In the textbook, Personality Psychology, this is the first case presented (in chapter 6) is of twins separated at birth and then raised with two different families, still showed very striking similarities throughout their lives. Such as marrying women with the same names and also liking the same type of cigarettes, beer and profession. Identical twins are the most identical due to having the same genetic make up, so if they are showing similar likes and dislikes it leads me to believe that we may have some aspect of a predetermined set of traits that are then incorporated into our
The distinctive characteristics and qualities of any one person is one way to define personality. According to Feist & Feist (2009) personality is described as a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior. These traits are the precursor of behavior as per individuality, and that of behavior that is consistent throughout life. Although a person can argue the fact that traits is a disposition of genetic predisposition of certain characteristics, the pattern in which these are characterized are different. Each person’s anatomy, intelligence, and temperament are differently and each owns a unique personality, different from parents, grandparents, and any other individual on this planet. Personality theorists’ however may not concur.
Sigmund Freud’s theory of personality was the first and main influence for the development of Psychodynamic perspectives. Freud discussed about instincts, anxiety, and defense mechanism, levels of personality, structure of personality and psycho sexual developments of a child. Freud believed, the childhood experiences will affect to lead the future life. Freud’s psychotherapy is called psychoanalysis. After Freud’s personality theory was developed by neo Freudians like Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, Anna Freud. Carl Jung focused on the ego, the personal unconscious and collective unconscious, extraversion and introversion and archetypes. Alfred Adler presented the ideas on Superiority complex Inferiority complex social interest, psychological types, faulty life styles and the Birth order.