So do we get our personality from genetics or environmental?

[Gold Vanguard]

This was a question ask during my biology class. We were answering questions in where we tell if something is learn natural or by genetics(Ex. Is your speech pattern pass down by your parents or do you learn it on your own.) Someone ask if our personality are passed down by genetics or not. The teacher said that even she didn't know the answer to that question. So what do you think the answer is?

[Strunk]

It's probably a mix of both.

[Chiki]

Both. No scentist is stupid enough to say just one.

/hread

Edited January 14, 2013 by Olwen

[Phoenix Wright]

It's extremely obvious that it's both, so instead I'll answer which is more prevalent. I believe it is genetics.

[Hawkeye]

Obviously both, but I'd put more weight on environment.

[Melonhead]

Personality? I'm going to say environment, mostly because we are around are parents when we are young and we tend to copy them. Although if someone was adopted at say 2 months old and got sent to Germany, they might have a bit of their parents in them. Hard to say.

[Freohr Datia]

Yeah I say it definitely has to be both.

Through genetics I am lazy but back when I lived with both of my parents (with my not-as-lazy mother and lazy father) I was less lazy than I am now when I live with just my dad x3 I'd still be lazy either way though, I can't help it much~

But once I see how much less lazy others are it makes me feel mad at my own laziness and it makes me (slowly but surely) work on making myself less lazy.

[Esau of Isaac]

It's extremely obvious that it's both, so instead I'll answer which is more prevalent. I believe it is genetics.

It's hard to say, but I think either can be more prevalent depending on the behavior exhibited. If someone has a genetic predisposition towards schizophrenia, for example, it's obvious when he exhibits related symptoms that it's genetic and not environmental. Someone jumping in fright at things that are the color yellow, however, could be a wholly societal behavior hammered into him/her from birth.

[Chiki]

You can't simply say which is more important. For example, eye color is completely genetic, whereas psychopathy could be caused by an abusive childhood. It depends on what you're asking about.

[AMCC4728]

This is actually a huge debate in the psychological world. It's called nature vs. nurture. I tend to lean towards nurture but there is very strong proof for both. To be quite honest, we know very little on the subject. Certainly not enough to make anything set in stone besides that it is obvious both are involved.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Austin LePurple

[I don't play for turns]

This is more than just something that can be explained in one post, and I don't claim to know the whole thing, but I believe it's both. I still think there's something a little bit more, because twins have the same genetics, and most of the time live in the same environment, but end up vastly different people. There are slight genetic mutations and slightly varying upbringings to contribute it, but I don't think they would be the same person if put in the exact same conditions.

[Freohr Datia]

You can't simply say which is more important. For example, eye color is completely genetic, whereas psychopathy could be caused by an abusive childhood. It depends on what you're asking about.

Woah I didn't know eye color actually had to do with your personality! Those people who said what each eye color meant about one's personality must've really known what they were talking about!! =O

[Original Alear]

The way I think of it is, environment takes precedence, because I take it as a given, that genes are a function of our environment, and our environment is a function of our genes, but there'd be "an" environment even without genes.

Rocks and water, and stuff.

But when you come at it from a culture perspective, I think of culture as being more related to genetics, for a given individual (the "I in we" I suppose), because it seems like life in general has long been at the point where genetics allows a certain environment, instead of environments allowing certain genetic compositions. That's so very guesswork, though, in part because the genetic compositions themselves are structured to express or not express....

However, I think perhaps, that what we are, still is better understood from our brain, which I suspect is strongly a function of things like upbringing (there comes in the word "nurture") more than from biology - or that for many of us, it's actually the cultural rather than biological aspect that shapes us as something we'd identify from something else.

Not only in terms of what we do at any particular time, but what we do over the course of our lives.

But still, at that level, it appears to me, a strong expression of a bias, than something that gives a useful understanding of the reason for a change, or for understanding the qualities of another entity.

This is more than just something that can be explained in one post, and I don't claim to know the whole thing, but I believe it's both. I still think there's something a little bit more, because twins have the same genetics, and most of the time live in the same environment, but end up vastly different people. There are slight genetic mutations and slightly varying upbringings to contribute it, but I don't think they would be the same person if put in the exact same conditions.

It seems mutations are quite rare, and there are different forms of them (add, remove, or change an...allele? individual amino acid? don't remember). The other thing is that as one gets older, one would think, - no, I do think - that a mutation of those kinds - point, additive, and subtractive - would neither necessarily be passed to another generation (acquired characteristic) or even necessarily become predominant in the body/organ/tissue/system/whatever. I wonder if, aside from cancerous mutations, a mutation can result in a shift in parts of the operation of a section of the body? I guess skin's shading would be a place I would think of first...

EDIt-emph, harumph

Edited January 17, 2013 by Mouse

[FrostyFireMage]

Both, but I'm leaning towards environment as the most important factor.

I have an impatient and cold attitude when around my parents due to being a smart person born to a family of morons, but around people my own age I tend to be dorky and annoying.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Frosty Fire Mage