Question

How would you characterize the relationship between conditioning and personality? Why?

Answer 1

An individual's personality develops with age. Some traits are inherited. However, personality evolves with time and conditioning plays a very important role in shaping one's personality. For instance, aggression can be both inherited or a product of environmental conditioning. An individual maybe temperamental, perhaps because his parents are temperamental and thus, the genes inherited are responsible for his disposition. However, aggression is also a learnt behaviour or a product of conditioning. Media violence, peer company, violence in the family are major reasons why an individual imitates the behaviour which is learnt through observation.

If a child grows up in a violent environment, sees his father throwing things around, beating up his mother, is most likely to either exhibit the same behaviour or refrain from exhibiting aggression because he never wants to be like his father. The child is conditioned to either exhibit anger or to refrain from doing so. Conditioning affects personality in away where this child would either be a dominant personality or a submissive one.