Are You a Natural?

Are You A "Natural"?

Most people will answer the question of who they are by describing environmental influences in their life. They will describe their values, goals, and priorities as being completely influenced by someone significant to them such as a family member or idol. Genes are considered to be accountable for physical attributes such as height, weight, hair and eye color, and body type. The theory of behaviorism has dominated psychology during the second half of the twentieth century. This hard evidence was understood and accepted. Genetics was rejected due to its faulty scientific research. The thought that one can't change their own life is uneasy to the mind.

In order to test nature versus nurture one proposition is to get genetically identical people and place them in different environments, and then compare their data with data from genetically identical people raised in the same environment. Bouchard and Lykken took 56 pairs of monozygotic reared-apart (MZA) from the United States and seven other countries in 1983. They compared those twins with monozygotic twins reared together (MZT). These findings still lace through biological and behavioral sciences.

Bouchard and Lykken began their experiment by finding and testing monozygotic twins at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Adoption Research. The twins were separated and went through approximately 50 hours of testing on nearly every human dimension you might imagine. They were asked questions about nearly every aspect of their life and took test to measure intelligence, personality, and interests. The database of information from this was huge.

The main results found that the twins raised together and the twins raised apart were not significantly different. This statement emphasizes the effects of genetics as opposed to environmental influences on humans. This doesn't mean that rearing children should be neglected because it can still have an impact on one's self. Bouchard and Lykken suggest the one's genetic make-up influences its environment. For example, if a child is more affectionate than it will be surrounded by more affectionate people therefore becoming more affectionate.

This research is leading to bigger discoveries in the genome. Genetic factors are said to be responsible for things such as job moral and work ethic.

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