GENETICS AND BEHAVIOR

Behavioral genetics is a branch of science that tries to find out what kinds of genes may lead to different patterns of behavior and what role inherited factors play in how people act.  Human behavior can also be influenced by environmental factors.  Behavioral genetics work to discover how much of people's behavior is determined by their living conditions , learning choices and other influences from the world around them.  Also, how much of behavior is inherited from their parents.  It has been long wondered what makes people act they way they do and what makes the differences in behavior.  Scientists are especially interested in what causes antisocial or abnormal types of behavior.  There are two schools of thought.  "NATURE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT"  It is believed that nature has given each person certain genes whose traits cannot be escaped.  Scientists believe that the environment a person grows up in has little to do with the person's behavior.  "NURTURE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT"  Scientists believe that the genes children get from parents do not matter.  They believe that humans are not inclined any certain forms of behavior after birth.  The child's behavior is influenced by the environment the child grows up in.  Now, scientists are beginning to realize that both nature(genes) and nurture(environment) affect behavior.  It is generally accepted that each trait work together in different proportions.  For example:  Inherited genes have nine times more influence than environment in determining how tall a person will grow.  For a person who grows up with depression, genes and environment are equally important.