Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
[14] Higgins, E. T., Bond, R. N., Klein, R., & Strauman, T. (1986). Self-discrepancies and emotional vulnerability: How magnitude,
accessibility, and type of discrepancy influence affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(1), 5–15; Strauman, T. J.,
& Higgins, E. T. (1988). Self-discrepancies as predictors of vulnerability to distinct syndromes of chronic emotional
distress. Journal of Personality, 56(4), 685–707.
[15] Higgins, E. T., Bond, R. N., Klein, R., & Strauman, T. (1986). Self-discrepancies and emotional vulnerability: How magnitude,
accessibility, and type of discrepancy influence affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(1), 5–15.
11.3 I s Personality More Nature or More Nurture? Behavioral and
Molecular Genetics
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explain how genes transmit personality from one generation to the next.
- Outline the methods of behavioral genetics studies and the conclusions that we can draw from them about the
determinants of personality. - Explain how molecular genetics research helps us understand the role of genetics in personality.
One question that is exceedingly important for the study of personality concerns the extent to
which it is the result of nature or nurture. If nature is more important, then our personalities will
form early in our lives and will be difficult to change later. If nurture is more important,
however, then our experiences are likely to be particularly important, and we may be able to
flexibly alter our personalities over time. In this section we will see that the personality traits of
humans and animals are determined in large part by their genetic makeup, and thus it is no
surprise that identical twins Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein turned out to be very similar even
though they had been raised separately. But we will also see that genetics does not determine
everything.
In the nucleus of each cell in your body are 23 pairs of chromosomes. One of each pair comes
from your father, and the other comes from your mother. The chromosomes are made up of
strands of the molecule DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), and the DNA is grouped into segments
known as genes. A gene is the basic biological unit that transmits characteristics from one
generation to the next. Human cells have about 25,000 genes.