tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post8537060573221015525..comments2024-03-27T03:22:41.073-07:00Comments on Psych Your Mind: Tabula Rasa: Do genes influence personality?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-27697650760747703302013-06-04T00:06:31.678-07:002013-06-04T00:06:31.678-07:00This information has been very useful since starti...This information has been very useful since starting my research into personality psychology. I will return over and over for more inspiration.Charlottes Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11282602370466994943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-44503388391127945032012-12-17T08:16:42.986-08:002012-12-17T08:16:42.986-08:00Gosh I love Bowlby! It's been almost 10 years ...Gosh I love Bowlby! It's been almost 10 years since I read some of his works--really inciteful! I like the idea of gene-early environment interactions that influence personality. I think that you're right Daniel, the early attachment relationships, where we spend the majority of our early lives and develop working models of the self, are likely to be one of the most powerful environments that determine the expression of our genes.<br /><br />Very exciting discoveries just waiting to be made in this realm! Thanks for the comment!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-28346196611002676282012-12-17T08:10:59.890-08:002012-12-17T08:10:59.890-08:00Michael, Great Post!
Way back in 1986, John Bowl...Michael, Great Post! <br /><br />Way back in 1986, John Bowlby suggested: Personality structure is the level of vulnerability to adverse life events and situations.<br /><br />However, it’s more nuanced than that. He asked:<br /><br />Does an individual view life as enjoyable, to be lived to the full, and emotionally rich and varied?<br /><br />or...<br /><br />Does an individual view life as a burden to be endured and an emotional desert? <br /><br />(The difference between the two is one's level of resiliency)<br /><br />He also suggested that: <br /><br />Transactions are constantly occurring between a developing personality and the environment. A personality moves through life, with the particular pathway followed being determined by the interaction of the personality as it has so far devleoped and the environment in which it is then finding itself. <br /><br />As Attachment applies:<br /><br />If family conditions are favorable the pathway will start and continue within the bounds of healthy and resilient development. If unfavorable conditions develop, the pathway may become deviant.<br /><br />*So to answer you question from the point of view of a counseling psychology grad student specializing in attachment theory, I believe that personality is a product of genetic influence, but greatly influenced by our earliest relationships as far as how we learn to use others feedback to regulate and understand our own emotions. It is through human contact that we develop our internal working models of the world which we (by age 5 or so) use almost completely unconsciously to predict and negotiate the constantly changing world we move through.<br /><br />Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base, parent-child attachment and healthy human development. Basic Books (AZ).Daniel K. Moody, MS, LMFThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11908112622529025785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-25260426816341661792012-12-16T13:40:29.544-08:002012-12-16T13:40:29.544-08:00Thanks so much for reading! From what I understand...Thanks so much for reading! From what I understand about your comment, you're suggesting that the wording of the portion on heritability is off--b/c researchers use MZ and DZ twins to derive heritability estimates? It sounds like you're right, that could have been worded better.<br /><br />Other than that though, I'm not really sure how this comment adds to the discussion. If you want a discussion of gene-environment interactions, we've discussed Turkheimer's work on this blog already (http://psych-your-mind.blogspot.com/2012/04/genes-and-power-of-situation.html). If you'd like other explanations for why genome wide association studies have failed, you could, I don't know, maybe write your own blog about it... This isn't a peer-reviewed journal article.<br /><br />Thanks again for reading!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-38035424925132764102012-12-16T13:27:16.648-08:002012-12-16T13:27:16.648-08:00I think it might be wise to consult a basic behavi...I think it might be wise to consult a basic behavioral genetics text before writing extensively about it. For example, the comment that heritability is different for monozygotic and dizygotic twins is nonsensical. Heritability is a population-level estimate that can be derived by comparing twins (or a variety of other techniques such as GCTA which compares unrelated individuals based on measured genetic similarity). You might also want to consult work on gene-environment interaction or correlation as it provides more intuitive reasons why GWAS has failed...or anything Turkheimer has written really. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-83855645268781156912012-12-13T08:17:00.359-08:002012-12-13T08:17:00.359-08:00That's nice of you to say! Did your genes infl...That's nice of you to say! Did your genes influence this comment? ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-13652901811390932962012-12-13T07:55:12.310-08:002012-12-13T07:55:12.310-08:00I think this is the most insightful blog post I...I think this is the most insightful blog post I've seen in ages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-53123174377232423332012-12-12T21:29:17.553-08:002012-12-12T21:29:17.553-08:00Thanks for the comment. Sorry you didn't like ...Thanks for the comment. Sorry you didn't like the post, but I didn't promise, nor deliver, a completely comprehensive account of genes. The spirit of the post was to point out how much work there is left to do regarding genes, including with respect to examinations of epigenetics, and additive gene effects. This is of course, not an exhaustive list, and you point out some very interesting other avenues of future research. Thanks for that, and for reading!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-68216184207918040422012-12-12T13:07:28.243-08:002012-12-12T13:07:28.243-08:00Michael, I don't really like this blog post.
...Michael, I don't really like this blog post. <br />You completely fail to mention that this pattern of results is the same for any complex trait under study.<br />It's also misleading to simply state the amount of money that went into "Gene for…" studies. Only a fraction of these relate to psychology, even fewer to personality. And for Mendelian inheritance patterns, which we find for many debilitating diseases, "Gene for…" studies were very successful.<br /><br />There are interesting differences in the pattern of results when it comes to genome-wide complex trait analyses (for example for height, intelligence: a lot of additive variance vs. personality, not much additive variance), but these aren't mentioned.<br /><br />Mitch, it's not "either… or" for complex traits. The correlations between parents' and children's personalities aren't very high, it might surprise you to know. So maybe you being funny is something environmental, unrelated to your mom. You did get out sometimes, didn't you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-63737278439419829502012-12-11T12:04:39.706-08:002012-12-11T12:04:39.706-08:00Hi,
Healthline is interested in contributing a gu...Hi,<br /><br />Healthline is interested in contributing a guest post to psych-your-mind.blogspot.com. We would be open to contributing any blog that would be of interest to your readers. Healthline bloggers have been featured on a variety of sites including:<br /><br />Washington Times: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tango-mind-and-emotion/2012/aug/10/how-healthy-choices-easy/<br />Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/036515_diabetes_strawberries_prevention.html<br />Patch.com: http://strongsville.patch.com/blog_posts/where-and-what-to-eat-in-cleveland-to-beat-the-winter-blues<br /><br />Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your consideration.<br /><br />Warm Regards,<br />Tracytracy.rose@healthline.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-52329956189247708022012-12-11T12:03:09.427-08:002012-12-11T12:03:09.427-08:00Thanks for the paper recommendation, Gary. I think...Thanks for the paper recommendation, Gary. I think it's cynical to believe that genes don't influence personality--more likely, they do, we just don't know how to measure the genetic influences all that well right now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-49011040491951056222012-12-11T11:39:48.673-08:002012-12-11T11:39:48.673-08:00I suggest reading the following to see why no such...I suggest reading the following to see why no such genes have yet been discovered, nor will not be:<br />Wahlsten, D. (2012).The hunt for gene effects pertinent to behavioral traits and psychiatric disorders: From mouse to human. Developmental Psychobiology, 54, 475-492Gary Greenberghttp://webs.wichita.edu/?u=psychology&p=/people/faculty/greenberg/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-79763347490678011592012-12-11T10:47:35.255-08:002012-12-11T10:47:35.255-08:00That's a nice anecdote Mitch, and I think that...That's a nice anecdote Mitch, and I think that most people have some experience like that with their parents (divorced or otherwise). <br /><br />That's what is so interesting about how recent genetic work doesn't find "gene for.." associations. The smart money is with you Mitch, in that gene researchers don't yet, but will soon, have the tools and insights that can capture the genetic influences on personality. The future will be exciting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-39079544775192496712012-12-11T09:31:19.648-08:002012-12-11T09:31:19.648-08:00My Dad was funny and tall.
My Mom is not funny or ...My Dad was funny and tall.<br />My Mom is not funny or tall.<br />I'm funny and tall.<br />I'm even told by those who know that I'm funny like my dad (and 3 inches taller).<br />My parents divorced when I was 2, and my Dad lived so far away that I really only saw him once a year.<br />No one has any problem acknowledging the heritability of height. <br />Many people balk at the heritability of humor.<br />But it must be the genes since environmentally my Mom had way more influence on my development.<br />Right?MTHardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18211163948698358488noreply@blogger.com