Provide a 7 pages analysis while answering the following question: Genetic Influence on Personality. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required.
Provide a 7 pages analysis while answering the following question: Genetic Influence on Personality. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. Francis Galton, founder of Differential Psychology was the one who started the experiments to study the individual differences. . Then came, Alfred Binet, father of intelligence testing who gave a real impetus and significance to the study of individual differences.
Generally speaking, Genetics and Environment are the two broad categories that affect the development of a personality. Genetics means the transference of the characteristics of parents to their off-springs through genes in the chromosomes. Genetics is nothing but the all inborn physical and mental traits that one inherits from his parents and ancestors. Now when we think of personality in terms of genetics we must analyse the following things. Personality difference of same family members, identical and fraternal twins, the effect of genetics on fundamental behaviours, Effect of different living styles of twins in their personality. .
fertilized ovum he got from his mother and father. He starts life with a specific type of behaviour and a certain sort of temperament. All these traits, mental and physical constitute his heredity. There is considerable evidence that physical traits such as the colour of the eye and skin, blood types, colour blindness, and the tendencies to be tall or short, follow the laws of genetics. But there is practically no evidence to prove to what extent mental traits such as intelligence and aptitude are inherited.
The study of the family histories of 177 famous persons in European countries led Sir Francis Galton to conclude that their greatness was due to genetics. A similar study conducted by famous psychologist Dugdale about the Jukes family, a notorious family of criminals, beggars, and prostitutes, led him to believe that their notoriety was due to heredity. Another psychologist, Goddard’s study of 480 descendants of the Kalikak family also led to the same conclusion. Later psychologist F.N. Freeman’s study of identical twins, fraternal twins, siblings, and cousins too led him to believe that intelligence was inherited. He concluded the coefficient correlation of intelligence test score were: Identical twins-0.9, Fraternal twins-0.6, Siblings-0.5, and Cousins-0.25. By this, he showed that a blood relationship was directly proportional to intelligence. But modern psychologists are hesitant to believe all these.
