What Makes You Who You Are?
In the age of Greek philosophy Theophrastus, Aristotle’s successor, posed a question: “Why has it come about that, albeit the whole of Greece lies in the same clime, and all Greeks have a like upbringing, we have not the same constitution of character?”. He wanted to know why we become who we are and what control we have over that.
According to Samuel Barondes, Professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry, UCSF, there are 5 factors that have a massive effect on who we are and how we get there. He highlights the importance of cultural, religious, social, economic and most importantly biological factors that determine our character, and also gives us control over our personality type. To get a better understanding of yourself and what Professor Barondes means by this, start with a free personality test.
Here are the 5 Factors That Make You Who You Are:
1. The Genes Your Parents Give You
Each personality reflects the activities of brain circuits that develop under your unique set of genes and experiences. Each of your parents have a particular collection of gene variants which are a sample of the variants that have come before them from their ancestors. These set the limits of the variants that can be transmitted to their offspring.
We can use these set of gene variations during our lives but thankfully, there are other factors that can help us overcome their limitations.
2. The Random Encounter
Even within those boundaries set by your parents genes, there is even more room for variation because of the particular egg and sperm that make the offspring. Each of them contains a random selection of half of the gene variants of each parent. This mixture of maternal and paternal gene mixtures plays a key role in the 25 year development process of the brain and therefore personality.
This explains why we have have a random mix of behavioral as well as physical characteristics from each parent that make you who you are.
3. Critical Times In Your Life
Although the genetic makeup is predetermined, there are also programs of gene expression that are designed to incorporate information from whats happening around you at different moments in your life.
For example, the development of the persons native language are at a heightened state of sensitivity during the brains critical period in which it is easier to learn a new language.
By knowing this information, its easier to have a greater influence on our brains development by taking advantage of these critical moments.
4. Critical People In Your Life
The external factors that affect our personality type are mostly taught to us by a few key people in our lives. These critical agents: parents, siblings, teachers, and peers, have a great influence on characteristics such as life goals, opportunities and rules of conduct. The content of these influences, such as climate, era and region of the world has an impact too.
Not only to the parents genes influence us, but their personalities also affect us. Our teachers and the societal rules that govern our day to day activities will have an influence based on when in our lives we are exposed to them.
5. Chance is not fate
The recognition of the fact that chance events have a determining factor on your personality does not mean that you can have no influence on it. As an individual, your free will has not been given up to a predetermined fate because the personality that arises through biological and socio-cultural accidents of birth can be deliberately changed in many ways, even in maturity.
The influences during the development periods of your brain leave a mark, but they can be overwritten by later experiences.
By knowing this, it gives us a clearer understanding of not only who we are but, it can also have moral consequences by promoting understanding and compassion for the wide range of people with whom we share our lives.
For more information check out:
Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality
Samuel Barondes
