"Heredity, physical environment, culture end particular experiences are thus four factors that explain personality, its formation, development and maintenance," ("What are the Factors").
The Myers-Briggs Test
There are many ways to measure your personality. One of the most common way to measure it though is the Myers-Briggs test. It sorts people into sixteen different types made of four letters each. It is a reliable way to accurately measure your personality because almost everyone falls solidly into one of the sixteen types. It also doesn't have types that are better than others. Each and every type of personality has better types than others.
How do you interact with others?
E-Extroverted: These people are more focused on the outside world. They are sociable and friendly people.
I-Introverted: These people live more in their own mind. They often contemplate things in their head and can seem distant to others.
How do you perceive things?
S-Sensing: Sensing people base things they perceive off of what they can see and hear. They also like to live in the now.
N-iNtuition: Intuitive people perceive things based off of their brain and what they think. They often exercise their imagination and think of possibilities.
How do you judge things?
T-Thinking: These people make decisions based on what they think. They use logic and like to analyze things.
F-Feeling: These people make decisions based off of feelings and emotions. They are sensitive and sympathetic to others' feelings and they are unsettled by conflict.
Do you rely more on judgement or perceiving?
J-Judgement: People with this trait like to plan, and they hate when their plans are changed. They are less flexible and less open to new ideas.
P-Percieving: These people like to go with the flow. They are open to new ideas and like to multitask. They don't like having deadlines, but always try to manage them.
What Factors are Most Involved in Determining Personality?
Over the past century, there have been many discoveries in the field of the origins of personality. We have learned many ways to determine where personalities come from. However, despite extensive research, people are still debating whether personality comes from genetics or from the environment you grow up in. The answer is that both factors impact personality almost equally. Your personality is about half genetics and half environment. Studies have shown different results. Genetics is responsible for approximately 40-50% and the various environmental factors are responsible for about 50-60%, (Bouchard 1700).
Genetics:
A perfect example of proving that there are genetic and influences on your personality is the Minnesota Twin Study. In this study, scientists observed two twins who were separated at birth and reunited them when they were 40 years old. When the two twins were reunited, they showed multiple similar habits and personality traits. It has also been found that two identical twins who were raised in different households, were about as similar to each other as identical twins raised in the same household. If that isn't convincing enough, think about kids who are adopted. It has been found that despite being raised by their adoptive parents, their personality can be very different.
Environment:
However, there are also a ton of reasons that prove that your personality comes from your environment too. Siblings, who all have similar genetics, can be very different. This is because parents often raise them differently. Most parents like to think they raise all of their kids the same way, but often times it differs without them even noticing. First children, who lose their parents' full attention at a young age, may become more reserved, but they often happen to be the most intelligent. Middle children, can often be competitive because they have two siblings to they have to fight to get attention. The youngest child is often dependent and selfish, but also they are very people oriented and the life of the party. The traits of the youngest child also often apply to only child as well.
How Studies are Conducted
How are the studies conducted though? There are three main types of studies that can help determine the origins of personality. These experiments are family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies. Each of these studies have different benefits to them, and they each accomplish different things.
Family studies are conducted when scientists observe the similarities in personality between family members. They first look at a person and their primary relatives, their parents and their children. Next, scientists observe a person and their secondary relatives which includes their grandparents, uncles, and cousins. These studies aren't always the most appropriate to determine whether a trait is inherited or whether it is an influence of the parents. Since parents often raise their children in a similar environment to the one they were raised in, this isn't the best way to study personality.
The second method of studying personality twin studies. It is possible to compare identical twins and fraternal twins to determine the heritability of traits. If DNA is to affect personality, then identical twins, who share all of their DNA, should be more similar than fraternal twins, who only share most of their DNA. The studies that have been done, all came out with positive results. They show that identical twins are more similar in their personality than fraternal twins.
Lastly, you can determine where personality comes from by an adoption study. Since adopted children are most likely raised in different environments than their real parents would have raised them in, it is possible to measure their similarities to their adoptive parents. The similarities can help determine whether personality is weighted more on genetics or on environment. The less similar an adopted child is to their adoptive parents, the more it can prove the connection between genetics and DNA.
In conclusion, personalities vary greatly. There are many ways to measure personality traits. Some components of personality are determined by genetics, and some are determined by by environment. These factors are determined by the many studies that have been conducted over the years.
More Information:
Behavioral Genetics
Birth Order
Genes, Personality, and Environment
Myers-Briggs Test
Preserve Articles
There are many ways to measure your personality. One of the most common way to measure it though is the Myers-Briggs test. It sorts people into sixteen different types made of four letters each. It is a reliable way to accurately measure your personality because almost everyone falls solidly into one of the sixteen types. It also doesn't have types that are better than others. Each and every type of personality has better types than others.
How do you interact with others?
E-Extroverted: These people are more focused on the outside world. They are sociable and friendly people.
I-Introverted: These people live more in their own mind. They often contemplate things in their head and can seem distant to others.
How do you perceive things?
S-Sensing: Sensing people base things they perceive off of what they can see and hear. They also like to live in the now.
N-iNtuition: Intuitive people perceive things based off of their brain and what they think. They often exercise their imagination and think of possibilities.
How do you judge things?
T-Thinking: These people make decisions based on what they think. They use logic and like to analyze things.
F-Feeling: These people make decisions based off of feelings and emotions. They are sensitive and sympathetic to others' feelings and they are unsettled by conflict.
Do you rely more on judgement or perceiving?
J-Judgement: People with this trait like to plan, and they hate when their plans are changed. They are less flexible and less open to new ideas.
P-Percieving: These people like to go with the flow. They are open to new ideas and like to multitask. They don't like having deadlines, but always try to manage them.
What Factors are Most Involved in Determining Personality?
Over the past century, there have been many discoveries in the field of the origins of personality. We have learned many ways to determine where personalities come from. However, despite extensive research, people are still debating whether personality comes from genetics or from the environment you grow up in. The answer is that both factors impact personality almost equally. Your personality is about half genetics and half environment. Studies have shown different results. Genetics is responsible for approximately 40-50% and the various environmental factors are responsible for about 50-60%, (Bouchard 1700).
Genetics:
A perfect example of proving that there are genetic and influences on your personality is the Minnesota Twin Study. In this study, scientists observed two twins who were separated at birth and reunited them when they were 40 years old. When the two twins were reunited, they showed multiple similar habits and personality traits. It has also been found that two identical twins who were raised in different households, were about as similar to each other as identical twins raised in the same household. If that isn't convincing enough, think about kids who are adopted. It has been found that despite being raised by their adoptive parents, their personality can be very different.
Environment:
However, there are also a ton of reasons that prove that your personality comes from your environment too. Siblings, who all have similar genetics, can be very different. This is because parents often raise them differently. Most parents like to think they raise all of their kids the same way, but often times it differs without them even noticing. First children, who lose their parents' full attention at a young age, may become more reserved, but they often happen to be the most intelligent. Middle children, can often be competitive because they have two siblings to they have to fight to get attention. The youngest child is often dependent and selfish, but also they are very people oriented and the life of the party. The traits of the youngest child also often apply to only child as well.
How Studies are Conducted
How are the studies conducted though? There are three main types of studies that can help determine the origins of personality. These experiments are family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies. Each of these studies have different benefits to them, and they each accomplish different things.
Family studies are conducted when scientists observe the similarities in personality between family members. They first look at a person and their primary relatives, their parents and their children. Next, scientists observe a person and their secondary relatives which includes their grandparents, uncles, and cousins. These studies aren't always the most appropriate to determine whether a trait is inherited or whether it is an influence of the parents. Since parents often raise their children in a similar environment to the one they were raised in, this isn't the best way to study personality.
The second method of studying personality twin studies. It is possible to compare identical twins and fraternal twins to determine the heritability of traits. If DNA is to affect personality, then identical twins, who share all of their DNA, should be more similar than fraternal twins, who only share most of their DNA. The studies that have been done, all came out with positive results. They show that identical twins are more similar in their personality than fraternal twins.
Lastly, you can determine where personality comes from by an adoption study. Since adopted children are most likely raised in different environments than their real parents would have raised them in, it is possible to measure their similarities to their adoptive parents. The similarities can help determine whether personality is weighted more on genetics or on environment. The less similar an adopted child is to their adoptive parents, the more it can prove the connection between genetics and DNA.
In conclusion, personalities vary greatly. There are many ways to measure personality traits. Some components of personality are determined by genetics, and some are determined by by environment. These factors are determined by the many studies that have been conducted over the years.
More Information:
Behavioral Genetics
Birth Order
Genes, Personality, and Environment
Myers-Briggs Test
Preserve Articles
"Perception involves all the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas. Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived. If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions, values, motivations, and skills," ("MBTI Basics").