Various factors come into play in determining the personality of an individual. These factors may be independent or interdependent. These factors include:
• Heredity and environment
• Social influence
• Individual characteristics.
Various factors come into play in determining the personality of an individual. These factors may
be independent or interdependent. These factors include:
Heredity and environment
Social influence
Individual characteristics.
Heredity
Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring. It is a biological process whereby genetic factors are
transmitted from one generation to the next and an offspring cell or organismacquires or
becomes predisposed to the characteristics of its parent, cell or organism.Gene tic factors
influence people’s personality as well as the physical characteristics such as body size, height,
weight, eyesight and physical defects. These in turn influence an individual's behaviour, For
example, some studies have shown, that identical twins are more similar in character than
fraternal twins, findings which are attributed to die effects of genes. Identical twins have the
same genetic make-up.
Environment
Since genes determine the characteristic traits of an individual, the environment plays a role in
shaping the individual. In this context, the environment means the sum total of all the
surroundings and conditions that affect, the growth and development of an individual.Both the
environment and genes are inter-dependent and form an inseparable process called nature
(heredity) and nurture (environment) determinism. The kind of environment where one lives, is
socialized in and interacts with, determines his other personality. Environmental influences
include family gender, culture as well as cognitive and emotional influences.
Family
The family influence on a child's can be categorized personality in three ways:
1. Communication: The members of the family have direct communication amongst
themselves. This helps children to take note of verbal and nonverbal language, which in turn
helps, them acquire values, attitudes and beliefs that influence their personality.
2. Moulding: Parents shape their children's behaviour according to the familial
or societal expectations in order to conform and fit into the society. Thiscan be facilitated by
parents, other adults and older siblings.
3. Identification: Children identify with the people they interact with, like, admire and love.
The first people are usually parents. Psychologist Sigmund Freudemphasizes identification as
a way of resolving conflicts especially at the phallic stage, and involves taking on of certain
roles, which facilitate gender identity.
The family is the first and dies strongest determinant of personality because:
a) The home environment is die first place (environment) where children are born and
brought up. This environment determines the behaviour the child acquires hence their
personality.
, b) The child spends a relatively long time at home with family members before he is
socialized into the outside world.
c) Family members, especially the parents, control a child's behaviour by exerting authority,
correcting misbehavior, rewarding good conduct and reinforcing positive behaviors.
d) The family's control is more consistent and permanent than the external control. Parents
control a child more than the teachers at school.
e) Children establish emotional attachment to the people who are usually near them. This
happens to be the family members. For example, children are more likely to listen to their
parents have than other people who are not part of their family.
f) The family offers physical and emotional security to young children by protecting them
and by sharing joys, successes? And sorrows, while helping them face defeat and failure
in positive ways. These experiences influence their personality.
Birth order
The child's birth order in the family influences the personality of the child. Not, though, that it is
not the birth order that determines personality but the treatment, approach or perception that a
child of a, certain, ordinal position receives that influences personality.Frank Sulloway (1997), a
science historian says that at least one aspect of personality in the 'Big five' model (openness to
experience) is shaped by the birth order. He carried out a research on firstborns and later-born
children and found that firstborns, because of their place in the birth order, are more likely to
support parental authority and see things as their parents do. They are, therefore, given more
responsibilities and receive higher expectations from parents.
The following are other notable traits of many first born:
They are less open to new ideas and experiences,
They show seriousness on issues.
They tend to be anxious and more temperamental about their status.
They are more responsible.
They are ambitious and organized.
They tend to be academically successful and tend to be bossy because of their authority
to command others,
They are energetic and tend to do more tasks for a long time even without assistance.
They are self-disciplined and serve as role models to the others.
They are more assertive and dominant.
They are more confirming and dependent on parents for guidance and assurance, because
they are were over-protected as children.
They are less easily influenced by group pressure.
They tend to show feelings of insecurity' because of sibling rivalry
Last-borns on the other hand, tend to be very immature in their behaviour for their age because
they are often treated as babies by family members and see themselves as such. They are usually
given fewer responsibilities and less is expected from them by the other family members.Their
other notable traits are as follows:
They are usually open to ideas.
They are trusting and accommodative of others.
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