Antelope Valley Community College
Psychology 101
Professor Schreibfeder
November 14, 2013
GENETIC VS LIFE 3
Abstract
When parenting a child no matter the age they are in parents use many psychological references to make them who they are. Also they have to deal with the genetic traits they pass down to them. Nature VS Nurture is a key element in how a personality develops in a child. Although the way a child is grown to be has an effect on their personalities, their genetics still plays the biggest role. Nurture cannot override mental, or psychical disabilities in any human, parents can teach and do their best to help their child but the disability will never completely gone.
GENETICS VS LIFE 4
Genetics VS Life
Parental Style
Personalities are greatly influenced while growing up. It is what makes your personality; your parents give some traits to you, but some are just there when you are born. Growing up my parents always instilled obedience into my siblings and I. usually it had to do with using manners at the table, or how to act around people. They would bribe us with cookies, and treats to do things the right way, or clean up stuff around the house. Positive reinforcement was a huge deal in our house as kids, our parents even used it, as we were teenagers. Like most parents, my parents figured that positive reinforcement was and is, the easiest way to get children to behave and do the things you want them to do. My parents also used negative reinforcement just as much, when positive reinforcement was not working, the punishment factor came in. By using negative reinforcement it makes bad actions less desirable to do because of the punishment or guilt factor that comes along afterwards. This helps parents show their children that bad actions are not rewarded. Whenever we did something that my parents’ thought was wrong or punish worthy, we were grounded for a lengthy amount of time, or our favorite objects were taken away for a set amount of time. They continued to punish us for bad actions until we finally learned that they were wrong and should not do them. Whether it is positive or negative most parents in the world to teach their child what is right or wrong use reinforcement.
GENETICS VS LIFE 5
Personality
Your personality is like the definition of who you are. People like you, or dislike you because of your personality. It determines whom you hangout with, who gets along with you, and who steers absolutely clear of you. People believe that no matter whom your parents are you make your own personality. Although your personality is entirely yours, you do not have complete control of your personality. Genetics still plays a factor. Bipolar disease runs through the genetics on my mothers’ side of the family, and even though I am not clinically diagnosed with the disease I still carry some traits in my everyday life. I can be happy then instantly turn to mad or depressed in a split second, I cannot control it, it is just part of who I am. You can dislike a trait or characteristic so much in a family member that you would despise to have it, but you most likely may have it. Especially if it is a dominant feature in that person, you may not know you have it because of the fact that you dislike it so much, and it may not be as dominant in you as it is in them, but it still is there. I suffer from anxiety and depression as well does my grandmother. Both her and I seem to have many of the same characteristics in our