Are Personalities Genetic?

[Simplyme]

I have read that research suggests that ones personality may be genetic. Does this mean that I have my mothers or fathers personality?

[AmericanWoman]

I haven't read research on this, but I believe it is definitely true.  My oldest son acts EXACTLY like my husband.  It drives me nuts!  Lol.  I don't know that your personality is just like your mom or dads, but it's probably similar to someone in your ancestry.

[cognitive]

NO, personality is not genetic , the temperament is .
 Personality is a much complex concept ,the result of interaction of its components ( temperament, character , aptitudes, intelligence and creativity. )

[SWM]

NO, personality is not genetic , the temperament is .
 Personality is a much complex concept ,the result of interaction of its components ( temperament, character , aptitudes, intelligence and creativity. )

you say the temperament is genetic but personality is not. you then say that temperament is a component of personality. was this an error? what did you really mean?

[cognitive]

No, is not an error .
I meant what I said . The fact that the temperament is genetically based and is just a component of personality is well known ,I won't comment more about it.
But you cannot say about the personality that is genetically based -even if it has a genetic component - ,personality  includes aspects that are learned in time ,too.
temperament is not equal to personality. 

[cognitive]

For instant , when I described my personality I said that

I am warm, enthusiastic ,very passionate and excited about new ideas and people ...
 


these traits  come from my 70 % (my evaluation) sanguine  temperament ,I was born like that and I would most probably die like that (well, I heard some saying that even temperament can be changed during lifetime, though I really doubt).

But 
, i have many skills and talents ,I may be very manipulative , I am not always sincere , but rather polite than honest ....sometimes ,quite often though ,I would act childish , love to play and amuse myself of everything 

are some traits that were learned  during interactions with the people around me ,parents, teachers, friends... I was not born with those traits ,more ,  I could lose them anytime and acquire some totally different traits which will lead to a different personality type. ( although temperamentally speaking I will be the same ) .

[ellion]

What about attachemnt and security at birth. A baby has a need for security and attachment all babies having different degrees of need, some children have very little need for contact and attention from parents and other have a great need barely allowing their parents to move. I would define these as personal qualities that are passed through genes.

[RobinVeloz]

I don't believe there is a way to clearly differentiate the two...

[Schizo]

Think about this, DNA is a blueprint to the development of cells; however the question you must ask is, does the blueprint dictate the organization of those cells...

I am not a geneticist, but know that it could be one of several things, either it is the organization cells, the structure of the cells themselves, or both...

So in essence personality may be the combination of genetics and chaos both working together. 



Anyway that's what I think...


= )
   

[RobinVeloz]

That's an interesting way to put it...

[andydeskano]

Well, I wouldn't say they are genetic. However, if you grew up around certain people, you're bound to start imitating their behavior and into certain extreem simulate their personalities (unconsciously). I  haven't seen anything that I would consider genetic, so I'm not saying that's it isn't possible.

[Shell]

For instant , when I described my personality I said that

I am warm, enthusiastic ,very passionate and excited about new ideas and people ...
 


these traits  come from my 70 % (my evaluation) sanguine  temperament ,I was born like that and I would most probably die like that (well, I heard some saying that even temperament can be changed during lifetime, though I really doubt).

But 
, i have many skills and talents ,I may be very manipulative , I am not always sincere , but rather polite than honest ....sometimes ,quite often though ,I would act childish , love to play and amuse myself of everything 

are some traits that were learned  during interactions with the people around me ,parents, teachers, friends... I was not born with those traits ,more ,  I could lose them anytime and acquire some totally different traits which will lead to a different personality type. ( although temperamentally speaking I will be the same ) .

I definitely like Cognitive's take on this.  And Schizo's, too.  I think all of us are built with certain traits that are passed down genetically.  I don't think it guarantees we'll be exactly like our mother or father but we have a higher chance of having certain traits that they do.  Whether or not we behave like them depends on our upbringing as children.  A combination of influence from our parents, the people around us, society, and us is what actually impacts our personality. 

Don't know if I'm saying this right or if I'm making sense.  But I do think that, like Cognitive said, temperament is genetically inherited by us. 

[darkdan]

There's such a high correlation in monozygotic twins reared apart, so I'd say biology accounts for a lot of it.  But I'm sure there's plenty of epigenetic factors too.

Considering most children are raised in the same household as their parent(s), then the environment contributes to it even more!  Like I said though, the identical twins that were separated and raised differently still grow up to be very similar.

[vani_vani]

of course, personality is not genetic , it depends on many things . Humans are the result of the environment, genetic and selbst-controlling
i think , many kids act like their parents when they growth up because they´re learnt from their eltern
ex: violence => if a young man experienced that his father always hit his mum when there was confict between them => the young man would internalize it n many do it later 

[Merana]

I don't think personality is genetic - we see examples of children radically different from their parents all the time. "I wonder where that comes from?" they wonder. "We don't have anybody like that in the family." However, personality does seem to be something you are born with. Some people are loud and outgoing, others are quiet and thoughtful - since childhood.

[Bill Hemphill]

The question I have is  . . . How does genetics contribute to personality  and what things can be considered genetic? For the most part I think genetics does not figure into personality but it is a fact that right brain dominance or left brain dominance is inheritable as we can see in the Negro race being mostly right brain dominant. Being right brain dominant myself, I assume to be genetic from my Negro ancestors from Italy. Am I wrong to assume this? Why? Bill

[liza123]

I have read that research suggests that ones personality may be genetic. Does this mean that I have my mothers or fathers personality?

I do not believe so. We may observe our parents and tend to follow their behaviour making it seem so. But, in truth, I think that only your bilogical genes which gives your physical characteristics come from them

[SWM]

The question I have is  . . . How does genetics contribute to personality  and what things can be considered genetic? For the most part I think genetics does not figure into personality but it is a fact that right brain dominance or left brain dominance is inheritable as we can see in the Negro race being mostly right brain dominant. Being right brain dominant myself, I assume to be genetic from my Negro ancestors from Italy. Am I wrong to assume this? Why? Bill

i find myself agreeing with your viewpoint that in the most part there is nothing of the personality that is genetic. IMO gentics accounts for the physical properties of the individual. that is the body brain and the organic functioning of the physical. to use an analogy genetics provides the structure within and through which the mind(personality) will eventually develop.

[reira]

As I grow older I kinda feel like I'm acting more and more like my parents. This is probably because that's how they raised us.

[gaurav sharma]

personality at part can be genetic and partly it is sum of enviourment factors..this debate is hell long and still none is sure despite this part conclusion writen above.,,we must take tht..

[voodoo scientist]

It always confused me how people think it's not only possible, but plausible, that if we just look hard enough, we will find that one key component that makes us who we are, rendering every other component moot.

Doesn't it seem more logical to at least assume that lots of things affect who we are, and then work out to what degree they each effect us?

[Bill Hemphill]

SWM, I am not sure if that means we both get it or we are both on the right track.

[Kallisti]

I've heard of (but not hd a chance to read) studies of identical twins that were separated at birth.  The conclusion was that personality is about half genetic and half upbringing.

Personally I think its going to move ever farther towards upbringing, since even if two kids are raised in separate households, they still grow up in in the same culture.  If you raise kids in more or less the same religion, show them the same TV shows that will have an effect.  There are even deeper cultural trends as well that are built right into the English language.

[Psychdigg]

It's popular to split the causes evenly between genetics and the environment.  In reality genetics has the final say on how much the environment is going to affect the person.  Humans vary on the trait of adaptability.  When you say a person is "adaptable" it's the same as saying they are easily influenced by their environment.  When you say a person is rigid you are saying that they resist environmental influences.  Evolution favors adaptability so it is fairly widespread in the population.  The illusion is that the genes aren't holding any cards when in reality they hold the deciding hand if not the winning hand.

[A Strawberry Filed]

I think it is more of a cognitive issue and less of an epigenetic issue.  Personalities form from our attitudes, and attitudes form from our self perception. The mother and father role defiantly play a part in the development of the Self.

[Bill Hemphill]

I think it is more of a cognitive issue and less of an epigenetic issue.  Personalities form from our attitudes, and attitudes form from our self perception. The mother and father role defiantly play a part in the development of the Self.

Well put.

[Bill Hemphill]

Some of my ancestors  came from Scotland and Ireland. Is it possible that we simply inherit our ancestors physical and chemical substance and not their personality? In agreement with Liza, I think our brain waves combined with our passage ways are inherited and in our new environment we become who we are, dependent on our attachments and goals.

[Bill Hemphill]

I am currently studying "Black Psychology" and find the information powerful to the pioneering of Psychology.

[sure]

my uncle's a looser - I am a looser. Once severly fallen - never rise again. that's our polish culture ! But otherwise ? I think we just react towards each other.

[Bill Hemphill]

levels of importance is key to response and personality.