I have always been a strong believer that ones personality is clearly defined by their environment, but researchers have proven that the human characteristics or should I say personalities consists of a mixture of inherited traits and their environment. The study of genetics is an interesting study that can be defined from many different points of views. Some may argue that human characteristics is developed according to the environment that individuals was raised in, and others will say that human characteristics is from genetics. According to a study that was done in University of Minnesota human Characteristics are inherited. 

There was a case study done from 1979 to the mid 1990’s on 350 people observing the cause of human personality. Out of the 350 individuals that were tested scientists studied additionally 44 pairs of identical twins and 21 pairs of fraternal twins. The test of twins ranged from twins that grew up in the same environment to twins that grew up in separate environment, but was acquainted with one another as adults to twins that grew up in the same environment. In their findings they discovered that individuals that believed in traditional values and strict enforcement of rules inherited that characteristic trait from their parents. They also discovered that individual that yearned for emotional and physical intimacy usually developed this trait as a child, which caused them to want more close relationships as an adult. What I found most interesting about this study was their conclusion human characteristics traits can be developed from many different generations because scientists have stated that there is no single gene responsible for character traits, twins that were separated from birth usually shared personality traits that originated from their parents. Based on this study I found it very astonishing observing the traits of twins that grew apart because it revealed the importance genes play in an the individual development of a person.  

Another study I found interesting was done by Dr. Nick Royle at the University of Exeter . The doctor stated that the environment one is raised in carries a strong impact on their personality than their genetics. The doctor derived this conclusion from his study on Zebras finches that were placed that he placed in different environments before hatching and their behavioral traits after hatching. The study proved the adaptation of the Zebra finches to their new environments and the different affects their foster parents had on their characteristic traits. Overtime the zebra finches adapted to their environment and developed behavioral traits according to those environments.

Genetics holds the same impact on individual development as the environment your raised. Our genetics codes plays the role of creating our characteristic traits, but our environment plays the role of helping us develop those characteristic traits.