Role of Environment in Personality Development - Term Paper Example

Personality is the unique traits of an individual and may be recognized at the early stages of their life1. Personality development can thus be defined as the development of a person’s attributes that make one unique. Personality therefore reflects an individual’s psychological traits, characteristics, motives, habits, attitudes, and beliefs. Personality also displays ones reaction and interaction with other people and consists mainly of the following three components: temperament, environment, and character. Temperament can be determined genetically and it displays traits that determine an individual’s approach to the world and how one learns about the world1. The genes do not specify personality traits but some genes do control the development of the nervous system, which in turn controls the perception and behavior. The environment affects ones personality by changing the adaptive patterns related to an individual’s specific surrounding. The environmental factors include the culture in which one is raised, ones early conditioning, the norms among the family, friends and social groups. Character is an individual’s entire traits or attribute that distinguishes one person from the other. The Environment The mental characteristics of an individual’s personality are the complex attributes that makes the individual unique and different from other people. These characteristics include all the patterns of thought and emotions that cause one to do and say things in particular ways.  Fundamentally, personality is expressed through ones temperament tone.  Personality also defines ones values, beliefs, and expectations.  There are several possible factors that are involved in shaping an individual’s personality and are mostly seen as coming from a person’s heredity and the environment that they are exposed to.  The possession of an individual’s values, beliefs, and expectations are considered to be due to socialization and unique experiences - especially during early development1. However, some hereditary factors that are believed to contribute to personality development do so as a result of interactions with the particular environment in which people live and socialize. This implies that in most situations it is the environment that contributes to ones personality and not the individual’s hereditary.  The environmental factors that pressurize one’s personality formation include the following: the culture in which one is raised, ones early nurturing, the norms among the community, family, friends and social groups, and other individual experiences1. Therefore, the environment that one is exposed to plays a significant role in shaping ones personalities. In the case of a child, the fundamental personality inherited by the child is to a great extent influenced by the environment in which he or she lives. The child's genetic inheritance is shaped by its interaction with the environmental factors that occur around the child's world. This phenomenon results in the emergence of the personality of the child which is thus responsible for further development and behavior of the child2. A child may be exposed to various interactions, such as with the family members and peer group members and other important people who are in constant close contact with the child that also influence the process of personality development. Thus, much of a child's personality reflects experiences with these key persons. If a child is rejected and mistreated, he or she is likely to develop quite differently from a child who is encouraged and loved. The behavior patterns that children learn depend greatly on models to which the child is exposed to1. This situation gives the reason why some children are reserved or shy and others are open and loving. This behavior pattern also tries to explain why some children runaway from their homes while others are comfortably adjusted to their home situation. The socio-cultural environment that the child lives in is the source of differences and similarities in personality development. For instance, a child who is part of an organized group such as scouts will develop as a positive person and develop qualities such as leadership and discipline and are inculcated in the child as he participates in such group activities. In contrast, a child who engages with delinquent gangs develops negative attributes such as stealing, lying and smoking. The environment that a child experiences, partly is a consequence of the child’s genes as well as external factors. For instance, a person seeks out and creates his or her environment, that is, if she is of a mechanical bent she would practice mechanical skills; if a bookworm, she would seek out books. Thus genes may create a desire rather than a talent1. Research and various studies have established that genetics influences criminal behavior. Genes coupled with environmental component influence personality traits and disorders. The family environment is vital to the upbringing of a child and if problems present itself, then the child would possibly suffer the consequences. The hyperactivity of a child depends on the family environment, that is, factors such as poverty, education, parenting practices, and family structure2. Families with poor communication and weak family bonds have shown to have a connection with children's development of aggressive/criminal behavior. Therefore, the families that are less financially sound, perhaps have more children, and who are unable to punish their young ones consistently will be more likely to promote an environment of delinquent or antisocial behavior3. If an individual is placed in a challenging situation, one would try and find possible solutions. If one becomes successful and faces another challenge, one would use the lesson learnt from the previous challenge to find a new solution. This situation makes one develop positive character or personality. If the individual on the other hand would have been defeated, one would thus develop a negative personality. Conclusion For a healthy human growth and development, the genetic and environmental factors come to play a major role. However, this growth depends mainly on the inputs received from the physical and socio-cultural environments. The environment therefore plays a major role in the development of an individual’s personality. The environment entails all the things and experiences that interact with the individual. Reference 1. Feldman, D. H. Nature's Gambit: Child Prodigies and the Development of Human Potential. New York: Basic Books. 1985 2. Kapoor Pradeep. 2008. Role of Environment in a Child's Growth. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/656669/role_of_environment_in_a_childs_growth_pg2.html?cat=25 (accessed 2nd June 2010) 3. Jones C M. 2005. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior. Rochester Institute of Technology. http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jones.html (accessed 2nd June 2010) Read More