Week 12 – Culture & Personality

When we discussed this topic in class, I was curious to know whether personality traits are genetic or inherited by parents in some way. Through discussion, I understood that personality is not entirely genetic or physiological but certain genes play an important role in determining certain personality traits. Other than this, some genes are particularly activated if the individual is exposed to certain environmental conditions. For example in the case of psychopathology, a person inherits a gene related to the possibility of the occurrence of depression and is later exposed to environmental threats leading to the onset of depression. So, the interaction of gene x environment is critical to understanding the role of genes in the development of personality or psychopathology. This was an interesting discovery for me.

I was impressed by the mixed-methods approach employed by Zeinoun and her colleagues to study personality traits in the Arab Levent as it combines etic and emic approaches to capture both universal personality dimensions and culturally specific traits. This was particularly important because personality traits differ across cultures and often researchers overlook this point.

During our discussion, I was compelled to think about how sociopolitical issues in the Arab Levant region might affect personality traits like emotional stability among the population. For example, the continuous wars in the region could positively or negatively affect emotional resilience among the people. I believe it must cause mental health issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD etc and the trauma might be passed from generation to generation.  In some cases, there might be more importance on collectivist traits to keep the ‘harmony’ since they have to stay together as a community to cope with the issues for survival, or on the contrary, such do-or-die situations might give birth to individualist traits to compete for scarce resources among high competition.

Since the majority of the sample was educated with almost half of the sample holding a university degree, I think the results would differ if the sample included individuals with lower levels of education. A less educated sample might value traditional or community-based traits like obedience or conformity more in comparison to traits like self-expression or independence.

While reading about personality traits in the Arab Levant, I found myself wondering how this method could be applied in Pakistan and what the potential outcomes might be. I think it would be difficult to employ this method in diverse geographical regions in Pakistan due to the diverse languages spoken across different regions. Thus, it would be appropriate to either conduct the study in one region or translate and adapt the surveys to be used in different regions. I think some specific personality traits like hospitality and generosity might be found in Pakistani culture. 

Conclusively, this discussion has deepened my understanding of the complex nature of personality development, highlighting the critical role of both genetic and environmental factors. I have understood that the study of personality is not only a psychological phenomenon but rather a blend of social, cultural, and environmental forces. The articles were invaluable in terms of understanding personality from a broader perspective (not just the Five Factor Model or MBTI).