Biological and Environmental Influence

to
Personality

Presented by:Ms.R.Abielachinee
BSc.Psychology,(MSc.Psychological Counselling)
• Natural selection, first described by Charles
Darwin, influences whether certain behavior
patterns are passed down to future
generations.
• Behaviors that aid in survival are more likely to
be passed down while those that prove
dangerous are less likely to be inherited.
• Consider an issue like aggression. The psychoanalytic perspective might view aggression as
the result of childhood experiences and unconscious urges.
• The behavioral perspective considers how the behavior was shaped by
association, reinforcement, and punishment.
• A psychologist with a social perspective might look at the group dynamics and pressures
that contribute to such behavior.
• The biological viewpoint, on the other hand, would involve looking at the biological roots
that lie behind aggressive behaviors.
• Someone who takes the biological perspective might consider how certain types of brain
injury might lead to aggressive actions. Or they might consider genetic factors that can
contribute to such displays of behavior.
 Main Topic Areas

Biopsychologists study many of the same things that

other psychologists do, but they are interested in
looking at how biological forces shape human
behaviors. Some topics that a psychologist might
explore using this perspective include:
• Analyzing how trauma to the brain influences
behaviors
• Assessing the differences and similarities in twins to
determine which characteristics are tied to genetics
and which are linked to environmental influences
• Exploring how genetic factors influence such things
as aggression
• Investigating how degenerative brain diseases
impact how people act
• Studying how genetics and brain damage are linked
to mental disorders
 The Biological Perspective of
Personality

• The biological perspective of personality is

another example of how looking at biological and
genetic factors can be used to understand
different aspects of psychology.
• The biological perspective of personality focuses
on the biological factors that contribute to
personality differences.
• This perspective suggests that personality is
influenced by genetic and biological factors.
 Genes and the brain

• Where do biologists find our traits? In our

genes and our brains. To test this theory,
psychologists have studied identical twins.
• Identical twins have the same genes, but
those who are separated at birth will grow
up in completely different environments.
When scientists look at their similarities and
differences, they can get a sense of what is
nature and what is nurture.
• Using Identical Twin studies, we can narrow
down what percentage of traits may be due
to genetics. If a trait can be passed down
through a gene, we call it "Heritable".
 Brain Chemistry and
Personality Traits

• Other studies show just how important

our brain chemistry is to our reactions
and how we assess our environment.
• Different parts of the brain “go off” as
we make decisions. The stronger these
responses are, the more likely a person
is to hold certain personality traits.
• For example, people who are highly
neurotic have stronger responses in
their amygdala, the part of the brain
responsible for reacting to fear.
 Biological Perspective Examples: Neuroplasticity

• It is easy to write the “nature” theory off as something that cannot change. People may
believe that if you are born with an aggressive temperament, you can’t do too much to
change your genes and your tendencies to be aggressive.
• That’s not exactly true. Our brains have the potential to change and cause our
personalities to change.
• One famous example of this case is that of Phineas Gage. Gage was a railroad worker in
the 1840s. While working, he suffered a serious accident.
• An explosion sent a tampering iron straight into his head, damaging a large part of his
brain. Phineas Gage somehow survived the horrific accident, but not without
consequences.
• When Gage came back to work after his accident, his coworkers noticed
some serious changes in his personality. He wasn’t as friendly and was
more prone to using profane language.
• He was a changed man, and his case is a prime example of how brain
injury can severely affect personality.
• Drugs, poor physical health, and even smartphones have the ability to
change brain chemistry and potentially affect personality.
 Definition of the Biological
Theories of Personality

• The argument of nature vs. nurture seems as

old as time. Do our personalities come from
genetic coding, or are they the result of the
influence of the people around us?
• While many can argue that it’s a combination of
both nature and nurture, others focus more on
the nature side of personality.
• Biological theories of personality are a group
of theories that argue for the nature (or
biological) side of this ongoing debate.
• Nature vs. nurture: An ongoing debate
where one side argues that we are born a
specific way (nature), while the other side
argues that we are influenced to become
who we are (nurture).
EX:
Your little brother is super annoying. You think
it's most likely due to how your parents have
raised him, but sometimes you wonder if it's
just part of his genetic coding.
It could be both! If you decide that it's due to
his upbringing, you're siding with the nurture
side of the debate. If you decide that it's due
to genetics or biological factors, you're siding
with the nature side of the debate.
• When looking through the biological lens when it
comes to personality, just remember that we are
trying to view the person as they are.
• Biological theories of personality do not look
at external factors (e.g., the influence of others
around them), but rather at internal factors
(e.g., genetics) to explain why our personalities
are the way they are.
• These theories try to observe how someone
became who they are through genetics,
neuroscience, DNA, and other internal factors.
What role, if any, does the
environment play in the
development of human
personality?
• Thus, heredity only provides the raw material
that is to be developed out of that material
solely depends upon the environment in
which the person is brought up.
• Environmental factors are broadly summarized
under three headings:

1.Social factors
2.Cultural factors
3.Economic factors.
1. SOCIAL FACTORS
• We are born and brought up in society. Therefore, social conditions, social institutions – family, school,
marriage, religion, peer groups and neighbourhood as well as various other social groups will all affect
the development of personality. Some of the more important social factors are:
Parents
• Parents are the first persons who enter into interaction with the child. Different parents treat their
children differently.
Home environment
• The kind of environment in a family that exists affects our personality a great deal. Families with close
emotional bonds between siblings and parents are more supportive and encouraging to their children.
Children from such families are self-confident, proactive and emotionally stable.
School
• After the family, school is the second most important factor in the development of a person’s personality. The
school has two effects on personality: first, it influences the formation of personality traits. Second, it promotes
self-assurance.
Neighbourhood
• The type of neighbourhood in which one lives has a significant impact on one’s personality. Because birds of a
feather flock together, neighbourhood families are similar in terms of socioeconomic class and other factors,
allowing for an easy transition from home to culture.
Social acceptance
• Receiving approval and admiration from significant others is referred to as social acceptability. We all want social
acceptance from our parents, professors, and friends, don’t we?
• As a result, in order to acquire their acceptance, we must consciously shape our behaviour and attitude.
• People who are more socially accepted have attributed such as leadership, self-confidence, and sentiments of
superiority, whereas those who are less socially accepted are more likely to be introverts with low self-esteem
and lack social adjustment.
 2.CULTURAL FACTORS
• Culture is a comprehensive phrase that encompasses all practices, traditions, people, styles,
fads, and other aspects of life. We are all influenced by one or more cultures. As a result, a
cultural impact on personality is unavoidable.
• The cultural impact is most visible in the way we meet and welcome visitors. When we
meet someone in India, we greet them with folded hands and utter namaskar, however
when a Japanese meets someone, he bows first, and when an American meets someone,
he shakes hands or kisses them.
• This apparent difference in greeting another person is simply a result of cultural learning.
3. ECONOMIC FACTORS
• In a fascinating study, children from low-income
homes and wealthy families were asked to compare
the size of various circles of light to the size of various
denominations of currency.
• It was discovered that youngsters from poor homes
overestimated their abilities while those from
wealthy families undervalued their abilities.
• As a result, it was demonstrated that our attitude and
perception, as well as our personality, are influenced
by economic factors.
• You may have noticed that children from low-income
families frequently have low self-confidence, feelings
of inferiority, and shyness. Access to possibilities to
build a personality is determined by one’s financial
situation.
 Biological Theories of
Personality
Development

• There are several different ways that our biology

can impact our personality throughout our lives.
• It's about much more than just our genetics!
Hormones, traumatic events, neurotransmitters,
and other factors can impact and alter our
personalities.
Some of the biological bases of personality include:
Genetic Factors/DNA
EX:Anxiety disorders or tendencies towards anxiety
can be passed down in a family. There is no specific
gene for anxiety. Several different genes seem to
play a role in anxious dispositions.
Brain Structures
• An ongoing study that is being done on
Cattell’s "Big 5" personality traits model
shows that people who measure higher in
conscientiousness tend to have larger lateral
prefrontal cortexes than those who are low
in conscientiousness.
• The lateral prefrontal cortex is a brain
structure that plays a role in our
organization and behavior.
Hormone Secretions
• The hormone testosterone (present in males
and females but more so in males) is vital for
its impact on our sociability, aggression, and
sexuality.
• Hormones are silent drivers of behavior
and personality, and their molecular
fingerprints are on countless day-to-day
activities and occurrences, ranging
from attraction to appetite.
• Hormones affect people in different ways
throughout their lives, and hormone levels
can spike dramatically at physical or
emotional transitions.
• Biology can shape our personalities as we age and
progress through the different phases of
childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
• Biological theories of personality development want
to look at the consistent and inconsistent aspects of
our personalities over time as they relate to
biological causes or factors.
• It would seem that our personalities tend to remain
consistent, despite environmental influences.
• This is an argument in favor of nature over nurture
(or biological causes over environmental ones).
• If a baby is quiet and prefers to play by itself, they
will develop into an adult that also prefers quiet and
alone time.
 Biological Theories of
Personality in Psychology
Jeffrey Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, and Hans Eysenck's Three-
Factor Model of Personality (PEN model).
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory

• Jeffrey Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory is based on the notion

that we use three types of biologically-driven responses when faced with
stress or fear.
• It posits that everyone has a specific response method when faced with
certain stimuli. These individual reactions can underlie personality traits
for anxiety and impulsivity.
• The three responses that people use when faced with stress or fear are
called the fight, flight, or freeze response.
• This process explains that the person will either fight (face the stimuli
head-on), fly (run away from the stimuli), or freeze (not react to stimuli)
in stressful or fear-inducing situations.
• How one instinctively reacts can correspond with personality traits linked
to anxiety, overthinking, impulsivity, and worrying.
EX:
Mark, Andrew, and Greyson are
currently on a hike in the Appalachian
mountains.
They see signs warning of bear dens
nearby. They overlook the signs
because it is winter time and they know
that it is hibernation season. As they
continue to walk, they suddenly hear
loud rustling in the bushes nearby.
A large bear pops out scaring the three
boys. Mark runs away screaming, while
Jake is frozen in fear, and Greyson is
trying to get his pepper spray out.
Based on their reactions, Mark
chose flight, Jake chose freeze, and
Greyson chose to fight.
Jeffrey Gray also introduced two behavioral systems that coincided with
neurobiological processes.
Gray's Behavioral Inhibition System
• Gray theorized that our responses to situations we associate with negativity can
be predicted, because our brain recalls previous reactions to the same event or
environment.
• The behavioral inhibition system is a neurobiological system that can predict our
response to specific stimuli, because of earlier experiences that we viewed as
negative.
Ex:Angelica discovered that she was highly allergic to shellfish after trying it for the first time. Now,
whenever she sees shellfish, she gets anxious, as she recalls her trip to Urgent Care for treatment.

• This behavioral system is associated with personality traits that involve carefulness, trust, anxiety, and
emotionality.
Gray's Behavioral Activation System
• In contrast, Gray's behavioral activation system suggests that our brain/body is predisposed to
pursuing and achieving goals due to our mind's positive association.
• The behavioral activation system is a neurobiological system that promotes motivation and
encourages the pursuit of goals based on experiences that we view as positive.
EX:Sammy creates a goal for each month
through the year. This started as a way for
her to deal with procrastinating, but over
time, it became a habit.
She enjoyed the feeling of completing her
monthly goal, which motivates her to
continue setting goals every month.
• This behavioral system is associated with
personality traits that involve self-
consciousness, self-discipline, and
dutifulness.
 Hans Eysenck's Biological
Theory of Personality

• Hans Eysenck was a German psychologist known

for his PEN model. It is one of the major
biological theories of personality.
• The PEN model is based on three personality traits
that Eysenck believed correlated with the
activation of our limbic system and reticular
formation.
• Both are structures of the brain and they each play
a key role in brain and body function. The limbic
system focuses on emotion, behavior, and
memory, while the reticular formation focuses on
arousal and consciousness.
The Limbic System: Located in the brain, it is involved
with responses that shape our behavior and emotion.
• It specifically controls behaviors that the brain views
as vital to survival such as eating, and responses to
danger (think back to Gray's Fight, Flight, or Freeze
Response).
The Reticular Formation: Located in the brain, it is a
complex group of neurons that help with functions
related to consciousness and arousal.

The three personality traits for the PEN model are

Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. Eysenck
referred to these three traits as super-traits.
Psychoticism and Normality

• The P in PEN stands for Psychoticism. If someone scores

high in psychoticism, their personality would reflect
someone more likely to ignore social norms, as they are not
motivated by incentives.
• People in this category are also more likely to disregard
authority and rules set by others.
• However, Eysenck also noted that people in this category
are very creative and like to think outside the box.
• If someone scores low in psychoticism, their personality
would reflect someone who is sensitive, empathetic, and
more likely to follow the rules set by others.
• People who score low in psychoticism are also more likely
to avoid conflict as they prefer peaceful environments.
Extraversion and Introversion
• The E in PEN stands for Extraversion. If someone scores high in extroversion,
they have a personality that is more sociable and outgoing.
• Extroverts enjoy environments where they can be social and have attention.
• If someone scores low in this category, they have a quieter personality that
prefers an environment with smaller crowds and activities that they can do
alone. (This does not mean they are lonely or reclusive, however.)
Neuroticism and Stability
• In Eysenck’s PEN model, N stands for Neuroticism. If someone scores high in neuroticism,
they have a personality that is oriented towards the self and are more likely to experience
stress and anxiety.
• A low score would indicate they have a calm personality and are more laid back.
• They will also be better at handling stress and anxiety.