What theory of Human Development makes a person what they are? Why does a person
do what they do? Where does personality come from and how does it grow? These
are some frequently asked questions when discussing the topic of personality.
Personality does originate from a specific point, and from then on it continues
to grow and become exponentially more complex. There are some commonly made
assumptions when developing a personality theory. The first of these assumptions
concerns whether one believes that the behaviors, any type of action, a person
exhibits are produced by conscious choices and decisions, also known as free
will, or "determined" by forces beyond ones control. I believe in the
free will explanation, but not the type of free will commonly imagined. Humans
do ultimately have the power to choose their actions, however the extreme
influence of other factors, such as heredity, environment, and learned
behaviors, may make it seem like a persons actions were predetermined. For
example, If I take care of myself and eat healthy, have a healthy physical and
mental state of being, I am still very likely to develop Hundtingtons disease
because it is proven that it is transmitted genetically and my grandfather had
the my father had the genes that carried it. For that reason, it can be assumed
that human beings do have free will, however the choices made are greatly
impacted and seemingly determined by inherited basic needs, environment, and
learned behaviors Another assumption to be examined that is normally a difficult
one to address is the question of environment versus heredity. B.F. Skinner
would argue faithfully that behavior is based solely on environmental
contingencies, while Sigmund Freud would just as strongly maintain that the role
of heredity determines the personality of an individual. Erikson would argue
that personality is determined in the stage "trust vs. mistrust" I, on
the other hand, believe that all sides of the debate are equally valid;
personality is both the product of nature, in the form of the gratification of
instinctual basic needs, and the product of learning and life experiences. For
example, if a person was being attacked by something or someone, the basic need
of safety would cause that person to seek refuge. However, where that person
goes to find safety would likely be determined by learned behaviors and past
experiences of the need for security. Therefore, personality is not a question
of nature versus nurture, but is instead a combination of the two. Some of the
factors that effect personality include social groups, and learned behaviors.
The Core Personality From the moments of conception, your parents` genes
determine what many of your physical traits will be. Among these are gender,
height, and skin color. These sort of traits will have an effect on how the
child perceives itself and how others perceive the child, consequently having an
effect on the child`s personality. For example, this person could have some
physical characteristic that is looked down on or made fun of by various people.
This, in turn, would affect the individual`s self esteem and overall
personality. I do not believe that there is anyone that would honestly be able
to say that they think that all babies are just as smart as each other when they
are born. The idea is ridiculous. Just as everyone is born physically different,
they are also born mentally different. Therefore, the only factor that could
initially affect the intelligence level of an individual before birth is the
inherited genes of that individual`s parents. What is also included in this
inheritance is the passing on of basic needs. These basic needs include
physiological needs, which are all of the body`s requirements (food, water,
safety needs, curiosity, the need for relationships), which is first encountered
in the relationship between the mother and her child. There are, of course,
certain circumstances which may have a later effect on personality and its
development. Any sort of trauma to the development of the infant at this point
could have mild to drastic effects that could cause damage to the body and/or
brain. This would include the use of various drugs by the mother, such as
alcohol, tobacco, and crack, or some sort of physical abuse to the mother during
the pregnancy. Each one is capable of causing some sort of mental or physical
handicap to the infant. Common sense tells you that this would affect the
learning capability or the physical capability of the child, and having a
definite change on the outcome of that child`s personality. Physical attributes,
mental attributes, and basic needs are all passed down from parent to child. The
core personality is therefore made up of all of these factors that are
determined by heredity. After birth, everything that is experienced by the
individual has an effect on that person`s personality and is added onto the core
personality and makes it much more complex as it continues to grow and mature.
The core personality makes up the basis of an individual`s personality for the
rest of that person`s life. Personality growth, therefore, takes place as new
experiences are added to that core personality. These new experiences come
directly from a person`s environment and from heredity.