You are on page 1of 3

Thesis:Behaviorisgreatlyinfluencedbygeneticcodefromrecentancestor's experiences.

Genetic codes make people who they are, plain and simple. However, there is a topic not very common among conversation. This topic focuses on the genetic influence on a human's behavior and actions. While physical traits are assumed on account of genetic codes, behavior is greatly influenced by genetic codes from one's recent ancestor's experience. This theory can be proven by concentrating on the effects of alcoholism and other brain issues that could've possibly been from the aftermath of a past of bad parenting and neglection or the ways and experiences of recent to long term ancestors.

Alcoholism is a very unfortunate disorder to claim and although many cases are from a lack of self control, many of those people also may be apart of a family with a past of addiction. It doesn't only happen to alcoholics, but any addiction that one's body may physically crave. These disorders often times come from a genetic mutation. Someone who has a family history of alcoholics is much more likely to become one rather than someone with a clean past. Of course, this behavior is self inflicted, however, drinking may become a scary game if a history of alcohol is common in one's family. Other disorders including anxiety, panic, Down syndrome, and schizophrenia can be determined also by genetic mutation. These disorders are some of the most commonly recognized by people because it's obviously passed down from relatives. "As of 2007, the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database lists over 2,147 observable traits with a known molecular basis, including Down syndrome, schizophrenia, and many different forms of panic disorders."(Jongsma, 2007). In this study, the traits are observed and listed as possible disorders. It shows that there are a number of different disorders passed down by genetics.

Based on ancestry and the influence of good or bad parenting experiences, children will have different genes that affect future behaviors. Heredity plays a huge role in choices and behaviors. "Virtually all of our behavioral traits are influenced to some degree by genetic factors."(Johnson et al, 2009). This explains why one might have the same anger issues as their grandmother and their mother, however lack of same color hair. Behavior is based off of two leading influences; nature or nurture or genetic and environmental. This genotype that focuses on the organism has a phenotype that focuses on the interactions of the organism is it's environment, and then from the predisposition, the polygenic traits can be concluded. What all of this means is that behaviors are based off two types of interaction; the interactions with environment, or the interactions of previous ancestors. Environmental interactions may include how one of brought up into the world, how they were taught and they're outlook on the world. A person who grew up poor and mistreated will have different behavioral issues than a person who grew up in a well established home with security of a family. In any time era, bad parenting will offset the influence of bad genes and create a future problem because of this- which is part of how genetics influence behavior. All of these problems of past ancestors will influence one's behavior down the road by causing trust issues, problems dealing with acceptance and may even have the potential to develop problems with substance abuse. This is how future behaviors can be affected by the experiences of good or bad parenting as well as how the face and view the world and it's environment.

Long or short term, ancestors do influence future generation's genetics, but each person is affected by the experiences of those of their ancestors. Good or bad- ancestors influence personality based on the adventures taken in their life. Life experiences of one's mother,

grandmother, and beyond could directly affect their genes. The study of heritable changes in gene activity that are not caused by changes, or epigenetic changes can be passed down from parent to child. Epigenetic changes were first believed to only occur at a fetal age, but when proven that they're influenced by genetics, scientists were surprised to find out that these changes are passed down one generation to the next. Behaviors also not only develop within a single individual, but across generations. Traumatic experiences in our past, or in our recent ancestors past, leave molecular scars. "Jews whose great grandparents were chased from their Russian shtetls; Chinese whose grandparents lived through the ravages of the Cultural Revolution; young immigrants from Africa whose parents survived massacres; adults of every ethnicity who grew up with alcoholic or abusive parents - all carry with them more than just memories."(Hurley, 2013). This proves that it's not just a specific era, gender, ethnicity- it happens to everyone whether the experiences were good or bad. The mechanisms of behavioral epigenetics underlie not only deficits and weaknesses, but strengths and resiliencies too. Whether the experiences good or bad, future generations will be affected by them as well as the behavior.

Behaviors have many different ways they're affected, however the genetic mutation has the most prominent influence on it. Behaviors can be seen through many disorders such as schizophrenia or many forms of panic disorders. It can also be changed based off of the effects of environmental influences, or nature and nurture. However, the main reason for genetic behavior is from the experiences of past generations and the way they were brought up into the world. From this, we can conclude that genetic changes don't happen to a specific group of people, it happens to everyone; every ethnicity, every gender, every age. Everyone's behavior is affected by their past generations.

You might also like