UNIT 2 DETERMINANTS OF

PERSONALITY: ROLE'OF
HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT
Contents
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Role of Heredity in Personality Development
- 2.3 Role of Environment in Personality Development
2.4 Role of Le::ning in Personality Development
2.5 Process of Socialisation and its Role in Personality Development
2.6 Relative Importance of Heredity a~idEnvironment
2.7 Moulding of Personality
2.8 Let Us Sum Up
2.9 Key Words
2.10 Suggested Readings
2.11 Answers to Check Your Progress

2.0 OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this unit is to provide an understanding about the determinants
of personality. After reading this unit you should be able to:
explain the role of heredity, learning and environment in personality
development;
describe the process of socialization and its role in personality development;
discuss the relative importance of heredity and environment in personality
development; and
describe the moulding pattern of personality.

2.1 INTRODUCTION ye

The importance of personality increases as social life becomes more complex.

A "pleasing" personality has a "marketable value" in a complex society and is
highly prized and sought after. The term "personality" is derived from the
Latin word 'persona', which means "Mask". Among the Greeks, actors used
masks to hide their identity on the stage. This dramatic technique was later
adopted by the Romans to whom persona denoted "as one appears to others",
not as one actually is.
Various definitions of personality'have been given by differentpsychologists.
They define personality in such a way as to include motivational aspects as
 well as other outstanding characteristics. Of these, the most widely accepted is Determinants of Personality :
the shoi-t but all-inclusive definition proposed by Gordon W. Allport. According Role of Heredity and
Environment
to him "personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psycho-physical systems that determine his unique adjustment to his
environment."

2.2 ROLE OF HEREDITY IN PERSONALITY

--
DEVELOPMENT
- -

The personality pattern is founded on the individual's hereditary endowment,

but it is not inherited. It is the product of learning during the course of prolonged
social relationships with people both within and outside the home. As Anderson
has pointed out, personality is organized around nodal points or experiences
which have received specific emphasis.
b
At the moment of conception each new human being receives a genetic
inheritance which provides all the potentialities for his behaviour and
development throughout his life time. This endowment includes potentialities
for an individual's bodily equipment, for the development of specific skills,
abilities and kinds of behaviour and for patterns of growth and change
throughout a predictable life cycle.
The Mechanics of Heredity
At Fertilization, the male and Female germ cells unite to form a fertilized
ovum containing about 46 chromosomes, half from each parent. The
chromosomes are minute, threadlike structures containing many hundreds of
~~ltramicroscopic particles called 'genes', which are the real carriers of a person's
heredity. Together, the chromosomes probably contain from 10 to 15 thousand
genes, of them a complex molecule consisting of thousands of atoms in special
arrangements. The genes carry the blueprint for an individual's development
and direct his growth from a one-celled unit to an adult. Within this inherited
structure, lie the potentialities for behaviouc
Itole of Heredity
The personality pattern is inwardly determined by and closely associated with
the maturation of physical and mental characteristics which constitute the
individual's heredita~yendowment. Although social and other environmental
1:lctol-s affect the form a personality pattern takes, it is not instilled or controlled
fro111 without but evolves from the potentials within the individual. The principal
raw materials of personality-physique, intelligence and temperament are the
rcsults of heredity. How a person will develop depends on the environmental
influences within which a person grows.
-The s~gnificanceof hereditary foundations in determining the personality pattern
ha\ hcen stressed by many researchers. It is generally held that personality is
, I'o1.11lcdfrom the interaction of significant figures (first the mother, later the .
t:~tlic~- and siblings, later extra familial figures) with the child. The child brings
I L O ~ I i l \ interaction biological constitution, n vt of needs and intellectual
1
cC~p.~clties which determine the way in which a person is acted upon by the
L
\lgn~licantfigures in her environment.
Human Growth and In the course of interaction of hereditary and environmental factors, the
Development individual selects from his environment what fits his needs and rejects what
does not. Thus personality pattern develops through interactions with the
environment which an individual himself has initiated.
One reason for stsessing the role of heredity in the development of personality
is to recognize the fact that personality pattern is subject to limitations. A person
who inherits a low level of intelligence, for example, cannot, even under the
most favourable environmental conditions, develop a personality pattern that
will lead to adequate personal and social adjustment, than a person with high
level of adjustment. ~ h u heredity
s sets limits to a person's development.
Furthermore, recognition of the limitations imposed by heredity underlines the
fact that people are not totally free to choose and develop the kind of personality
pattern they want. Using intelligence again as an illustration it may be said
that a person with a low-grade intelligence cannot develop the personality
pattern of a leader even though he wants to do so and even though he has a
strong motivation to hy to develop the personality traits essential for leadership.
Check Your Progress I
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

1) Justify, in your words, -the importance of heredity in personality

development?

ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT IN PERSONALITY

DEVELOPMENT
No trait is so dependent on heredity that it would not require certain minimal
environmental conditions for its development. This is true even of physical
traits and certainly much more so of intellectual, social and emotional ones. At
any given moment an individual is the product of countless interactions between
his genetic endowment and physical and sociocultural environment. By physical'
environment we refer to the natural world surrounding the individual: Climate,
terrain, food supplies, disease germs and so on. By sociocultural environment
we mean the world of people, customs, values and man-made objects.
Physical Environment
People of the ecmhlive under diverse conditions of climate, terrain and natural
resources. Some live in dense jungles and others on barren deserts, some live
on high mountains and others on flat prairie lands. Some live where it is
 extremely.cold and others where it is oppressively hot, some live where it Deterlainamis of Personality :
rains most of the time and omem where there is chronic drought. In some Role of Heredity and
Environment
places food and other resources are plentiful, in others they are so scarce that
most of the individual'slife must be spent in eking out a bare subsistence.
Some areas qre infested with disease and other hazards to physical safety,
others are relatively free to disease and danger.
Climate and Terrain
People inhabiting areas where conditions of climate or terrain are unfavourable
tend to undergo adaptive physiological changes. For example, the circulatory
system of the Eskimo tends to lie deep within a protective fatty layer which
conserves his body heat.
Scarcity, Disease and Other Unfavourable Conditions
Even today inillions of people live in areas where disease is rife and food
supplies are inadequate. Such conditions take a tremendous toll in reduced
I
physical vigor, bodily damage and loss of life. Because adverse physical
conditions influence the way a group lives, we may assume that they also
exert some effect, at least indirectly, on the personality development of individual
members. However, the precise effect is difficult to assess, for again we typically
find cultural factors complicating the total situation.
i !
i ' It becomes very difficult to evaluate the effect of physical environment on
, I individual and group differences in development. Except in cases where
unfavourable conditions lead to actual bodily damage, as in malnutrition and
disease, the role of the physical environment seems a less important than that
of the sociocultural environment.
Socio-cultural Environment \

In much the same sense that man receives a genetic heritage which is the end
product of countless million years of evolutionary history, so he receives a
sociocultural heritage which is the end product of many thousands of years of
social evolution. This heritage varies dramatically from one social group to
another, but the various cultures of the world have enough in common to
enable us to speak meaningfully of "human culture". Every group, for example,
has its language, family and social structure, customs, values, music and art.
These "institutions" are characteristically human and tend to be transmitted by
similar means in every society. Sometimes the instruction is deliberate, but just
as often it is not. Following are the chief means by which the sociocultural.
environment exerts its influence on individual developrpnt.
i) Group Membership and Instruction
Both deliberately and unconsciously, each society teaches its concepts, values
and accepted behaviours to its c h i l d ~ ~This
n . instruction is largely accomplished
by the social institutions such as home, school and temple or their equivalents.
Thus systematic instruction, together with the examples set by adults or other
"models" tend to make for some degree of uniformity and to establish what
may be called the basic personality type of the particular society.
M

The individual's b a s i ~personality structure is affected not only by the larger

social group but also by the various subgroups to which one belongs-groups
based upon his family meAbership, religion, occupation, social class, age and
Human Growth and sex. Each subgroup tends to foster certain values, beliefs and approved*
Development behaviour patterns which may in turn be subject to the restrictions imposed by
society as a whole. The fact that each individual belongs to somewhat different
type of subgroup tends to produce individual differences, just as common
membership in the larger cultural group makes everyone somewhat alike.
The groups with which an individual identifies, or with which he would like
to be identified, are called 'reference groups'-for it is in reference to the norms
and values of that group that he sets his goals, models his behaviour and
evaluates his worth. Sometimes reference groups from which the individual is
excluded have greater influence on the person.
ii) Status aizd Role
In every social structure therk are a variety of distinguishable positions - doctor,
teacher, carpenter, parent, student, child and so forth - each of which contributes
in some way to the total group functioning and is accorded a certain 'social
status'. Status brings with it both priviIeges and responsibilities. For example,
the medical doctor has the privilege of practicing medicine and also is held in
high regard by other members of society. In return, he is expected to follow
the ethical code of profession. If he fails to do so, he may have his medical
license revoked and be relegated to an inferior social standing.
I
To clarify what is expected of a person with a given position and status, society
establishes various roles for its members to play, each associated with a certain
I
pattern of expected behaviour. Thus the role of an army officer calls for loyalty,
decisiveness, courage and resourcefulness. Each person of the society, youhg
i
or old, tends to develop the skills, behaviour and values that his role seems to
demand. If he deviates too far from what is expected him, he is likely to run
into difficulties in his social relationships.
The extent to which role expectations can influence personality development
is well illustrated by Margaret Mead's study (1949) of the Tchambuli, a New
Guinea tribe in which the sex roles'are practically the reverse of ours. Women
are supposed to earn the living, handle business transactions, take the initiative
in courtship, and in general, act as head of the family. Men on the other hand,
are expected to be coquettish, graceful, prone to gossip, good homemakers
and interested in dancing and theatricals. The established roles for men and
woinen ainong the Tchambuli, obviously tend to channel personality
development along lines very different from those in our culture.
iii) Iizterpersoizal Relatiorzsltips
Man is a social animal and much of his personality development reflects his
experiences with other people. In many societies a certain pattern of interpersonal
relationships may predominate over others - for example, the norm may be
for competition or cooperation, hostility or friendliness. In general, however,
interpersonal relationships contribute to individuality rather than similarity of
development, for no two of us have exactly the same acquaintances nor do
we have an identical relationship with the people we do know in common.
Even parents relate to each of their children in somewhat different ways. The
experiences of love and hate, of friendship and distrust, of shared experience
and misunderstanding that characterize our associations with other people are
in each case unique.
 Although we have many kinds of interpersonal relationships in the course of Determinants of Personality :
our lives, those that have the greatest influence in shaping our development Role of Heredity and
Environment
are those with our parents and with members of our peer groups. Apart from
that many other types of interpersonal relationships - with brothers and sisters,
grandparents, teachers, neighbours - may play a significant part in shaping
personality. Even a chance meeting with someone may change the direction
of our lives.
Check Your Progress I1
Note : a) Use the space provided for,your answer.

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of tliis unit.

I) Explain the role of physical environment in personality development.

2) What are the chief means by which the sociocultural environment exells
C

its influence on personality development of an individual?

b .

2.4 ROLE OF LEARNING IN PERSONALITY

DEVELOPMENT
Learning, in its various forms, especially conditioning, imitation and training,
or learning under the guidance and direction of another, plays a prime role in
the development of pattern. Attitude toward self, characteristic modes
of responding to people and situations, attitudes toward the assumption of
socially approved roles and n~ethods5i' personal and social adjustment,
including the use of defence mechanism, are learned through repetition and
are reinforced by the satisfaction they bring. Gradually, the self concept
develops, the learned responses become habitual, constituting the "traits" in
1 the individual's personality pattern.

Social pressures within and outside the home determine what traits will be
I
incorporated into the pattern. If a boy is encouraged to be aggressive for
example, because aggressiveness is considered a sex-appropriate trait for males,
he will learn to react to people and things in an aggressive way. If on the other
Human Growth and , hand, aggres$iveness wins social disq3proval or does not being satisfaction;
Development the person will try out other methods of adjustment until he finds one that
meets-his needs. He. .
will then repeat it until it becomes a habitual form of
behaviour.
Knowing that learning plays a role in the development of personality pattern,
it is important for two reasons. First it tells us that control can be exercised to
ensure that the individual will develop the kind of personality pattern that will
lead to good personal and social adjustment.
Second, it tells us that unhealthy self-concepts and socially unacceptable patterns
of adjustment can be changed and modified. As in all learning the sooner a
change or modification is attempted, the easier it will be.
Check Your Progress I11
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

1) Give the reasons by which you can say that learning plays an important
role in personality development.

2.5 PROCESS OF SOCIALISATIONAND ITS

ROLE IN PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
The role of socialisation in the development of human personality may be
shown by citing the two cases of Anna and Isabelle. Anna, an illegitimatg
child, was caused to be kept all dbne in an upstairs room. When removed
from the room at the age of nearly six years, Anna could not talk, walk or do
anything, that showed intelligence. She was expressionless and indifferent to
everything. She could not make any move on her own behalf. This shows
that in the absence of socialisation the purely biological resources are too poor
to contribute to the development of a complete personality. Communicative
contact is the core of socialisation.
Isabelle was found at the age of six and half years. Like Anna she was an
illegitimate child and had been kept in isolation for that reason. When found
she was apparently utterly unaware of relationship of any kind. Her behaviour
was comparable to that of a child of six months. Later attempts were made to
reach her to speak. At first she seemed hopeless but later she responded, and
ultimately reached the normal level of development by the time she was eight
and a half years old.
Isabel's case shows that isolation uptothe age of ~ i with
x failure to acquire
any form of speech does not preclude the subsequent acquisition of it. But
what would be the maximum age at which a person could remain isolated and Determinants of Personality :
Role of Heredity and
still retain the capacity for full cultural acquisition is hard to say. Both these
Environment
cases, however, show the role of socialization in personality development.
Meaning of Socialisation
Human society is not an external phenomenon but exists solely in the minds
of its members. The human infant comes into the world as a biological organism
with animal needs. He is gradually moulded into a social being and he learns
social ways of acting and feeling. Without this process of moulding the society
could not continue itself, nor could culture exist, nor could the individual
become a person. This process of moulding is called 'socialisation'. It is through
the process of socialisation that an individual becomes a social person and
attains personality.
Socialisation involves inducting the individual into the social and cultural world,
of making him a particular member in society and its various groups and
inducting him to accept the norms and values of that society. Socialisation is a
matter of learning that enables the learner to perform social roles.
Agencies of Socialisation
Socialisation turns a child into a useful member of society and gives him social
maturity. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to know as to who socialises
with the child. There are two sources of child's socialisation. The first includes
those who have authority over her, the second are those who are similar to the
child. The first category may include parents, teachers, elderly persons and
the state. The second one includes peer groups, friends and fellows in the
club. Briefly the main agencies of socialiiation are the following.
Primary Agencies
i) The Family
The parents or family constitute the first agency for the socialisation of the
child. They are not only closely related to the child but physically also they
are nearer to him than others. From the parents children learn language. They
are taught societal morality. They start respecting persons in authority. In the
family a child learns a number of civic virtues. The family therefore, is rightly
catled "the cradle of social virtues". A child gets her first lesson in cooperation,
tolerance, self sacrifice, love and affection in the family. The environment of a
family influences almost all aspects of growth of a child.
ii) Neighbourhood
The neighbourhood is the second important agency of socialisation. Good
neighbourhood can make a child to grow as a positive person and responsible
citizen.
iii) Peer Group or the Play Mates
The peer group and friends also constitute an important agency of socialisation.
The relationship between the child and her playmates is one of equality. As
stated above, the child acquires co-operative morality and some of the informal
aspects of culture like fashion, fads, crazes, modes of gratification and forbidden
knowledge. The knowledge of these things is necessary from the social point
of view.
Human Growth and iv) The School
Development
The school is also a very important agency of socialisation. In the school the
child gets education which moulds the ideas and attitudes. Proper or adequate
education can make the child a good citizen, while a bad education can turn
him into a criminal. Education is of great importance for the process of
socialisation. A well planned system of education can produce competent
people.
Secondary Agencies of Socialization
All the above mentioned agencies are known as primary agencies of
socialisation. There are few other agencies of socialisation which are known
as secondary agencies of socialisation, They include
i) Religion
Religion has been an important factor in society. In the early history of societies
religion provided a bond of unity. Though in modern society the importance
of religion has diminished, yet it continues to mould our beliefs and ways of
life. The child sees his parents going to the temple and performing religious
ceremonies, and listens to religious sermons .which may determine the course
of life and shaped his ideas.
ii) The State
The state is an authoritarian agency of socialisation. It makes law for the people
and lays down the modes of conduct expected of them. The people have
compulsorily to obey these laws. If they fail to adjust their behaviour in
accordance with the law of the state, they may be punished for such failures.
Thus the state also moulds a person's behaviour and personality.
Check Your Progress IV
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

1) Which agencies of socialisation are important in personality development.

2.6 RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF HEREDITY

AND ENVIRONMENT
Today, there is ample evidence that the form a child's personality pattern will
take, depends not solely on the training methods used or the kind of environment
in which the person grows, but also on the hereditary potentials a person brings
into the world with him.
 -
Conditions Affecting Inhraction of Heredity and Environment Determinants of Personality :
Role of Heredity and
An individual's at the time of birth affects other people and the Environment
potentials themselves are affected by the relationships the individual has with
significant people during early years of this life. The moulding of the personality
pattern is thus a far more complex process than was previously believed and
many more elements are involved than would be true if the newborn infant
were "merely a plastic blob of protoplasm".
The development is a function of interaction of the significant others with the
biological constitution and others potentials. In this interaction, significant
people try to mould the child's personality into a culturally approved pattern.
How they handle the child's basic drives determine what sort of a person the
child will be.
The attitudes and behaviours of parents, siblings, peers, re!atives and other
people towards the child will also affect the interaction pattern and thus
influence the moulding of personality. A child who has learned to be aggressive
at home will instigate I-elationshipswith people outside the home which are
characterized by aggressive behaviour. By contrast, the child who comes from
a home where aggression is kept to a minimum will have friendly, cooperative
interactions with outsiders.
Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment
The relative importance of heredity and environment in the moulding of
personality pattern depends on at least three variables -the trait that is affected,
the feature of the environment that is brought to bear on the developing trait
and the scope and intensity of environmental forces. Some traits are relatively
stable. They vary little, regardless of environmental influences. Others are
unstable and easily influenced by environmental conditions. Even the same
trait may in some people, be primarily the result of hereditary conditions, while
in others, it is the produ,ct of environmental conditions. One person may be
retiring and reclusive because of inborn qualities, while another may become
so because of conflict with environment.
Thus, it is apparent that, in some traits, training outweighs the influence of
heredity, while in others, the reverse is true. In general, however, the more
directly a trait is bound to structural inheritance, the less it can be modified
and changed by environmental influences.
The kind and intensity of environmental influences likewise affect the degree
to which different traits will change. Whether the environmental influences
are physiological, intellectual or emotional will determine how much they can
change different traits. Structural characteristics are usually more stable than
traits that are more functional in nature.
Value of Knowing Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment
Which plays a more important role in personality development, heredity or
environment ? The question cannot be answered in one word. For certain
aspects of personality pattern, heredity is more important and for others
environment. Also, it is the point influence of the two that is crucial rather
than their separate effects.
Hunlan Growth and For practical as well as theoretical reasons it would be extremely useful to be
Development able to determine which influence is the more powerful. One practical
application of such knowledge which has been suggested by Jersild is "If
children differ, by reason of their innate characteristics, in their tendency to be
sensitive, to become hurt, to be yielding or to be defiant, to acquire attitudes
of shame, to tolerate much or little pain and frustration, then we might assume
that they differ in their innate tendencies to grow up as neurotic or healthy -
niinded individuals".
The relative importance of the two influences on personality can not be
determined once and for all because they may reinforce one another in their
effect or they may conflict. The infl~~ence
of the environment depends not on
the environment alone but also on the person's hereditary endowment.
Check Your Progress V
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this n nit.

1) Discuss the relative importance of heredity and environment in personality

development.

MOULDING OF PERSONALITY
The belief that personality pattern is moulded early in life is not new. In the
early part of 20th century, Freud emphasized the importance of the early years
of life in determining the form the personality pattern would take during adult
life. His theo~ywas based on evidence that many of his patients who suffered
from personality disturbances had unhappy childhood experiences. These
unhappy experiences, Freud postulated, came from the frustration of some of
their natural impulses.
Ba~temeierhas pointed out that unfavoul-ableearly experiences have a profo~~nd
effect on personality because the personality pattern is less fi~llyorganized
than it will be later. It may be noted that the danlage from early experiences
need not be permanent.
Why Moulding Begins Early
Mo~~lding of personality pattern begins early in postnatal life because the
capacity io learn develops early and is ready to function before the baby reaches
her first birthday. What happens in the early years of life, what kind of people
the growing child is associated with, what they expect of hini and how they
try to enforce their expectations - all influence the developing personality and
determine what sort of a nerson she will grow LID to be.
 How the Personality Pattern is Moulded Determinants of Personality :
Role of Heredity and
The CLII~LII-LLIg r ~ i sets
~ p the puttern for the approved basic personality and expects Environment
evely member of the group to conform to it. Personality is shaped and changed
by the interactions with the culture in which the individual lives.
..
In the cultures where values are relatively static, the approved basic personality .
pattern likewise remi~insrelatively static. Where values change frequently and
radically. there will also be changes i n the approved basic personality pattern.
This, of course. does not niean changes in the total pattern but rather in certain
aspects of it.
Sources of Moulding
In the nio~~ldingof the personality, the attitudes, feelings and behaviour patterns
of the young are shaped first in the home and later reinforced or changed in
the school, the peel- group, and the comm~~nity at large.
The 'family', as the child's first social environment and as the social group
with which she has the most frequent and closest contacts, is the most important
source of personality nioulding. Some other iniportant sources are the home,
school, teachers, peer group, media, religion, occupation, etc.
Moulding Techniques
Two niethods of learning are dominant in moulding the personality pattern
to conform the cultur;k'lly approved standards: first, learning through guidance
and control of the behaviour by another, and second, learning through
limitation of the beliefs, attitudes and behaviour patterns of another. The
first is outer directed rnethod of learning and is coni~nonlyreferred to as
'child-training'. The second is self-initiated or inner-directed and is known
as 'identification'.
It is impossible to say which plays the more important role in the moulding of
personality pattern - child training or identification. The relative effectiveness -
of the two learning methods varies fro111one person to another and from one
age to iuiother. Fusthcrmore. as has been pointed out, 110 two people react the
same way.
Check Your Progress VI
3

Note : a) Use the space provided for your answel:

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

I) What are the main sources of niouldi~igof personality?

Human Growth anrl 2) Which are the important nioulding techniques?
Development

- - - - - -

2.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we explained the determinants of personality. A brief idea has also
been given regarding moulding of personality.
The development of personality depends upon a lot of factors. The factors of
heredity. environment. learning and process of socialization are the important
determinants of personality. Heredity of the genetic basis is a vely important
determinant of personality because the principal raw material of personality
such as physique, intelligence and temperament are to a large extent dependent
on the genetic endowment of a person. Environment is also a very important
determinant of personality development. Physical environmelit, climate and
terrain are important among the factors which affect one's personality
development.
Learning plays a very important role in the developinent of personality. It is
important for two reasons. First, it tells us that control can be exercised to
ensure that the individual will develop the kind of personality pattern that nlay
lead to good personal and social adjustment. Second it tells us that unhealthy
and socially unacceptable patterns of adjustment can be changed and modified.
Socialization of an individual is very important for the development of
'personality. The agencies of socialization i.e. family, neighbourhood, peer
group, school, religion, state and others helps individuals to develop healthy
pel-sonality.
The question, which plays a more important role in personality development -
heredity or environment has, to date, remained unanswered. There is evidence
that heredity is more important is some areas of personality pattern while
environment is more important in others. In reality the two jointly shape one's
personality.
Studies show that personality moulding begins early in life and that the early
years are critical ones - once the foundations are laid. environmental influences
become less important with each passing year.
Environmental sources of personality moulding include the family, school, peer
group, mass media, religion and occupation. The relatlve importance of these
moulding sources varies from one age group to another and from one person
to another.
Two kinds of learning are responsible for personality moulding. The first is
outer directed learning and is known as child training. The second is inner-
directed and is called identificulion.
 Determinants o f Personality :
2.9 KEY WORDS Role of Heredity and
Environment
Heredity : Heredity covers all the factors that were present
in the individuals when he began life, not at
birth but at the time of conception about nine
months before birth.
Socialisation : Socialization is a process by which the new
born individual is moulded into a social being
and men find their fulfillment within society.

Physical Environment : By physical environment we refer to the

natural world surrounding the individual :
climate, terrain, food supplies, disease, germs
and so on.
Socio-cultural Environment: By socio-cultural environment we mean the
world of people, customs, values, and man
made objects.

SUGGESTED READINGS
Allport, Gordon, W. (1961), Pattern and Growth in Personality, Holt, Rinehart
and Winston, New York.
Hall C. and Calvin S. Lindzey (1985), Theories of Personality, Wiley Eastern
Ltd, New Delhi.
Hurlock, E. B. (1984), Developmerzt Psychology, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing
Company Ltd, New Delhi.

ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Check Your Progress I
i) Heredity is a veiy important factor for personality development. We can
justify it by an example, a person who inherits a low-grade intelligence,
cannot, even under the most favourable environmental conditions, develop
a personality pattern that will lead to as good a personal and social
adjustment as a person who inherits a higher level of intellectual ability.
Check Your Progress I1
1) The role of physical environment in personality development is important.
But it is more important in the cases-where unfavourable conditions lead
to actual bodily damage, as in malnutrition and disease.
2 ) The chief means by which the sociocultural environment exerts its influence
on personality development of an individual are: !

group.membership and instruction

status and ;ole
interpersonal relationships
Human Growth and Check Your Progress I11
Development
Learning plays an impitant role in personality development due to two reasons:

1) It tells us that control can be exercised to ensure that the individual will
develop the kind of personality pattern that will lead to good personal
and social adjustment.

2) It tells us that unhealthy self concept and socially unacceptable patterns

of adjustment can be changed and modified.
Check Your Progress IV

1) The agencies of socialization which are important in personality

development are
i) the family
ii) neighbourhood
iii)peer-group
iv) school
V) religion
vi) the state
Check Your Progress V

1) The relative importance of the two influences on personality cannot be

determined once and for all because they may-reinforce one another in
their effect or they may conflict. The influence ot the environment depends
not on the environment alone but also on the person's hereditary
endowment.
Check Your progFess VI

1) The main sources of persona!ity moulding are :

a the family
a school
a teachers
peer group
a media
a religion
a occupation.

2) There are two important moulding techniques which are following:

a) Child training
b) identification