Are you born with your personality?

[Bittersmart]

I think we are born with predispositions towards certain personalities and behaviors, but our world also shapes who we are as we grow. I'm certainly not the same person I was 10 years ago when it comes to my worldviews, philosophies, or disposition. But, I still retain a lot about myself from that time. So, I would say our personalities are partly innate and partly a product of our environments.

[Cinjin]

One's own personality is an amalgam of experiences, genetic programming, cultural bias, upbringing, and probably a host of other things.

Hell, after watching the television show M*A*S*H all through grade-school, I thought Alan Alda was the funniest man alive. I really believe that show heavily influenced my personality. I looked up to anyone who was quick-witted and irreverent. I certainly didn't know it at the time, but I began to imitate anyone who could influence people through humor and still felt great empathy for those who are suffering.


Certainly there must be far more things that shaped who I am to this point, and probably more things that will shape who I am in the future.

[Clueless Morgan]

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.

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.

[*Deidre*]

I've read that our 'core' personalities are well formed (well formed consciences as well) by the time we reach pre-teen-hood. Personality 'disorders' often take shape as well during that timeframe. The naricissists and psychopaths of the world, didn't evolve as such during adulthood, but if one were to look back into their childhoods, there would be obvious signs already present, that would indicate the person has a personality 'disorder.' Our personalities are often shaped by circumstances that we were raised in. If a child is abused for example, he/she may grow up to lie a lot, because the child felt that lying was necessary in order to escape punishment. That is often how personality disorders are formed. As coping mechanisms. If we were born with our personalities already in tact, then we would be born with personality disorders, and I don't believe that is the case.

[KichigaiNeko]

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.

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.

In that case, I would posit that our personalities are 'born' with us and unfold due to environmental factors.

Obscure case in point....I was always happy to wear wool, loved the smell of it, the feel of it and many contented hours watching my mother knit with it. Now? I still love wool and am quite a happy knitter and crafter (this I attribute to my mum) now for the whammy....an ancestor of mine (not too far removed) was a grazier (sheep/ wool farmer) and a celebrated one at that.

My sister on the other hand, is of the opinion that she is "adopted" as she doesn't share any of the enthusiasm for needlecraft as my mum and I do, she also could not tolerate wool against her skin as a baby/child. BUT has a keen interest in Genealogy and just loves the stories of our family history (that my mum still tells) so there ya go.

We both don't suffer fools very well but are still learning to be diplomatic

In summary... I would say both. As initial interest needs validation to bloom into a positive personality trait.

[psychoslice]

I think most of what we call personality is made up from conditioning and programming, of course gens also make who we are, its just an added ingredient. Personality is derived from the word persona meaning mask, we seem to put on a different mask for most occasions, we wear one with our parents, another with certain friends, and of course we wear one right here, on this forum.

[DarkHorse]

I think we are born with predispositions towards certain personalities and behaviors, but our world also shapes who we are as we grow. I'm certainly not the same person I was 10 years ago when it comes to my worldviews, philosophies, or disposition. But, I still retain a lot about myself from that time. So, I would say our personalities are partly innate and partly a product of our environments.

I agree with this. I can see those parts of my personality that have stayed the same, while other parts have changed over the years.

[xr34p3rx]

Me.

But just what is that max?

i think youre taking too far with semantics

[Clueless Morgan]

In that case, I would posit that our personalities are 'born' with us and unfold due to environmental factors.

Obscure case in point....I was always happy to wear wool, loved the smell of it, the feel of it and many contented hours watching my mother knit with it. Now? I still love wool and am quite a happy knitter and crafter (this I attribute to my mum) now for the whammy....an ancestor of mine (not too far removed) was a grazier (sheep/ wool farmer) and a celebrated one at that.

My sister on the other hand, is of the opinion that she is "adopted" as she doesn't share any of the enthusiasm for needlecraft as my mum and I do, she also could not tolerate wool against her skin as a baby/child. BUT has a keen interest in Genealogy and just loves the stories of our family history (that my mum still tells) so there ya go.

We both don't suffer fools very well but are still learning to be diplomatic

In summary... I would say both. As initial interest needs validation to bloom into a positive personality trait.

I agree that interests (genealogy, needlecraft) and personal preferences (liking the feeling of wool) can be an intrinsic part of our personalities, especially when manifest as promoting or defending those interests or preferences, but I disagree that we are born with those interests or preferences - if that is what you're meaning to suggest.

In both cases, I would posit that interests and personal preferences are learned aspects of personality. I don't think you were born knowing that you liked the feeling of wool and the process of knitting, I think you learned both of those things about yourself as you grew up and experimented with hobbies.

It may be the case, however, that you were born with a penchant for enjoying stationary, repetitive activities that utilized fine motor skills.

If that is not what you were meaning to suggest, than ignore me.