Inherited influences refer to aspects of characteristics and personality that an individual gets from his or her parents (Mensah, 2010). These influences include: general physique, overall looks, genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia and Down syndrome, tendency of mental illness, and intelligence. The inheritance of these traits is explained by “Gregor Mendels model of inheritance” which explains that inheritance is controlled by discrete factors called genes.
Environmental influences refer to aspects of characteristics and behaviors that come as a result of one experiences and interaction with the surrounding environment (Mensah, 2010). These are the things one sees or hears and which come as a result of interactions with people as he or she grows up. These influences include parents’ education, diet, level of encouragement from parents and interactions with peers.
Differences between genetic and environmental influences
The first difference is that, genetic influences contribute to the development of certain traits in a similar manner. This means that twins who inherit a certain gene from their parents will develop in a similar manner. Contrary, environmental influences affect the development of human being differently. This means that twins exposed to the same environmental conditions may not necessarily adopt similar traits. One may react to the environment favorably and the other unfavorably or even fails to react to it at all. Some natural traits such as blindness and deafness may be acquired (Dalby et al., 2009).
Secondly, inherited factors are mostly seen in the behaviors, emotions and cognitive traits of person while environmental factors are mostly seen in what the person does or become (Huang & He, 2010). Children will inherit natural traits such as being tall from their parents which they still have ability to pass to their children. However, environmental behaviors such as the profession that one ends up taking will be determined by the environment of the child as he or she grows up. The school one attends will determine the career one will end up taking. If you do not get an opportunity to attend a good school as you grow up, your chances of becoming a leader in a certain area will be low. This will happen irrespective of your natural traits such as being talented in leadership. However, some inherited traits are also evident in school and may determine performance of the students (Mensah, 2010).
Finally, inherited behaviors depend with the environment one is exposed to as they grow up, while on the other hand inherited behaviors have little to do with the environment of one’s growth. For example, some people who have inherited behaviors can grow and become just like their parents even though their parent may had died at their childhood (Blank, 2001). Some people have been brought as orphans yet they end up becoming very influential people in the society just because of their inherited traits (Stansfield, 2011). This cannot happen with environmental factors since presence of parents as one grow up will determine the surrounding of the child such as the school one will attend.
Examples of environmental influences
Children acquire some traits as a result of interacting with their surroundings. These factors include social behaviors, education, occupation and other interpersonal behaviors that one acquires depending with the society where one grows up. For example, children who are brought up in the slums may end up becoming drug addicts, bandits, prostitutes and other social misfits while those who are brought up in high-class royal families end up becoming leaders in the society. Thus in conclusion, inherited and environmental/acquired traits determine the behaviors and occupation of the children when they grow up.
References
Blank, W. (2001). Chapter 1: The Natural Born Leader Phenomenon. 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders, 6-22.
Dalby, W., Hirdes, P., Stolee, P., Strong, J., Poss, J., Tjam, E., Bowman, L., & Ashworth, M. (2009). Characteristics of Individuals with Congenital and Acquired Deaf-Blindness. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 103(2), 93-102.
Huang, B., & He, W. (2010). Molecular characteristics of inherited congenital cataracts. European Journal of Medical Genetics, 53(6), 347-357.
Mensah, F. (2010). Who Do I Look Like? Diversity in Self, Family, and Others. Science Activities, 47(4), 125-132.
Stansfield, D. (2011). Acquired Traits Revisited. American Biology Teacher, 73(2), 86-89.
