Video: Personality-Type Development: Nature vs. Nurture

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• Often there is some discomfort with the idea that one's Psyche-Type is innate. Jung observed that, 'no child is born tabula rasa', or blank slate. That is, each of us is born with a predisposition, a particular perspective on the world. Your Psyche-Type is like gender, it with you for life.Clearly, no two human beings are identical, so how does 'nurture' affect our 'nature', or Psyche-Type? And how do we reconcile the common complaint, 'but I know that in my life, I've changed!'?Many people who make this claim, are unaware that the perceived 'changes' are entirely consistent with Type theory! Psyche-Type and Gender are lifelong consistent dichotomies -- both remain with us for life but undergo a series of fairly well understood developments. Just as our bodies grow and mature throughout life, our Psyche-Type preferences also develop to maturity over time.The arising of each function brings with it different awarenesses and understandings, so that from a rather narrow worldview as children, we gradually gain a more holistic appreciation, through the development and use of our other faculties.Within this basic framework of development there is lots of individual variation, as the development of our innate personality preferences is shaped by the environment we grow up in. This can either encourage or discourage the expression of our true nature and includes such factors as:- Gender roles- Culture- Family expectations- Individual CircumstancesThe gender roles of my culture and many others often consider T-values 'masculine' and F-values 'feminine'. These gender roles are socially constructed, that is, whether we use thinking or feeling has nothing to do with being male or female. However, as an INTJ, growing up I was certainly aware of being regarded as a very 'unusual' sort of girl. As a woman who uses extraverted thinking, I knew that many found an analytical mind in female form, somewhat confronting. Similarly, I have known many men who have a Feeling preference to report being chided as woozy, told to 'man-up' or 'don't be a sissy', when they were simply gently expressing a natural concern for others. Obviously, this sort of stereotyping or cultural expectation can have a powerful affect on children who are still carving out their own identity while looking for validation from their parents and elders. Incorrect indicator results are common amongst F-men and T-women who straddle the gender divide. T-women will often identify as 'Feeling', having learned this is more socially acceptable for their gender, whilst many F-men may report a preference for Thinking because they have learned to fit in by putting on a more hard-headed facade.One of the best examples of how culture can affect the expression of Type is found in societies that bias either introversion or extraversion. In cultures given to extraversion, such as the United States, introverts are often seen as lacking 'confidence' and encouraged to be more outgoing. Yet many Asian cultures, like Korea, shun extraversion, which is seen as inappropriate or attention-seeking.Within families, there is no guarantee that children will be psychologically similar or even compatible with their parents, and like culture, often even parents and caregivers can unwittingly impose their own Type values upon their children, crushing there innate nature. In an ideal scenario our family would support and encourage our natural gifts, but when family values are very different to our own are ignorantly imposed, it can also cause us to doubt and mistrust our particular preferences. Sadly, this is often nothing more than an innocent lack of knowledge on the part of parents, who want the best for their children imagining their kids are mini versions of themselves. Individual circumstances that shape Type development can be things like childhood trauma. A sudden change in family life where a young person must take on increased responsibility, for example, may compel a child to develop their lesser-preferred functions earlier, particularly if these are a survival necessity. Your Psyche-Type is with you for life, but this should not be seen as limiting or deterministic; it is just your starting point, affording gifts and challenges for life. Your Psyche-Type doesn't supplant individuality. It complements it, and grows with you. People of the same Type share a particular approach to the world just as men do with other men and women with other women, but none of us are cookie-cutter clones. Who we are as individuals, is shaped by our environment, and we are all a combination of our innate values as well as those we learn and those we choose. If you're aware of environmental factors that affected the development of your preferences during childhood, please share them below! (From Interpersonality.Com)