Personality is one of the most complicated human prerequisites as it combines thinking patterns, emotions, and active and passive behavior. The human personality is complex and complicated that it is possible for a set of twins who have grown up in exactly the same environment to develop distinct personalities. A lot of research has been undertaken regarding human personality, with a general consensus being that genetics and environmental factors are critical bearing factors in personality development (Briley & Tucker-Drob, 2014). The research question on which the instant paper is predicated seeks to delve further into the two bearing factors of genetics and environment to understand their contributions singularly and severally. Towards this end, an evaluation will be made regarding what and how genetics affects personality. Conversely, there will be an evaluation of what about the environment affects personality and how they attain the same. A final evaluation will involve the interaction of environmental and genetic bearing factors and how they work together to mold the personality of an individual.
The study of human personality goes as far back as the early 17 th century led by pioneers such as Benedictus Spinoza and John Locke. In the early modern period, experts such as William James made major contributions to the understanding of human personality development. Among the notable recent experts include Albert Bandura and Carl Rogers (Byrne, 2011). As this research paper will reveal, the more the subject of the development of human personality through a combination of genetics and environmental standards is studied, the more complex the subject becomes hence creating the need for even more study.
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Literature Review
Human Personality is Exponentially Complex and Complicated
A common motif in almost all research about human personality regards how exponentially complex and complicated human personalities are. This complexity is important to the study on how genetics and environmental factors determine human personality as it is hard to deduct which factors caused which aspects of personality (Reichborn-Kjennerud et al., 2015). For example, newborn identical twins have, in some cases, been noticed to have very different personalities with one being belligerent and always crying while the other is mostly sleeping, yet they are both equally healthy. As the personality of a newborn has not yet been exposed to environmental factors, researchers have assumed that it is mostly determined by genetic factors. The fact that maternal twins will have different personalities means that there is a complexity on how genetics determine the personality of an individual (Briley & Tucker-Drob, 2014). By the time the twins get to five years, the slight differences in personality, in most cases, will have developed into massive differences. Evidence of how personalities in twins differ despite congruency in several aspects of genetics and environmental aspects reflect the complexity of personality development. The complication then justifies why so little is known about personality development despite centuries of research.
Genetic Determination of Personality
The issue of genetics playing a crucial role in the determination of human personality has often shifted from being a debate into a settled conclusion. Indeed, the issue of the influence of genetics on the human mind, as opposed to the human brain is still a matter of debate, mainly due to its complexity. According to Hill et al. (2018), some scientific research studies based on the concept of molecular genetics have found genetics to play an inordinately low (0% -15%) role in the determination of personality. However, the actual study carried out and reported in Hill et al. (2018) based on a much larger population sample showed that the role of genes in the determination of personality is as high as 50%. The massive difference in deduction between 0% and 50+% reflects the debate about genetic influence in personality despite centuries of study. However, when more practical studies are conducted, there is clear and definitive evidence that genetics play a major and even overwhelming role in the determination of personality, more so at a younger age. A research carried out and reported by Tuvblad et al. (2017) shows that when it comes to psychopathic behavior in children, genetic influences account for as much as 74% of the personality traits. Whereas there might not have been developed abilities to connect genetics and personality using molecular genetics, there is ample evidence that genes are a critical bearing factor to human personality.
Environmental Factors in the Determination of Personality
There is a general consensus among modern experts that environmental factors play an important role in the determination of personality, although the consensus does not extend to the extent and nature of the impact of environmental factors. As outlined above, the role attributed to genetics in personality determination varies from lows of 0% to high of 74% hence the role played by environmental factors is still subject to debate. That environmental factors play a role in changes in human personality is, however, not in doubt. A good example is a research reported in Reichborn-Kjennerud et al. (2015), based on middle-aged sets of identical twins. Two personality tests undertaken in sets of twin after a ten year period showed major personality changes. As genetic changes could not be possible at that age, the research definitively confirmed that environmental factors play a major role in the determination of personality. The kind of environment a child is placed in will be an important bearing factor to what kind of personality the child will have as a young adult (Briley & Tucker-Drob, 2014). However, the environment the child will be in as an adult will also contribute to mild or major changes in personality from time to time.
Discussion: Interaction between Genetic and Environmental Factors
Available research seems to suggest that genetic factors play a larger role in the determination of personality at a younger age while environmental factors gradually take over as the individual continues to mature. When children are born, for example, they are not yet exposed to environmental factors hence their temperaments and personality is fully determined by genetic factors. Similarly, at a younger age up to around five years, the children will have only a minimal ability to appreciate and evaluate environmental factors both cognitively and empirically. The limited impact of environmental factors thus leaves genetic factors to play the major role. For example, according to Faraone and Larsson (2018), the primary cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is genetics with environmental factors playing almost no role at all.
The research reported in Faraone and Larsson (2018) shows that even when children who are genetically inclined to develop ADHD are adopted at a tender age, their chances of developing ADHD remain almost the same. At a young age, therefore, environmental factors may play a role but it is minuscule with genetics being the main determinant. With the increase in age and perception, environmental factors begin to play a more prominent role in the determination of personality. It is with the impact of environmental factors that changes in personality can be seen (Briley & Tucker-Drob, 2014). For example, a child who shifts from one school to another will get personality changes depending on the environment in the school. Similarly, a child who losses a parent may undergo personality changes depending on how that loss affects the child. The personality shifts will continue as the child grows into an adult and as the adult grows older, mainly influenced by environmental factors.
The complexity of human personality can, however, still be seen based on the fact that even when environmental factors are playing a more prominent role, genetic factors are still at play (Briley & Tucker-Drob, 2014). For example, when two individuals are exposed to a certain environment, their genetics will play a role in how they react to the environment and how the environment will affect them. Prerequisites such as resolve, relentlessness, and capacity to cope are also affected by genetica predisposition to some extent. The exponentially complex and complicated interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the determination of personality is thus so grand that it still needs more research to be properly understood.
Conclusion
It is evident that the more the question “How is personality determined by the environment and genetics?” is answered, the more the need for more research arises. The complication within the answering of the research question above lies in a variety of factors. The first is the complex nature of human personality including its nature, how it comes to be, and how it keeps on changing over time. The second factor is the fact that genetic and environmental factors operate contemporaneously in the determination of the personality of an individual. The two factors operate both singularly and severally at the same time hence their interaction in itself is also a bearing factor to the complex nature of the research question. Despite the complexity, some important facts have been established by the research and discussion outlined above. Genetics being one of the primary determinants of personality is one of these key facts. The other is that with the passage of time and increase in age, the role of environmental factors in the determination of personality continues to increase. However, there is still a need for more research in order to substantively answer the research question.
References
Briley, D. A., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2014). Genetic and environmental continuity in personality development: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin , 140 (5), 1303-1331
Byrne, M. J. (2011). An exploratory analysis of free will in the social sciences (Doctoral dissertation, Ashland University)
Faraone, S. V., & Larsson, H. (2018). Genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Molecular Psychiatry , 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0070-0
Hill, W. D., Arslan, R. C., Xia, C., Luciano, M., Amador, C., Navarro, P., ... & Deary, I. J. (2018). Genomic analysis of family data reveals additional genetic effects on intelligence and personality. Molecular Psychiatry , 1. doi: 10.1038/s41380-017-0005-1.
Kandler, C., & Zapko-Willmes, A. (2017). Theoretical perspectives on the interplay of nature and nurture in personality development. In Personality development across the lifespan (pp. 101-115)
Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., Czajkowski, N., Ystrøm, E., Ørstavik, R., Aggen, S. H., Tambs, K., ... & Knudsen, G. P. (2015). A longitudinal twin study of borderline and antisocial personality disorder traits in early to middle adulthood. Psychological medicine , 45 (14), 3121-3131
Tuvblad, C., Fanti, K. A., Andershed, H., Colins, O. F., & Larsson, H. (2017). Psychopathic personality traits in 5-year-old twins: the importance of genetic and shared environmental influences. European child & adolescent psychiatry , 26 (4), 469-479
