Socializing the Individual

Chapter 5 Section 1Personality Development

Personality Development

Objectives:

1. Identify the four main factors that affect the development of personality.

2. Explain how isolation in childhood affects development.

Define: personality, heredity, instinct, sociobiology, aptitude, feral children

Identify: John B. Watson, the Ik, Kingsley Davis, Rene Spitz

Personality Development

A woman’s skill as a salesperson may be attributed to her assertive personality

A student who drops out or has a very poor academic record may be known to have a lazy and apathetic personality

A teenage girl, who thinks the world revolves around her dismisses instruction from her teacher/parents is known to have a disrespectful and rude personality

A successful athlete who holds a 4.0 GPA is known for their hard working personality

Personality Development

So how do we get the way we are??

Personality: the sum total of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and values that are characteristic of an individual.

Sociologists and Psychologists use the term when they are referring to more than a person’s striking characteristic -traits determine how we adjust to our

environment & how we react in specific situations -continues to develop throughout our lifetime

(slower rate in adulthood)

Personality Development

Where does our personality come from?

Nature v. Nurture??

Ever hear the saying: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?”

What does this mean to you?

Heredity-the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children.

Personality Development

Instinct—unchanging biologically inherited behavior pattern

Instinctive behaviors are believed to be the force behind everything: laughing, motherhood, warfare, religion, capitalism, communism, and even the creation of society itself

Pavlov’s Dogs

In the early 1900’s, Sociologists determined that there were 10,000 human instincts

Ivan Pavlov- proved that instincts can be taught Dog-fed-salivate to digest Dog-bell&feed-salivate Dog-bell-salivate Students are trained to do the

Exact thing when bell rings John B. Watson

Personality Development

Sociobiology- systematic study of the biological basis of all behavior 1970’s Sociobiologists argue that most of human

social life is determined by biological factors Bummer, you have to play the hand your dealt.

If Maybelline helps, use it.

Personality Development

Heredity-certain characteristics that are present at birth Body, build, hair, eye color, skin color,

aptitudes If you want to know what your

boyfriend/girlfriend will look like in twenty years, wait…ten years, look at ma and pa

Aptitude- capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a particular body of knowledge

natural talents such as music or art

some talents are learned…

Personality Development

Positive and Negative Reinforcement --- can affect one’s personality traits Alcoholism Reading to children at an early age

Heredity provides you with certain biological needs, but culture determines how you meet those needs

Eating habits

Personality Development

Birth Order

Can determine personality traits

“Esau I hated, Jacob I have loved”

Best matches for couples, according to Dr. Kevin Leman:

Only-children and last borns

First borns and last borns

Middle children and last borns

Birth order

Worst matches for couples:

Only children and only children

Female last borns with no brothers married to male last borns with no sisters

How might other factors such as heredity and parental characteristics, affect the success of a marriage?