# Are personality types hereditary?



## Charizard (Jan 29, 2011)

I'm new to this so I may have asked a stupid question, but I've been wondering about the whole idea of personality types and what makes us the way we are, a real 'nature.vs.nurture' sort of thing...it came about because I'm certain my mum would profile the same as me: ESTJ, I'm not too sure on my dad, but I was wondering if the reason I am an ESTJ is solely because of how I was brought up to behave and interact and problem solve, or if there is more to it?

Hopefully I put this in the right section...I wanted it to be available to all personality types to get a rounded view, if I have done it wrong I appologise profusely.

All opinions welcomed! Thanks


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## snapdragons (Feb 1, 2011)

I would think that these types are due to a combination of genetic interaction with environmental influences. Deep down, I don't think I was supposed to be an introvert or a sensor, but due to environmental circumstances that's what I became. I probably did as a coping mechanism for all the craziness in my early life, and also as a way to adapt to changing environments better.


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## I Dream of a Supernova (Oct 20, 2010)

You'd totally think so in our household 
Kinda :mellow:
The 3 main people I think of in my family are ENFP's - Mum, Second Brother and myself.

However... I also have another brother (who I also think is the main core of our family, but still), who definately isn't an ENFP. I'm not quite sure what he is as we don't really talk much (or at all) but he's totally different to us. He's a little bit introverted, and probably a thinking type. He's also the oldest. He's probably an IxTJ.

We all have different dads, though my dad's a lot more introverted than me.
My second brother's dad I'm not sure about - he seems pretty xxFP.
The oldest brother's dad I'm not sure about as he's not around any more.

So, seeing as the oldest brother grew up with a different father, and maybe to work in the world a diferent way to myself and other brother, then maybe it is determined by our environments? But perhaps the main influence is from a young age? Because by the time he was old enough to think for himself and act a certain way, this other guy came along to be a dad, yet he never copied him? Though that could also be explained by their lack of relationship cause he's a bit of a jerk... But still! :mellow:

Though genetics might have an influence as to who we can comfortably be, it does feel like environment has a lot to do with it.

Though I could just be saying that because I know my mother has _definately_ had a big influence on who I am. I still catch myself thinking back to all the thing's she's said to me over the years and how she acts. :tongue:

Okay, ramble over. :mellow:


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## Tucken (Dec 13, 2009)

Yes, it's hereditary.


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## Charizard (Jan 29, 2011)

Tucken said:


> Yes, it's hereditary.


Short and sweet. Thanks. roud:


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## Einsteinette (Jan 19, 2011)

No. you should meet my family to understand what i mean


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## Charizard (Jan 29, 2011)

Einsteinette said:


> No. you should meet my family to understand what i mean


Oh, so your family is completely different from you? Maybe they influenced your type though? Either way, thanks for contributing to my strange need for knowledge :happy:


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## March Cat (Jan 27, 2011)

It is not.
My mom is an ESFP, dad is an ESTP. I'm an INTJ.
Up unto a certain point I was definitely more extroverted but then I realized I was just trying to please people and my parents, who wanted me to be extroverted, when I was fundamentally introverted. So nurture does have its role in the shaping of people, but unless you're a complete pushover, you can get over it.


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## Jasette (Jan 15, 2011)

I think in certain households with certain parents the type of the parents can definitely influence the type of the children... My mom is an INFJ, and I'm fairly certain my dad is an INFJ too -- maybe INFP. I'm an INFJ, and one out of two of my brothers is either an INFJ, INFP or maybe ENFJ... the other is definitely ENFP. We're all a bunch of intuitive feelers though.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

I was adopted when I was three months old. I met my biological mother a few years ago, and since then I've been thinking about nature vs nuture quite a bit. 

My *real* family (the ones who adopted me): My mother is ISTJ, and my father is INTJ. My sister is also INTJ. I am INTP (very close to INTJ, but I fit the INTP description much more and feel that's my true type).

My biological mother and one of her daughters are extroverts. Her oldest daughter is an introvert. I'm not sure of their MBTI types and don't know them well enough to guess. (At this point, I should explain that my biological mother has daughters who are 11 and 14 years older.)

Things I have in common with my biological mother:
1) OCD (very mild in my case)
2) Kindness - she's an extrovert and I'm an introvert, but we both are caring and kind. Although, I am getting less patient as I get older and that sometimes means less kind than I used to be.
3) Fickle...she's been married three times, I've been married twice (I'm divorced, she's still married).
4) We have very similar verbal and written communication styles. 
5) We both are risk-takers and aren't afraid to try new things. 
6) We are open-minded and non-judgmental. 

Areas where we differ:
1) She is very religious; I'm agnostic.
2) She is more outgoing and talkative.
3) She is not nearly as educated (but is intelligent).
4) She doesn't like science and math (I do). 

Things I have in common with my real family (adoptive, but they truly are my real family):
1) We are all introverts.
2) All of us are opinionated. Holiday gatherings are interesting. lol
3) We all value higher education and are analytical and logical (father is a civil & environmental engineer, sister is a budget analyst, mother worked in accounting, I worked in finance until starting a business).
4) Strong ethics and values. 

Areas where we differ:
1) I'm more of a risk-taker.
2) They are much more conservative.
3) They are religious (my parents are Catholic - sister is skeptical but quiet about it).
4) I am more outspoken and prone to argue. They like to keep the peace. I have a more fiery disposition.
5) They are less open-minded and more judgmental and critical. 
6) I procrastinate like crazy, and none of them do. It is one thing about me that always drove my parents batty. 

I'll add that I have two children. My daughter is 18 and is ISTJ. My son is 10 and is INFJ. My daughter is far more critical and demanding than I am, and my son is more loving and caring than both of us.


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## Monte (Feb 17, 2010)

I think people who are born a type that is more focused on harmony or pleasing the parents would make it seem as though it's hereditary, but I don't think so.

My father is an ESTP my mother is an ISxJ my step-father is an ESTJ.
I'm an ENTP.

My parents try to raise me a certain way, but my will is unshakable, I am who am I and I refuse to change that for them


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## subxer0 (Sep 30, 2010)

i think it is a combination of both nature and nurture.
istj brother, infj brother, enfp mom, and i have no idea what my dad is. crazy? lol. estj i think.
though, i have seen some articles about how twins are separated at birth, and become exactly the same
when they meet later. research that i bet you would be interested.
nurture is a factor, even with those twin cases. its not all genetic


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## Charizard (Jan 29, 2011)

killabeepoizon said:


> i think it is a combination of both nature and nurture.
> istj brother, infj brother, enfp mom, and i have no idea what my dad is. crazy? lol. estj i think.
> though, i have seen some articles about how twins are separated at birth, and become exactly the same
> when they meet later. research that i bet you would be interested.
> nurture is a factor, even with those twin cases. its not all genetic


Actually that does sound interesting...do you have any links to these articles at all? I'd love to read some of them.


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## wandai (Feb 8, 2011)

Personally I don't think it's hereditary (i.e. genetics). While there are some correlations, i.e. that the offspring have similar type with the parent, it did not prove causation. It may even attributed to the third factor: the parent behaviors (reflected by cognitive function) were copied by the offspring during the developmental period. 

In short, different type nurture the child to be similar with the parents' type. Even twins may have different types.


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## Lokkye (Dec 28, 2009)

it's like anything in life, it's a combination of nature and nurture
If the family forces the child to act a certain way he could either comply or not
Most of the child's personality is based on his experience, rather than genes, genes mostly supply the genetic foundation of the body. Only some personality traits of parents are passed on.


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## How Do You KNOW (Jan 9, 2011)

I'm supposed to write an essay on this whole 'Nature vs Nurture' thing. I believe genes lay out a foundation of traits that will help shape your personality. I'm speaking of things like intellect and creativity. The traits of Myers-Briggs, I believe, are shaped throughout your early life.


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## Jwing24 (Aug 2, 2010)

I wouldn't think so. But then again, who knows? I am adopted and my personality is rather different from my parents.


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## youngandbaroque (Feb 7, 2011)

i don't think it's hereditary at all... but that's just my intuition, my opinion isn't based on research or facts.
obviously how our brain chemistry works plays an effect in our response to our nurturing... so, indirectly, genes can play a role in personality type. but i do think that it is mostly how we are raised, what we are exposed to, etc. 

i wonder what conclusions have been drawn from twin studies and personality... it would be interesting to find out.


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## darksoul (Jul 17, 2010)

subxer0 said:


> i think it is a combination of both nature and nurture.
> istj brother, infj brother, enfp mom, and i have no idea what my dad is. crazy? lol. estj i think.
> though, i have seen some articles about how twins are separated at birth, and become exactly the same
> when they meet later. research that i bet you would be interested.
> nurture is a factor, even with those twin cases. its not all genetic


I think so too. I'm the only thinker in my family. My father and brother are INFPs, while my mother is an ESFJ. Growing up, I thought I was adopted... :dry:


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

Jwing24 said:


> I wouldn't think so. But then again, who knows? I am adopted and my personality is rather different from my parents.


I don't know if you read my post earlier in this thread, but I was adopted too, and met my biological mother a few years ago. It was a very interesting experience.


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## Eerie (Feb 9, 2011)

I am without a doubt the only ENFP in my family.


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