Where does personality come from?
Developmental psychologists have debated for decades on whether human characteristics are more influenced by nature (genetics) or by nurture (environment). Carl Jung, the father of psychological type, believed our traits were linked to genetics-we were born with preferences in tact. However, he also believed that our preferences are shaped, strengthened or limited by elements of our environment, including our friends, family, religious beliefs, economic status, occupations, etc. So in other words, he believed, and we believe, that an individual’s personality is a reflection of both factors. Both influence the way we see ourselves and the things we prefer. Neither factor alone entirely explains our actions.
OUTSIDE THE WIND howled about the tent, and the temperature hovered around 40 degrees below. But inside the inner tent the small party was warm and comfortable. Even if they had been cold, it would not have mattered very much for they had important work to do that absorbed all their attention. In the center of a small circle, an old man held at arm’s length a thin thong of hide about eighteen inches long, at the end of which dangled a small object with no particular shape except that one end of it was somewhat pointed. The thong had been given a number of twists which had started it revolving, first clockwise, and then counter-clockwise. Each time, the number of revolutions was less, and each time it unwound in one direction and began to rewind the other way, one of those watching intently in the circle would utter the name of some well-known forebearer who was now dead. Off to one side, a mother sat holding her week-old baby. Six or seven names had now been called and it was evident t
” says John Gabrieli, associate professor of psychology at Stanford. Entering the Brain Not too many years ago, researchers were very limited in their resources, and the study of personality — and the human brain — was largely an intuitive process that often led to major errors. “It was all sort of like a black box,” Gabrieli says. “You put something in and you get something out.” But there wasn’t any way of knowing what was really going on inside that “box” as the brain processed the information. In recent years that has changed dramatically. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, for example, allows scientists to pinpoint which parts of the brain react to external stimuli, and in some cases, how much. “Now we can hunt down the specific part of the brain that determines how we will interpret a situation as desirable or threatening,” he adds. “That’s pretty exciting.” The Stanford research, published in a recent issue of the journal Science, suggests that we respond to something that i
:Where does personality come from? Genetic factors Research evidence from behavioural genetics Extraversion has a relatively strong genetic basis Twin studies show correlations between personality of monozygotic twins to be about .5 (Loehlin, 1992) Genes interact with the environment Environmental factors Experience Family and local environment Critical events Personality and behaviour :Personality and behaviour Personality can be a strong determinant of behaviour The extent to which personality determines behaviour depends on the interaction of the strength of our personality trait and the situation For example, you ask a colleague to give a high profile presentation at short notice Someone with a low score in trait anxiety will take it in their stride Someone with a high score in trait anxiety will feel very anxious and nervous Someone with a moderate score might be somewhat anxious, but their anxiety might be more contingent on other factors, e.g. who is in the audience, familiarity
