(March 17, 2014 at 5:57 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: What is defined as "personality"?
per·son·al·i·ty noun \ˌpər-sə-ˈna-lə-tē, ˌpər-ˈsna-\
: the set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving, etc., that makes a person different from other people
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personality
Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving
http://apa.org/topics/personality/
For the purposes of this discussion, I'd say a personality is a combination of one's disposition (a person's inherent qualities of mind and character), as well as the definitions above that include the emotional qualities and characteristics that differentiate one person from another in their emotions, their behaviors, their attitudes, etc.
(March 17, 2014 at 6:10 am)Alex K Wrote: I'm born with the part of my personality which I am born with, while I acquire those aspects of it which are acquired later through the sum of my experiences, later. I hope I made myself clear.
You're still a smart ass.
If you look at babies, toddlers and young children, they often show distinct personalities and dispositions as babies that carry through their whole lives; a baby can be a fussy baby and grow up to be a perpetually dissatisfied and contentious adult, as in one who seems to always see the down side of situations before they see the up side. A baby can be a very happy baby and grow to be a generally happy adult, one who is described by others as being upbeat and happy all the time.
Identical twins are interesting to think about with regards to this question.
If one is born with one's personality which is an emergent property of one's brain chemistry, and identical twins would be born with the same brain chemistry, than why don't identical twins also have identical personalities? Especially as babies or small children, i.e. before culture and life experience can alter their inherent personalities to a large degree; I agree that some aspects of personality are developed as part of one's culture and biases and the way one is treated (differently than others). I can even think of instances in my own life that have altered my personality.
In the case of identical twins, I could conceive of a notion where they do begin to develop in the womb with identical brain chemistry, but due to, perhaps, a pinch in the umbilical cord of one baby or something, they get a smidgen less nutrients which is just enough to cause a slightly altered brain chemistry in that twin.
There are also known cases of people suffering brain damage and recovering, but with altered aspects of their personality.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
