The debate whether nature or nurture determines who a person is has been going on for quite some time now. The nature side believes genetics and biology play a huge role in who we are, where the nurture side believes people are basically blank, and are shaped by their environment and the experiences around them. There are some traces in nurture however our genetics and biology factor into who we are, every human is created a different way, and nobody is exactly alike. Genetics factor into how a person is made up and some traits are more dominant than others. Let’s go back to biology when learning about dominant and recessive genes. Dominant genes tend to show more, however traces of recessive genes can be noticed. To figure out whether or not a person is vindictive, can be determined by the genes that make up personality traits. Some people are more kind than others, some are mean and some are comical again all these are samples of personality traits which is part of heredity. Most of this can be supported with the fact it’s how the person was created. Take for instant human instinct, every single person is born with it. The instinct to run when terrified or fight is basic survival skills that are all naturally programmed into our brains. As the author Nigel Nicholson points out: “You can take the person out of the Stone Age, evolutionary psychologists contend, but you can’t take the Stone Age out of the person”(Nicholson). One can even note how the idea of evolution can support the human instinct because since we all have inherited animal characteristics it can relate to instant knowledge for survival. At the University of Minnesota undergrad students conducted a long term project where more than 350 pairs of twins went throug... ... middle of paper ... ..., which is the influence of nurture. The vast majority that makes us who we are is influenced by nature. We are who we are and genetics and biology make us a complete whole. Works Cited Collins, Nick. "It's nature, not nurture: Personality lies in genes, twins study shows." The Telegraph. 16 May 2012. Telegraph Media Group. 05 Feb. 2014 . Goleman, Daniel. "MAJOR PERSONALITY STUDY FINDS THAT TRAITS ARE MOSTLY INHERITED." The New York Times. 02 Dec. 1986. The New York Times. 07 Feb. 2014 . Nicholson, Nigel. "July 1998." Harvard Business Review. 07 Feb. 2014 .
Twins are truly fascinating from the time of separation of the embryo to birth; and still the complexity of twinning is not yet fully understood among the scientific world. Scientists have studied the human body from the time of prenatal development to birth, and still are in awe of the formation of twins. Research in twinning is ever more increasing in this field, leadi...
Have you ever thought about whether the way you are is based on your genetic makeup? Do you believe our environment shapes us into who we are, instead? In the psychology debate of nature versus nurture, I believe that nurture plays a big role in who
It is a common argument about whether humans are simply who they are because of genes, the nature of who someone is, or if it’s more due to interactions with outside ideas and actions, the nurture one receives. Different research has claimed both sides,
39). Personality can be determined through several different aspect, but one of the most debatable is that of “nature versus nurture,” nature being a person’s genes and nurture being the environment in which one grew up in. Susan Cain and the material of organizational behavior both have mutual ideas that an individual’s personality traits can potentially be shaped by the genes that we receive from our parents and/or by how or where we were raised whether lower, middle, or upper class, London or Arkansas, with an adoptive family or grandparents, or anything else. Through her research, Cain, who is an introvert, realized that she could have ultimately developed fifty percent, twenty percent, or hundred percent her social skills and behaviors from his parents and childhood environment. As we get older, we become more susceptible to our self-concept, whether we grew up in the confines of our own mind or in an outgoing environment, and engage in life
A layman would define personality as an individual’s characteristics in terms of how they think and behave. Many theorists, however, interprets personality differently resulting in various personality theories. Personality is determined by traits which are behaviours displayed by a person in most given situations. How a person reacts to common circumstances may also be used to foresee future behaviours. Traits are then categorized into types that allow easier comparisons to be made between each individual’s attributes. The focus of this paper would be on the biological aspects of personality whereby traits are thought to be inheritable through genetics and associated with the central nervous system. Behavioural genetics are research that makes use of results from studies done on family, twins and adoptions. The findings of how both genes and environment influences personality from the studies will be discussed. Some researchers found possible issues with the representativeness of such studies. The outline of Eysenck’s biological model of personality and arousal, Gray’s BAS/BIS theory and Cloninger’s biological model of personality will further explain the biological effect on personality.
Many conducted research by looking into identical twins and their personality types. Even when the twins were separated, they expressed some of the same behaviors and traits as their twin which concluded that some traits are inheritable. This thought can go deeper into the brain through a domain called personality neuroscience where people have discovered the dopamine receptor gene (Pastorino & Doyle-Portillo, pg. 479, 2015). This gene influences the amount of serotonin in the brain and can cause greater anxiety levels in these people. The founding of this gene solidifies the fact that biology and personality are indeed
The attachment between identical twins was also suggested to be genetic by these studies, as eighty percent of identical twins stated that they felt closer to their twin than they did to their closest associates, despite having just met their twin. According to a study, it is suggested that genetics play a considerable role in the development of personality: Environment had little effect on personality when twins were raised together, however it did have an effect when they were raised separately. (“Nature vs. Nurture,”
We cannot be absolute when it comes what shapes us, yes indeed we come to this world which specific characteristic, our genes make us who we are but do not determine our future and our possible potential. Our cultural influence and our interaction with our environment make up our experience and step by step build our schemas and our perception regarding the world around us. Nature gives us the first tools in order for us to service, give us the information from generation to generation to overcome the possible obstacles. Then, nurture’s takes over, through the interaction with the averment, base to our cultural norms and rules we shape our beliefs; values; attitudes and behaviors. We learn how to behave, how to interact and how to communicate with the people around us. Thus, the answer between what side to choose, nature or nurture, I personally believe that the answer lies between the two of them. As we say, especially in the field of psychology, it depends. Yes, we born into this world we some innate information, but this information is interpreted from the stimuli we gather through the interaction we have with the
Nature vs. Nurture Debate The controversy over what determines who we are, whether it is Nature. (hereditary, our biological makeup) or Nurture (our environment) is taking a new. shape. The sand is a sand. Over the past decades, psychologists have developed different theories to explain the characteristics of human beings; how we feel, think and.
In 1874, Francis Galton said, “Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth”. The human body contains millions upon millions of cells and each of these cells contains hereditary information and DNA. However, there is no proof that the information carried in these genes predetermines the way in which we behave. I believe it is our life experiences and what we see and are told that shape the way in which we behave. Therefore, it appears to me that nurturing plays a far more governing and dominant role in a human being’s development rather than nature.
Hartshorne, Joshua K. “How Birth Order Affects Your Personality”. Scientificamerican, 22 June 2002. Web. 30 April 2014.
... 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).
Nature vs nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. It is the scientific cultural, and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or nurture. Nature and nurture are both equally important. They are the two are major influences that affect the person you grow to be and will determine what your children will be tomorrow. Nature refers to heredity, which are traits and features that are inherited from your parents and ancestors. At birth you, as a person, inherits 50% of each parent 's genetic material that are passed along through the chromosomes found in the DNA. Hair color, height, body type, and eye color are some examples of characteristics
The controversy of nature vs. nurture has been going on for many years, and a
Both sociologists and psychologists think that genetics have very little to do with our personality traits. It’s our surroundings that teach us to become who we are. According to Saul McLeod, author of "Nature Nurture in Psychology" from Simply Psychology, "At the other end of the spectrum are the