Nature versus nurture in human development

Personality Traits

The discussion of "nature vs. nurture" has been a long-standing one. It relates to whether the main characteristics of an individual are genetically determined or whether these are actually deeply affected by environmental factors and by society as the individual evolves. This is where the discussion of whether an individual's personality is largely fixed at birth or not can also be placed. Arguments are both for and against, although this paper will eventually argue that this is not the case.

As Chapter 5 shows us, the idea that "personality is something we arrive with at birth, genetically determined and unchangeable is not the case." This statement can be analyzed from different perspectives. On one hand, it is difficult to accept the idea that people cannot change and the fact that personality traits could actually be something the individual is born with implies the fact that individual cannot change. What this would mean is that no matter what education the individual receives and no matter what environment he grows into and where he lives, the individual will still have the same personality traits he was born with.

Can this be acceptable for society? That is definitely not the case: society is built on the idea that individuals, no matter what their individual personality traits are, can adapt to the way a group and a society works and performs. By adapting, they can also change their personality in a way that makes them fit better within the group. Some of their personality traits will be suppressed, while encouraging other characteristics, so that the individual can properly perform within the community.

As chapter 5 shows, environmental and social context have a deep impact on the personality development. This opinion appears defendable particularly if one looks at factors such as education or peer influence. In terms of education, personalities change as individuals enter groups and are the recipients of educational programs. At the same time, belonging to a group is very likely to affect the individual's personality.

Chapter 5 also mentions that the individual does not behave in all situations in the same manner. There is a distinct flexibility in the way that the individual determines the decision making process. Fluidity is the key word: an individual will appear from the outside as having different personalities, depending on the way he reacts in a particular situation. According to this, the individual will as having a complex personality, with different traits, something that would go against the theory that personality traits are something that the individual is born with and can never change in his lifetime. The trait of choice also implies the fact that the individual is adaptive, that he can change and that the personality traits evolve as well.

As the chapter emphasizes, the discussion of nature vs. nurture is most adequate when it comes to personality traits. It shows a defining distinction between the fact that genetics influences personality traits (something that is acceptable) and the fact that personality is genetically determined and unchangeable (something that is not viable).

The problem thus with the former statement is that accepting that personality traits are genetically determined would mean that personality traits are unchangeable. An individual would thus continuously and consistently behave in a certain manner, no matter what society norms are and no matter the subsequent processes in his life, including educational ones.

However, there are also theories that support the "nature" aspect of things. For many theoreticians, the genetic traits with which an individual is born are so strong that these personality traits will remain for the rest of his life, no matter what the subsequent environmental changes are. The argumentation that these studies bring is that the genetic traits remain with the individual, no matter what later occurs in the individual lives, because they are strong within his or her DNA.