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MTBI and genes! Forming a genetic theory...

maliafee

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I noticed that some of you have already tried to do this casually, but I want you to take it a step further.

Would some of you really, really *cough* smart NT's come up with a theory for me? Pretty please?

Assuming that type is genetic, come up with a little basic Bio 101 gene theory for me. Which of I/E-S/N-T/F-P/J traits are dominant (maybe even which ones are actually genetic and which ones shaped by environment)? How does it work?

I'll give you some of my own data (is it enough to theorize on?):

Paternal grandfather - ESTP
Paternal grandmother - ISTJ

Children - ENTJ male, INTP male, ISFP male(my father), ENFJ female, ESFP female
--
My dad - ISFP
My mom - INFJ

Children - ESTP male, INTJ male, ISFP female, ENTJ male
--
Uncle (father's brother) - ENTJ
Aunt - ENTP

Children - ISFP male, ENTP female, ENFP female
--
Uncle (father's brother) - INTP
Aunt - ISTJ

Child - INTJ male
--
Aunt (father's sister) - ENFJ
Husband - ESFJ

Children - ISTP male, ISFP male, ISFJ male, ESFJ female
==
My boyfriend's dad - ESFJ
Mom - ENTJ

Children - ISFJ male, ISTJ female
--
 

Wild horses

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From your data as far as I can determine, there is no dominance between E or I or S and N .. the only one that may have a dominance split is J and P but you would need to have the results of a couple, both Ps with children to determine and even then it may still be unclear. I could be totally wrong but if you wanted to analyse it for straightforward dominant and reccesive genes the answer is that they don't have any clear cuts but genetics is more complex than that so it doesn't suggest that your theoryis incorrect. there is also the issue of whether or not these people have been correctly typed
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
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First of all, would you expect to see simple gene correlations between type? Personality is a complex thing... I don't believe you can isolate MBTI dichotomies... Based on the cognitive function theories, they cannot be. INTJ is not I + N + T + J... It is Ni Te. Of course this is assuming personality types have genetic basis... i.e. they are not artificial categories created by people. So far we have zero evidence the types aren't arbitrary created.

Second, your sample size is far too small. Even for something such as neuroticism... you need a sample of 50+ to do a decent correlation.
 

maliafee

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First of all, would you expect to see simple gene correlations between type? Personality is a complex thing... I don't believe you can isolate MBTI dichotomies... Based on the cognitive function theories, they cannot be. INTJ is not I + N + T + J... It is Ni Te. Of course this is assuming personality types have genetic basis... i.e. they are not artificial categories created by people. So far we have zero evidence the types aren't arbitrary created.

Second, your sample size is far too small. Even for something such as neuroticism... you need a sample of 50+ to do a decent correlation.

I know... you're right. It's totally functional, dang it.

But I'll keep collecting data (maybe someone can do it function-based)!

*gasp* ACTUALLY, I could make a thread whose sole purpose is to collect at least 50 +... I'm dangerously close to doing it. I'll do it! I swear, I'll do it... :yes:

Yea we know it's just fun to try is all :D

Hehe, exactly.
 

Fluffywolf

Nips away your dignity
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<scraps>

Actually, I forgot some family members. I've nothing to add here. >.>
 

Moiety

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What seems to be happening in my family is that J/P seems to skip generations.

Statement: P raised children are likely to become J. J raised children are likely to become P.

Would be interesting to see if that's common. :D

My parents are both Js. It makes a lot of sense for education to shape who we become. But genetics...Sure, the ugliest individual in existence is likely to become an I of some sort, but I can't understand why genetics should have a say in how we think when we've reached adulthood. I have yet to hear/read a good theory promoting "nature" (VS nurture).
 

maliafee

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My parents are both Js. It makes a lot of sense for education to shape who we become. But genetics...Sure, the ugliest individual in existence is likely to become an I of some sort, but I can't understand why genetics should have a say in how we think when we've reached adulthood. I have yet to hear/read a good theory promoting "nature" (VS nurture).

Read Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. It's an excellent argument. The nature-dominant theories are pretty outdated in the field of cognitive science, no offense.
 

Fluffywolf

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Yeah I think, if I best look at me growing up, is that my INTP'ness is entirely nurtured.

Or lack thereof.

Quite frankly, me and my sister never got along. I never respected my parents as a kid. They freaking lied to me about Santa Clause's(Dutch:Sinterklaas) existance! ;P I can still remember how angry I was at my mother. Told her I was going to get another mother the next day in school. I was 4 at the time.

And there were a lot of things happening that I were driven towards understanding in thought. Death of my grandmother, our dog, why people lie, why people acted the way they acted. And I developped the ability to hide my own feelings quite well early on as well. I didn't want attention while I was secretly investigating for the answers I sought. I was a loner and an adventurer. And if I would ask this day to my mom what kind of kid I was like, she says: You were odd.

They have no clue. x)

I don't think that was genetic at all. But mostly based on how I learned to deal with my surroundings. And how I coped with life.

Do I regret it? Hell no. :D
 

Moiety

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Read Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. It's an excellent argument. The nature-dominant theories are pretty outdated in the field of cognitive science, no offense.

Do you mean the nurture-dominant? Cause I believe in nurture.
 

Salomé

meh
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Do a search for [genetic basis for introversion] and you'll find articles like this:

Social Introversion-Extraversion as a Heritable Response

As for the functions, there is no scientific evidence to support their existence. Or even a coherent hypothesis. You would first have to identify brain differences (if any), then identify the genes responsible for those differences in order to establish a genetic basis for type.
Yeah. Not gonna happen any time soon.

Looking at arbitrary sets of data and hunting for patterns isn't really going to yield anything useful. Too many variables.

There is another thread somewhere where this sort of data was collected but I couldn't find it.
 

maliafee

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Do you mean the nurture-dominant? Cause I'm believe in nurture.

Oh gosh, yes. One of those brain switch things I suppose. I totally meant to write "nurture" -- sorry. :doh:

Incidentally, many twin studies, and others, disprove the nurture argument.
 

maliafee

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Do a search for [genetic basis for introversion] and you'll find articles like this:

Social Introversion-Extraversion as a Heritable Response

As for the functions, there is no scientific evidence to support their existence. Or even a coherent hypothesis. You would first have to identify brain differences (if any), then identify the genes responsible for those differences in order to establish a genetic basis for type.
Yeah. Not gonna happen any time soon.

Looking at arbitrary sets of data and hunting for patterns isn't really going to yield anything useful. Too many variables.

There is another thread somewhere where this sort of data was collected but I couldn't find it.

There are at least brain differences between E's and I's that I know of...
 

Fluffywolf

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I'm the only I in my entire family. Uncles and Aunts included. I'm fairly sure of that.
 

Haphazard

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Everyone in my immediate family is an introvert.

So yeah.
 

Salomé

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There are at least brain differences between E's and I's that I know of...

Yes. That was my point. E/I are "attitudes", not functions. And are valid outside MBTI theory. The rest...not so much.
 

maliafee

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Yeah I think, if I best look at me growing up, is that my INTP'ness is entirely nurtured.

Or lack thereof.

Quite frankly, me and my sister never got along. I never respected my parents as a kid. They freaking lied to me about Santa Clause's(Dutch:Sinterklaas) existance! ;P I can still remember how angry I was at my mother. Told her I was going to get another mother the next day in school. I was 4 at the time.

And there were a lot of things happening that I were driven towards understanding in thought. Death of my grandmother, our dog, why people lie, why people acted the way they acted. And I developped the ability to hide my own feelings quite well early on as well. I didn't want attention while I was secretly investigating for the answers I sought. I was a loner and an adventurer. And if I would ask this day to my mom what kind of kid I was like, she says: You were odd.

They have no clue. x)

I don't think that was genetic at all. But mostly based on how I learned to deal with my surroundings. And how I coped with life.

Do I regret it? Hell no. :D


If you believe in nurture, this would make sense to you. So I can't argue with your honest perception.

But a person could easily say, "Well, if you were born with a different type tendency you might have dealt with all those things in a different, equally unique way.

Truthfully, your upbringing proves nothing as far as why you are an INTP.

My brother is the only one in the family with blond hair (back several generations). Doesn't mean his hair color is nurtured.

The twin studies on genetics are very interesting. Scientists have found that in cases where two twins were raised apart, one with a foster pair of parents and one with their biological parents, the twin raised with foster parents consistently share approx. 0% traits in common with their adoptive parents. The twin raised with their bio. parents shares 50% traits with those parents. The twins themselves share over 50% traits, though never reared together (understandable).

The breakthrough comes by looking at the twin raised with foster parents. Why does this person not share more with the people that raised them all their lives?

Hmm...
 

Moiety

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Oh gosh, yes. One of those brain switch things I suppose. I totally meant to write "nurture" -- sorry. :doh:

Incidentally, many twin studies, and others, disprove the nurture argument.

Blank Slate being a book?

And when you mention the twin studies what exactly do you mean by traits? MBTI traits?


I'm not saying that nature doesn't play a role (predisposition), but what siblings brought up by their biological parents and that have little in common? (btw I'm only saying upbringing makes for more than 50%)

I mean, if the influence is several generations old you could well say it is indeed always a matter of nature, because chances are I can find people from each one of the 16 types in my ancestry. I know jackshit about biology but if nature is so dominant I'd expect to have heard about it by now. But I won't dismiss the possibility. I'm gonna try and read about it some more too.
 

maliafee

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Blank Slate being a book?

And when you mention the twin studies what exactly do you mean by traits? MBTI traits?


I'm not saying that nature doesn't play a role (predisposition), but what siblings brought up by their biological parents and that have little in common? (btw I'm only saying upbringing makes for more than 50%)

I mean, if the influence is several generations old you could well say it is indeed always a matter of nature, because chances are I can find people from each one of the 16 types in my ancestry. I know jackshit about biology but if nature is so dominant I'd expect to have heard about it by now. But I won't dismiss the possibility. I'm gonna try and read about it some more too.

Yep, Blank Slate is a book that deals with the nature vs. nurture issue. Steven Pinker is an excellent writer and cognitive scientist/linguist who has written some of my favorite popular linguistics books (The Language Instinct, Words and Rules, etc.). I think he might be an INTP but not 100% sure.

In reference to the twin studies, by traits I mean similarities in personality and likes/dislikes, and so on -- all the little things that make someone an individual. But no, not MBTI exactly, that wasn't measured that I know of.

There is also some genetic (DNA) evidence to point to personality being inherent, but it is not MBTI-based. It is E/I, and open vs. not open, etc. I have to look that info up again to give you better details. :D

Glad you are keeping an open mind. I will, too. I do agree that environment affects us quite a bit, but I don't believe it changes our MTBI or socionics or other personality type(s) based on what I've read.
 

Fluffywolf

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Mmh, maybe you're right. I've not read up on this much at all. Just viewed from personal experiences.

If MBTI is in fact genetic, then I must have just been in luck that my life experiences also kept enhancing that. Probably making my type as strong and secure as it is now.
 
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