Heredity And Hormones
Heredity and Hormones
By:
Axia College
BEH/225
June 26th, 2008
Heredity and Hormones
By:
1. I need to compare and contrast the influence of heredity and hormones on human behavior.
Interestingly, there is a renewed interest in the biological determinants of human behavior. The nature (heredity) theory of human behavior argues that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions (inherited from family gene pool) or even "animal instincts." Conversely, the purely biological view is that our “hormones” in the brain determine behavior.
While it is clear that we inherit ‘physical’ traits from our family gene pool e.g. you got your blue eyes from your father and your freckles from your mother, when it comes to behavior, such as your thrill-seeking personality and talent for singing, the genetic watery gets a little murky. The big question is: did you learn these from your parents or did your genes and/or hormones predetermine it? How about an individual's behavior, intelligence, and personality, how much is genetic and how much is determined by hormones in the brain and how much is learned (if any?). Ultimately, the nature vs. nurture battle is still ongoing. Although we still have much to learn about how much of what we are and do is determined by our DNA and how much by our hormones and/or life experience, research clearly suggests that all play a part. In other words, nature endows us with inborn abilities and traits (inherited from parents); nurture takes these genetic tendencies and molds them as we learn and mature. However, hormones made by our brain impact the decisions and behavior, such as feelings (fear, anxiety, etc.) and the elicited response to these feelings (see http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap6.htm).
Evidence for Heredity
Intelligence seems to be inherited. Research on intelligences has found that parents with high/low...
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