PSYC 2130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Birth Order, Social Class

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2130
• Professor: Christa Philips

Document Summary

Temperament characteristics that have been studied in depth are fear reactions and inhibited behavior. People differ in terms of the degree to which they respond fearfully especially encountering unfamiliar situations: genes contribute to individual differences in brain systems that are involved in this fear response. Environmental determinants: psychologists recognize that personality is shaped by the environment, the environmental determinants that have proven to be important in the study of personality development include culture, social class, family and peers. Culture: culture is a key determinant of what it means to be a person, each culture has its own institutionalized and sanctioned patterns of learned behaviors, rituals and beliefs. As a result, members of a culture may share personality characteristics. Social class: many aspects of a person"s personality can be understood from the group they belong too, social class factors help determine the status of individuals, the roles they play etc.