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How much does nature or nurture account for individual’s personality?

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PSYC1018: Individual Differences

Dr Aiden Gregg

April 28th, 2023

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How much does nature or nurture account for individual’s personality?

Nature vs Nurture

Genetics or environment, which has a significant role in the development of our

personality? Does nature play a more significant role in our personality because it is our inborn

biological blueprint, does nurture with its impinging external events. Or is it the case that nature

and nurture equally contribute to the development of personality?

Behavioural genetics

Behavioural genetics starts with the reasoning that “genes are biologically transmitted

from biological parents to a child” (Maltby, et al., 2017, p.195). Behavioural genetics explains

the involvement of environment, genes and behaviour (Maltby et al., 2017). When explaining

behavioural genetics phenotype and genotype are regularly reflected on. Phenotypes are physical

characteristics (i.e., height, weight, gender) personality and behaviour. Researchers assess the

amount of phenotypes that are passed onto offspring (genetic heritability) through variability,

and by comparing the characteristics of parent and child such as, parent and child having

similar characteristics would have low variability whereas parent and child with opposite

characteristics would have high variability because they have more differences than similarities

(Maltby, et al., 2017). As a result, researchers in behavioural genetics can explore the extent of

genetic heritability of behaviour across a large sample (Maltby, et al., 2017, p.195).

Genotypes are our internal genetic code that sustains a living individual, our gene code

(genotype) contains multiply genes which are inherited, this is known as Deoxyribonucleic acid

(DNA). This is found in tissues, cells, and organs as it has assists in building and designing these
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structures, genotype influences phenotype which is important to behavioural genetics. Moore, et

al., (2017), explains how twin studies were formed from the Lush-Wright concept of heritability

which was the most efficient method of explaining the involvement of heritability in human

beings by comparing fraternal twins and identical twins. Fraternal twins share only 50% of DNA

whereas identical twins share 100% of their DNA. This can illustrate the number of traits

produced by genetics across the different twin types, behavioural genetics as the variations of

heritability for backgrounds, as it was not easy to determine the direct genetic influence of

personality, (Moore, et al., 2017).

Nurture and the Environmental Aspect on Trait

Researchers suggests that it is commonly assumed that twins raised together will

experience a similar impact of influence on their personality (Maltby et al., 2017). Nurture is

argued to be involved in the development of personality in regard to the shared and non-shared

environment, as it is thought that siblings share experiences and unique environments (non-

shared environment). Shared environment, an environment shared between two individuals

(siblings) who have the same parents, attend the same school, experiencing same things (chaotic

mornings). Non-shared environment (unique environment) where siblings are not in the same

environment such as, siblings growing up by different families, going to different schools and

being taught different things. However, unique environments can still occur to siblings in a

shared environment i.e., different friends and relationships with parents (not being able to

confine in friends and family). Eysenck, 1990 & Bouchard, 1994 focus on the non-shared and

shared environmental influences of personality, they also pointed out that these factors are

partially incorporated in the sibling’s personality. Non-shared environment factors outside the

family such as friendship has been said to be a significant factor. “Group socialisation theory”
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states that by using in-group and out-group to assist in the form our social identity, (Tajfel &

Turner, 1986), this idea comes from social categorisation and social identity theory. Harris used

the group socialisation theory to explain the need of non-shared environment for personality.

Social categorisations are a way to group individuals, according to their differences and

similarities. These social groups can include: ethic group, sex group or your interest, people tend

to adjust their personality to fit the criteria’s, he used this theoretical basis to show the social

groups influence on an individuals’ personality (Harris, 1995).

Nature and Nurture, Twin Studies. Guang Guo 2005 reflects on twin studies and what

can they tell us about nature and nurture? The author reflects on the base of twin studies and how

twin studies makes it easier to compare identical and fraternal twins and see the different ways

genes and environment contribute to personality trait such as, hair colour is more prominent in

identical twins than fraternal twins can state that genetics are more prominent in trait

development. In Guang research they found that identical twins both found a career as head of

major universities, which emphasises the impact of an identical twins shared environment, in this

case it can be argued to contribute to the twin’s successes and shared interests. Studies such as,

twin studies support the concept that genetics makes up human trait. Furthermore, studies

regarding the family history of schizophrenia in participants explaining that if one identical twin

has schizophrenia there is one in two chances compared to fraternal twins were there is one in six

chance (Guo, 2005) supporting that genes have a more profound linkage towards trait. Scholars

than used the results from the comparison of the type of twins and based it on the psychologists

big five dimensions, summaries what is conceived of as the main structure of personality

(extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness) (Torgersen &

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Janson, 2002) and concluded that environmental factors shared with family and twins play an

unsignificant part compared to

genetics. However, environment no matter how little has involvement in the development of

personality, Guang Guo explains that one factor cannot play all the rolls in development this is

“misleading” as human trait and behaviour need environmental and genetic factors, genes

interact with environment (genotype influence phenotype) by gene giving potential traits and the

environment determines what traits are grown, he explain how traits develop with the partnership

of environmental factors, without the acknowledgement of environment involvement even if

small in traits development their will not be an understand of personalities structure. Twin

studies assist in understanding what environmental factors are making genetic predisposition to

are trait or behaviour (Guo, 2005).

Environmental Influence and Environmental Factors. Torgersen & Janson, 2002,

referred to Plomin DeFries et al., 2001, for the definitions on shared environment as

“environmental factors” that make the similarities in family and not genetics and nonshared

environment as “environmental influences” that make the differences in family members. Plomin

1986 p.70 then explained the many ways in which estimating shared environments being

influential: genetic unrelated children together in the same adoptive families, relatives that are

together and adopted relative and twin studies for phenotypic variance when genetic variance as

a reminder of the heredity. There are many heritability studies of the big five personality that

explain that majority of environment influence is attributable to nonshared environment and

studies such as siblings and twin studies say that there are not a lot of shared environment

involvement to the big five personality dimensions (Torgersen & Janson, 2002; Eaves et al.,

1998). He then concludes with the finding from behavioural genetics studies of adult personality
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trait that similar environments influence siblings in different ways “it is generally not shared

family environment that causes family members to resemble each other” ( Plomin DeFries, et al.,

2001; p.298).

The verdict

Nature is seen to have a more promote involvement in personality trait because our DNA is

always inherited, guaranteeing similarity in individual personality (Guo, 2005; Maltby, et al.,

2017; Moore, et al., 2017) genetics can be seen as a baseline for personality development.

However, “There are simply no such things as gene-only influences.” (Moore, et al., 2017; p. 4)

as Nurture is required even if little for unique personality, either environment influences or

factors, Torgersen & Janson, 2002 & Plomin DeFries et al., 2001 and researched on environment

as a result. Twin studies has supported the fact that nature and nurture play significant parts,

natures internal roles and nurtures external roles, these roles are not equal with nature needed

more than nurture.

How much does nature or nurture account for individual’s personality?

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“There are simply no such things as gene-only influences.” (Moore, et al., 2017). With the twin

studies, we can understand that genetics contribute to the heritability of the trait

Further, many environments are not simply “imposed” on an individual; rather, individuals play

an active role in selecting and shaping their environments. it is generally more informative to

elucidate pathways of risk and show how genetic and environmental influences come together

in this process, rather than trying to divide influence into that which is genetic and that which is

environmental (p.8) nature and nurture

. Most measures of the environment show some degree of genetic influence, illustrating the

active role that individuals play in selecting and creating their social worlds (p.9)

assumption that many people make about biology: That genetic influences on trait development

can be separated from their environmental context.( P.5) the heritability fallacy
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traits are produced by interactions between genetic and nongenetic factors that occur in each

moment of developmental time(p.5)

References

Bouchard, T.J. (1994). ‘Genes, environment, and personality’. Science, 264, 1700-1701

Bouchard Jr, T. J., & Loehlin, J. C. (2001). Genes, personality and evolution. Behavior

Genetics, 31(3), 243-273.

Dick, D. M., Riley, B., & Kendler, K. S. (2022). Nature and nurture in neuropsychiatric genetics:

where do we stand? Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience

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Eysenck, H. J. (1990). ‘Biological dimensions of personality’. In L. A. Pervin (ed.), Handbook

of Personality: Theory and Research (pp.244-276). New York: Guilford.

Eaves, L. J., Heath, A. C., Neale, M. C., Hewitt, J. K., & Martin, N. G. (1998). Sex differences

and non-additivity in the effects of genes on personality. Twin Research and Human

Genetics, 1(3), 131-137.

Guo, G. (2005). Twin studies: what can they tell us about nature and nurture?. Contexts, 4(3), 43-

47.

Harris, J. R. (1995). Where is the child's environment? A group socialization theory of

development. Psychological review, 102(3), 458.

Maltby, J., Day, L., & Macaskill, A. (2017). Personality, individual differences and intelligence.

Pearson Education

Moore, D. S., & Shenk, D. (2017). The heritability fallacy. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews:

Cognitive Science, 8(1-2), e1400.

Plomin, R. (1986). Development, genetics, and psychology. Psychology Press.

Plomin, R., Asbury, K., & Dunn, J. (2001). Why are children in the same family so different?

Nonshared environment a decade later. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 46(3), 225-233.

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Torgersen, A. M., & Janson, H. (2002). Why do identical twins differ in personality: shared

environment reconsidered. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 5(1), 44-52.

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Appendix B

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Use different labelled appendices for different types of material, if need be.