What comes to mind when you hear the term personality? You probably think of one’s social skills or social appeal. People most often use the term to describe someone’s specific characteristics or as an explanation for people’s achievements or failures. When sociologists/psychologists use the term, however, they are referring to more than an individual’s most striking characteristics. To social scientists, personality is the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic of an individual.

Personality Traits Personality traits determine how we adjust to our environment and how we react in specific situations. No two individuals have exactly the same personalities. Personalities continue to develop throughout a person’s lifetime. Personality development is more obvious during childhood, when people are experiencing rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. Once people reach adulthood, personality traits change at a slower rate.

Nature Versus Nurture Debate over what determines personality and social behavior Some argue that it is heredity – the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children Others suggest that social environment – contact with other people determines personality Debate known as nature versus nurture, or inherent genetic characteristics versus environment and social learning

Nature versus Nurture Nature viewpoints Instinct – unchanging, biological inherited behavior pattern Sociobiology – systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior Argue that such varied cultural characteristics and behavioral traits as religion, cooperation, competition, slavery, territoriality, and envy are rooted in the genetic makeup of humans Most social scientists assume that personality and social behavior result from a blending of hereditary and social environment influences

Factors that Shape Individual Personality Development? Heredity Physical traits, aptitudes, inherited characteristics, biological drives Aptitude – capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular knowledge Plays an important role in shaping human personalities by setting limits on individuals Parents Parental characteristics, such as age, education, religion, and economic status Birth order Children with siblings have a different view of the world than do children who have no brothers or sisters If they have siblings the order in which we are born into our families influences our personalities Cultural environment Determines the basic personality types found in society Each culture gives rise to a series of personality traits – model personalities – that are typical members of that society How we experience our culture also influences our personalities Gender differences or subculture differences

Isolation in Childhood Feral children Wild or untamed children Children raised with animals Raised without the influence of a cultural environment Raised isolated in homes Few human characteristics Acquired no reasoning ability, no manners, and no ability to control their bodily functions or move about like other human beings Sociological studies of feral children point strongly to the conclusion that our personality comes from our cultural environment.

Feral Children Anna Anna born to an unmarried woman – her father angered Tried to place in a children’s home but too expensive At 6 months old Anna was confined to an attic room where she was given only a minimum amount of care She was undernourished and emaciated and received almost no human contact She was not spoken to, held, bathed or loved At age 6 Anna was discovered by a social worker and was a little more than a skeleton She could not walk, talk, or feed herself Face was expressionless and she showed no interest in other people Over time she made some progress: learned to walk, feed herself, and brush her teeth and even talked in a few phrases and follow simple directions Anna died at age 10 probably as a result of her earlier isolation

Feral Children Isabelle Mother unmarried and was found at about the same time as Anna Child’s grandfather kept her and her deaf mother confined to a dark room Although deprived of a normal cultural environment Isabelle did have the advantage of her mother’s company Because she and her mother only communicated through gestures, Isabelle never learned to speak When found at age 6, Isabelle crawled around on her hands and knees making grunting, animal-like sounds; ate with her hands; and behaved in ways like an infant After several months of intense training, Isabelle began to speak and eventually developed on considerable vocabulary After 2 years, Isabelle had reached a level of social and mental development consistent with her age group It was concluded that Isabelle’s constant contact with her mother and skillful training by specialists allowed her to overcome her early social deprivation

Genie Sometimes it is impossible to reverse the effects of prolonged isolation, even with the help of dedicated specialists. Genie discovered in 1970 at age 13 Genie’s father confined her from the age of 20 months to a tiny bedroom in which she spent her days tied up to an infant’s potty chair She was beaten if she made any noise so her world was silent and when her dad did have contact with her he behaved like an angry dog thus Genie never learned to talk Genies only toys were 2 plastic raincoats, empty spools of thread, and an empty cottage-cheese container When Genie was found she could not stand straight and had the social and psychological skills of a one-year-old. After 8 years of training, Genie had not progressed past the level of a third grader

The Study of Genie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEnkY2iaKis

After Watching Genie Answer the following questions: What are your thoughts about Genie’s capabilities? Why do you think feral children have the possibility of existing? Which argument do you support and why: Nature or Nurture? EXPLAIN FULLY. What factors have shaped your personality development? How and why? EXPLAIN FULLY. Which of the four factors that affect personality development have more influence on personality development which have less? Why? EXPLAIN FULLY. Are you a product of your social environment? Is it possible not to be? Why or why not?