Family Influences Our Personality, Behavior, Beliefs and Values

The effects of family and culture can substantially influence one's personality, behaviours, beliefs and values, which correlates positively to the life experiences in part 1. Research has shown the significance of family interactions on stress levels, personality and behavioural traits on younger individuals. The young ones imitate the elders as they have yet to be independent and this process is considered to be an aspect of evolution, via increasing fitness. Environmental factors such as biological and social-cultural can also influence a child's personality. The culture one grows up in can affect their happiness, morality, mortality, behaviour and, once again, personality. By growing up and surrounding oneself with culture and all its associated subsets including, but not limited to religion, cuisine, traditions and cultural norms can have such effects. Research evidence will be provided to support the influence between family and culture with an individual's nature.

Family
The importance of family relations to a child are explained in various studies showing the impact. Studies measuring different types of personality in a family has shown correlation of around 0.20 (Ahern et al.,). Twin studies were conducted where monozygotic, same zygote, and dizygotic, two zygotes, twins were placed through a series of tests to acquire their personalities. Results show monozygotic twins having a higher correlation of personality than dizygotic twins; meaning that personality is affected by heritability (Ahern et al.,). Surprisingly, brother to brother correlation is at 0.23 whereas sister to sister correlation is a staggering 0.32(Ahern et al.,).

Although children experience a positive and personal relationship with parents; the a...

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...orming to his environment (Part 1). Roulin stated that one's personality can change throughout life and siblings differ in personality. As Eric was growing up his personality changed while attending high school and differed from his brother, which is evident of change because of social interactions. Eric mimicked his older brother in various ways until he developed his own individuality as he matured. This is backed by Hoffeditz saying relationships between siblings show that the younger sibling is more neurotic, less dominant and less sufficient than their older siblings. At times Eric's parents can be slightly overprotective but not to the extent of causing him to undergo psychological over-control. He grew up in a culture dominated by individualism that was greater than family influences and it was an essential for him to discover himself with a self identity.