Whether Heredity Determines Personality - Essay Example

Our personality is the product of the interaction of these two factors and is not exclusively molded by the environment or genetics but a combination of both. (Cuizon). That is, heredity only establishes the basic foundation of one's personality particularly the physical aspects, while the environmental factors, which are represented by the cultural, social, and situational factors, more greatly influence the actual development and evolution of personality. Hereditary or the genetic transmission of certain physical characteristics from the parents, determines the physical part of an individual’s personality.

Hereditary characteristics manifest at birth such as hair and eye color, skin color, and body type and this becomes part of the personality. (Cuizon). Although hereditary is said to influence the aptitude of the individual and thereby their personality, it is not the case all the time because the environment in which their genetically related parents play a key role only develops the personality. Another perspective put forward by the Behavioral geneticists, which shows how there is an interplay between heredity and environment, is that the genetic make-up of a person only brings out particular reactions to things and people, which in turn determine the person’s personality. (Cuizon). Apart from these perspectives, many experts view that environment, education and previous experiences will develop a personality maximally.

That is, based on the social, cultural, and situational factors, an individual faces and how he/she reacts to those factors, based on his/her education and previous experiences will determine one’s personality. Experts normally use the case of identical twins, who in spite of sharing the majority of the genes will have or could have distinct personalities, to prove how the environment only plays a crucial role in developing a personality. “If environment didn't play a part in determining an individual's traits and behaviors, then identical twins should, theoretically, be exactly the same in all respects, even if reared apart.

” (Powell). From this analysis, it is clear that heredity alone does not develop personality, but in association with the environmental factors only develop, evolve, and fine-tune the personality of an individual. According to psychologists, the most reasonable answer of all is neither one, nor the other, but the interaction of the two - the genetic and the environmental/ educational/ experience factor. (Lupu).