Does our temperament in childhood always stick with us in adulthood?
Unlike her little brother, Megan was very feisty. Josh was “slow to warm up.” My neighbor had a perfect set of twins who were easy going! These utterances may be heard when parents talk about their babies’ personalities or, more specific to this discussion, temperaments. Well, where do these latter come from? The nature-versus-nurture debate is a key theme throughout the entire field of psychology. Nature refers to our genes and what you’re born with, and nurture refers to environmental influences.
For this discussion, view the following videos.
Now, answer the following questions:
What would your family say your temperament was like as a baby? Were you “easy going,” difficult to keep content, or “slow to warm up?”
Which personality traits of your childhood have remained with you through adulthood?
As you think about how you became the person you are today, distinguish between traits you believe you obtained from your family versus traits you think your environment shaped. Share at least one example from your life.
We know that specific cultures value certain personality traits. Could parents alter the personality of their newborn to make them be more socially desirable as adults by influencing the development of these traits through genes or environment? How might they do this?
