– The largest genetic research projects of our time.
In the last twenty years there has been an intensive upsurge in genetic research in two major international Projects, “Encode” and “The Genome Project” . Out of these two comprehensive studies, we are now able to find answers to questions raised already in Greece, at the time of Socrates.
The fact that there is an interaction between biology and environment, few scholars disagree. As a psychologist, however, I will particularly look at the environmental factors that seem to have the greatest impact on the genetic expression. I will also summarize some of the key findings in the development of psychological research the last sixty years.
But first, a brief example of a recently completed meta-study of previous genetic research, in support of my grandmother’s opinion. I refer to it here as an example of the previous generation’s thinking about genes.
– An obsolete conception of genes and psychology?
In the above study from 2012 of over 800 pairs of twins, the conclusion was that genes had a greater impact on basic personality traits, and shaping the personality, than the individual family, surroundings and society: (Weiss, Bates, Luciano, 2012)
Psychologist Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Timothy Bates summarizes his meta study: “Previously, the role of family and the environment around the home often dominated people’s ideas about what affected psychological well-being.
However, this work highlights a much more powerful influence from genetics. “The current meta study, which was based on earlier research, found that happiness, was directly related to genes. (Cfr. Articles published in both the “Journal of Personality”, and Personality Science 2012.)
A number of earlier twin studies especially on schizophrenia and manic depressive disorders claims that these illnesses appears to be genetically predetermined. This is also the case on diseases such as cancer, coronary failure and diabetes, they conclude.
In my opinion the findings from these twin studies are misinterpreted, because it has scarcely taken into consideration the impact of what I will call transformative genetics. It is this interactive process that the scientific branch Epigenetics refers to, and these epigenetic processes are constantly active in the cell nucleus.
But not only there. The latest comprehensive epigenetic research brings psychology and environmental conditions closer to the nucleus than ever! In that context I want to note that long before this, developmental psychology challenged the old way of thinking about heredity.
This series of Genes and Psychology continues here:
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