genes
THE genetic makeup of a child is a stronger influence on personality than child rearing, according to the first study to examine identical twins reared in different families. The findings shatter a widespread belief among experts and laymen alike in the primacy of family influence and are sure to engender fierce debate. Another highly inherited trait, though one not commonly thought of as part of personality, was the capacity for becoming rapt in an aesthetic experience, such as a concert. Vulnerability to stress, as measured on the Tellegen test, reflects what is commonly thought of as ''neuroticism,'' according to Dr. Lykken. In the early years examining the links between genes and personality, it was typical for a study to examine self-reports of personality and compare the self-reports between fraternal twins--who share roughly 50% of their genes--to those of identical twins--who share 100% of their genes. The current prevailing genetic evidence seems to suggest that we actually don't have genes for personality. And this conclusion doesn't come from a lack of trying: The US government has spent billions on genetic research. Billions. ''If in fact twins reared apart are that similar, this study is extremely important for understanding how personality is shaped,'' commented Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychologist at Harvard University. ''It implies that some aspects of personality are under a great degree of genetic control.''. Another highly inherited trait, though one not commonly thought of as part of personality, was the capacity for becoming rapt in an aesthetic experience, such as a concert. Vulnerability to stress, as measured on the Tellegen test, reflects what is commonly thought of as ''neuroticism,'' according to Dr. Lykken. If a personality trait runs in families, it may indicate that there is a genetic component to the trait because children share 50% of their genes with each parent. Twin studies involve an analysis of any differences between identical twins and fraternal twins. If a personality trait has a genetic component, an adopted child would show more similarities to their biological parents than their adoptive parents. Family studies, twin studies and adoption studies do not tell researchers what genes are involved. Nature rather than nurture is responsible for creating your personality, according to a study of twins which found that character is something you are born with. Researchers studied sets of twins to learn whether genetics or upbringing has a greater effect on how successful people are in life Photo: REX.  By Rick Nauert PhD ~ 2 min read. A Norwegian study of twins expands the role of genetics in the development of a personality disorder, yet cautions that expression of a disorder depends on a combination of genetic and environmental factors.  Of course, the conclusion that genes don't influence personality is most certainly wrong, after all, we have decades of twin research showing similarity in personality between identical twins. At least some of that similarity has to be genetic. The current prevailing genetic evidence seems to suggest that we actually don't have genes for personality. And this conclusion doesn't come from a lack of trying: The US government has spent billions on genetic research. Billions. Since identical twins share 100% of the same genes and fraternal twins share only 50% of the same genes, identical twins should be more alike than fraternal twins if a personality trait has a genetic component. Adoption studies involve an analysis of similarities between biological relations vs. adoptive relations. If a personality trait has a genetic component, an adopted child would show more similarities to their biological parents than their adoptive parents. Family studies, twin studies and adoption studies do not tell researchers what genes are involved. For identical twins, heritability estimates hovered around 46%, and 23% for fraternal twins (a heritability of 1.00 means that all variance is genetic; Jang et al., 1996). Together, this early work was very clear in its suggestion that there are some genetic influences on personality. The current prevailing genetic evidence seems to suggest that we actually don't have genes for personality. And this conclusion doesn't come from a lack of trying: The US government has spent billions on genetic research. Billions. Behavioral genetics' study of personality has made it clear that genes are important. In fact, a number of personality traits have been identified as having a genetic basis. For example, family studies have led to the discovery that generalized anti-social behavior is passed down through genetic inheritance. If a personality trait has a genetic component, an adopted child would show more similarities to their biological parents than their adoptive parents. Family studies, twin studies and adoption studies do not tell researchers what genes are involved.
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how much of personality is genetic