The Force Behind Genetic Manifestation - Research Paper Example

Introduction Behavior of human beings has always been a favorite topic of study for people working in the field of psychology. Number of studies and researches are conducted to understand the behavioral pattern and the development of personality in human beings. The main focus of these researches is to know if human beings are ‘born’ with certain personality traits or do they ‘learn’ it from their environment. Knowing the cause of behavior doesn’t seem that important when one thinks of people who are ‘normal’ and have healthy personalities. However, when it comes to understanding the causes behind severe behavior problems like addiction, anger, aggression, criminal bent of mind, sadism, depression, anti-social behavior etc., then understanding the role of nature and nurture in the development of these patterns becomes an important. Hence, people in the field of psychology and psychiatry continuously make efforts to find out what it is that makes human beings behave in certain way, nature or nurture. That is, they try to know if people are genetically programmed to behave in a certain way or if their behavior is shaped by the environment. However, studies in psychology have given a hope to human beings by showing that even though human beings are programmed through their genes to behave in certain way, the environment has the power to break the genetic programming and modify the behavior pattern of human beings in positive way by strengthening the ‘good’ genes and weakening the ‘bad’ genes. The Role Of Genes Variations In Genes Genes play an important role in the development of behavior and personality pattern of human beings. Different genes are responsible for development of different habits and behavior pattern in people. Every human being has same 20,000 genes present in the body but what makes them different is its ‘variants’ or ‘flavors’ (Frehley, 2010, para.1). For example, a variant of gene called as GTF2I, which controls the activity of other genes, is responsible for creating a desire for eye contact and social interaction in children who are born with it (Frehley, 2010, para.2). It means that children born with one set or variant of GTF2I will have a social and friendly nature while children born with other variant of GTF2I will display fear and aversion to social interaction (Frehley, 2010, para.4). However, it is important to note that scientists are not 100% sure of this information as it is not a statement but a ‘speculation’ (Frehley, 2010, para.2). Also, it is interesting to know that every human being possesses all the genes but what makes them differ in behavior is the “less than 1%” variance in the genes (Frehley, 2010, para.5). According to Ebstein et al. (1996), the variations in ‘specific’ geneses result in different social behavior patterns in different individuals (Nicolaou & Shane, n.d., p.2). It makes one wonder if such a small amount of genetic variation is ‘major’ enough to control the will power in human being. That is, can human being acquire skills or behavior pattern that he is not genetically programmed to acquire? Evolutionary psychology, also known as ‘modern Darwinism’, is the field that helps in answering this ‘nature or nurture’ question (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). Desire For Security It is a natural understanding that if the circumstances and the conditions of living change, then the behavior of human beings should also change. However, according to the evolutionary psychology, human beings living in today’s modern world, still display the same ‘survival’ traits that their ancestors living in the Stone Age had displayed to survive the threats in the environment (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). This shows that even if the environment and the surrounding situations change, human beings still carry the ‘innate’ fear from surrounding and are ‘hard wired’ to behave in certain way when they sense threat. For example, people from Stone Age were genetically programmed to gather and store enough food and have adequate shelter to avoid danger in difficult environmental situations (Nicholson, 1998, p.138). This genetic pattern should have vanished with the security and protection that modern lifestyle offers to human beings today. However, it has been found that even with stable financial, social and environmental conditions, people still display the similar affinity to ‘secure’ and ‘risk free’ life as their Stone Age ancestors did (Nicholson, 1998, p.138). It can be said that those Stone Age people who survived the harsh situations by fighting furiously with the ‘environmental’ threats and ‘enemies’ from different tribes, passed their genes to the future generations (Nicholson, 1998, p.138). Hence, the theory of ‘natural selection’, which proposes that only the fittest survive in the world and are selected by opposite sex for mating to continue the lineage of strong genes, seems to be working here (Nicholson, 1998, p.136). Not only that, but according to evolutionary psychology, even social behavior pattern is hardwired in human beings. Social Behavior ‘Social status’ is not an idea of modern world but has been transferred to current generations through the genes of their ancestors (Nicholson, 1998, p.143). People in the Stone Age used to decide the status of the tribe members, particularly males, from the way they performed in games and contests which were held by the tribes (Nicholson, 1998, p.143). Those men who won the contests were considered strong, capable and worthy of producing strong children (Nicholson, 1998, p.143). The females also had their own ways of impressing strong men and attracting the ‘high status’ men for intimate relationship and for growing families (Nicholson, 1998, p.143). The trait of ‘friendliness’ is also passed through genes as ancestors used to develop friendly relationships with other tribes by sharing their food and negotiating with them on win-win basis (Nicholson, 1998, p.141). In fact, the business and entrepreneurial abilities are also supposed to be genetic in nature as by “making some people more sensitive to environmental stimuli” resulting in engagement in entrepreneurial activity, the genes decide the entrepreneurial interest in people (Nicolaou & Shane, n.d., p.2). Social isolation was avoided by Stone Age people to avoid the attack from animals and human predator ( “organization and leadership theory..”, 2005, para.5). This is why the concepts of social status, relationship with other people in the society and finding a ‘right’ partner are considered as genetic traits that are hardwired in human beings. However, this does not prove that only genes are responsible for behavior traits in human beings as major motivation and driving force behind human ‘evolution’ is the environment. The Role Of Nurture Behavior Is ‘Learned’ Behavior which has no purpose or meaning is random and hence, cannot be called as real ‘behavior’ (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.32). The instinctive and purposeless behavior of animals is a good example of random behavior (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.32). Human behavior is ‘learned’ behavior and is adapted by humans to tackle and survive different situations in the environment (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.32). Hence, it is not instinctive but has a purpose and a meaning behind it. In other words, human behavior is a part of mental ‘evolution’ process of human beings. People’s response to the surrounding depends on the genetic capacities they have and their response is consciously decided (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.33). Hence, it won’t be wrong to say that behavior of human being is shaped by environment as it is the environmental situations and changes that makes human beings to ‘evolve’ and change according to it. Stimulus From The Environment The environmental condition in which a child is raised decides which particular genetic trait will get manifested in his behavior and nature (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.34). For example, a positive, healthy and encouraging environment will make a child to develop confidence, high self-esteem and extrovert nature Hence, for the innate tendencies in genes to come into action (behavior), a proper environmental and social condition is needed (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.34). When a child gets healthy emotional support, encouragement and psychological strength through people and environment around him, then his genes are stimulated to express its potential innate tendencies completely (“Nature vs. nurture”, n.d., para.34). In case of negative environment like emotional and physical abuse, addictive parents and disadvantageous social conditions, the negative tendencies in genes like anger, aggression and criminal behavior get stimulated. Hence, in the manifestation of different genetic tendencies, environment plays a major role. The development of genes depends on the environmental stimulus at every stage of human life (“Zero To Three”, n.d., para.5). For example, what language the child is going to speak depends not on his genes but it depends on the family, culture and country he is born in (“Zero To Three”, n.d., para.5). For example, a child born and raised in China will learn Chinese language, not because his genes are programmed to learn Chinese but because people in his surrounding speak that language. Even though genes are programmed with certain behavior tendencies, it is the environment that strengthens certain tendencies by providing a nurturing and positive development of those tendencies. Hence, through sensory, motor, emotional and cognitive stimuli, the environment trains the brain (and genes) to ‘develop’ behavioral characters like habits, interests, likes-dislikes, physical capacity, intelligence level etc (“Zero To Three”, n.d., para.5). It is the human experience that shapes his life choices. For example, people do things that give a pleasurable experience to them and avoid painful experiences. Hence, those neural circuits which are turned on through the pleasure experiences gets developed and strengthened by repeated stimulus (practice) from the environment and by getting turned on repeatedly, and those neural circuits which do not get used or are not turned on, get weak and drop away (“Zero To Three”, n.d., para.5). In this way, the genetic tendencies are activated through environmental stimulus and hence, it is the environment that determines the behavior pattern and personality of human beings. Conclusion The study of literature clearly shows that the human nature and personality is a result of nurture and not nature. Different genetic tendencies in human beings are like seeds of potential. Those seeds which are sowed in healthy soil, are watered regularly and are nurtured with care, grow to be healthy fruit bearing plants. Others just shrink and die after some time. Hence, genetic tendencies that are nurtured and are continuously turned on get manifest in behavior and those that are not nurtured through environment fail to manifest in behavior. Hence, it is clear that even though human destiny, personality and behavior pattern is coded in genes, it is the environment that decides which personality and behavior is to be manifested. Hence, human personality is not a result of nature but is a result of nurture. References Frehley, W. (2010). Social behavior genes. Retrieved from http://freewill.typepad.com/genetics/2010/02/social-behavior-genes.html “Nature Vs. Nurture: How Much Free Will Do Really We Have?” (n.d.) Retrieved from Trinity University website: http://www.trinity.edu/mkearl/socpsy-2.html Nicholson, N. (1998). How Hardwired Is Human Behavior? Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://www.salescognition.com/articles/HowHardwiredIsHumanBehavioByNicholson.pdf Nicolaou, N. & Shane, S.(n.d.). Born Entrepreneurs? The Genetic Foundations Of Entrepreneurship. Retrieved from Case Western University website: http://faculty.weatherhead.case.edu/shane/ge/ge2.pdf “Organization and leadership theory: an evolutionary psychology perspective.” (2005). Journal of Evolutionary Psychology. Retrieved from http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4653485/Organization-and-leadership-theory-an.html Zero To Three (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families website: http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ#role Read More