Transcript Heredity vs. Environment - Williamstown Independent Schools

HEREDITY VS. ENVIRONMENT
HEREDITY
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Chromosomes-humans have 23 pairs of
chromosomes (46 total) in every cell of their
body.
The male’s sperm contains 23 chromosomes.
 The female’s egg contains 23 chromosomes.
 When the egg and sperm unite the cell get a total of 46
chromosomes.
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Gene-basic unit of heredity.
Genes carry all the characteristics that will be transferred.
 Some are dominate (more influential) and some are
recessive (less influential).
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Intellectual Ability-your intellectual potential
is inherited, though your environment and
your response to your environment affect it
greatly.
Longevity-you may inherit long life spans from
relatives. Environment still plays a large role
in determining longevity.
Physical Characteristics-most of your physical
characteristics are based on heredity.
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Dominant
 Curly or wavy hair
 Black or brown hair
 Long, full eyelashes
 Brown eyes
 Full lips
 Free earlobes
 Dimples
 Chin cleft
 High, narrow nose
 Freckles
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Recessive
 Straight hair
 Blonde or red hair
 Short, thin eyelashes
 Blue eyes
 Thin lips
 Fixed earlobes
 No dimples
 Smooth chin
 Low, broad nose
 No freckles
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Diseases and defects-Some diseases and defects
are hereditary such as some types of cancer,
heart disease, and mental illnesses.
ENVIRONMENT
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Environment-the things that surround you.
 Your family-provides the single most
important environmental influence on a
child’s personality development.
Sibling Rivalry-competition with brothers and sisters.
 Loving family members provide a source of emotional
support to one another throughout life.
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Culture-the total social environment of a
people or group.
Each family learns its customary beliefs and modes of
behavior from its country of origin.
 Everyday interactions reflect cultural practices (family
meals, births, weddings.)
 How do cultural influences affect our behavior?
 Would some people start smoking if they lived in a
culture in which this practice was considered
unglamorous and self-destructive?
 Would some people resort to violence if they had seen
less of it on television and movies?
 Would Americans value freedom and individual initiative
so highly if the nation had not been founded on these
principles?
 We are responsible for working to make a better culture for
future generations and ourselves.
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Peer Group-people about your own age.
Your peer group is one of the strongest forces in your life.
 Peers can be a source of strength and reinforcement. This
influence is natural and even essential in the development
of healthy adolescents.
 As an adolescent, you are searching for an identify and
social acceptance. You are particularly vulnerable to peer
pressure.
 Loyalties between your friends and you may be tested if
they have standards that are unlike yours.
 Some teens may feel “emotionally abandoned” by busy or
absent parents. These young adults are often attracted to
peers who are similarly free of strong family ties.
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Technology
One of the biggest changes in our society has been the shift
from an industrial society to an information society.
 Technology is found everywhere around us. Sometimes this
technology can compete with other activities such as family
responsibilities, physical exercise, and social events. It can
also bring family closer together because they can keep in
touch easier.
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Media-television, movies, magazines,
newspapers, music, and the Internet are only a
few examples of media.
Media can be an important source of both information and
entertainment.
 You have a responsibility to protect yourself from the
desensitizing effects of viewing too much violence or other
unwholesome programming.
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Personal Response Patterns
Anger
 Anger is a normal human reaction to a stressful
situation.
 Anger can be used constructively when it is directed
against the forces that have caused a problem.
 Fear
 Fear is a discomfort that may range from a mild feeling
of being unsafe to an intense anxiety about loosing your
life.
 You can carry the fears from you childhood to your adult
life.
 Fear can give added strength in dangerous situations.
 Depression
 Many teens have occasional feelings of inferiority.
 Depression is a whole body illness involving the body,
mood and thoughts.
 It can affect behavior, physical development and
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Attitudes
 An attitude is a feeling of mental position about
something.
 Your attitudes are formed by your experiences or by
others’ attitudes that you may adopt as your own.
 Prejudices
 Prejudices are attitudes based on false or insufficient
information.
 People who have strong prejudices are called bigots.
 Fear, guilt, frustration, or feelings of inferiority are the
basis for some prejudices.
 Stereotypes
 Widely held beliefs that all members of a group share the
same characteristics.
 Some common stereotypes involve age, gender, race, and
socio-economic status.
 Gender or sex-role stereotyping is frequently heard.
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Personal Health
Health problems can be passed down through genes, but
also can be environmental.
 If you have a history of health problems you should take
extra caution to prevent them.
 Various birth defects can be inherited.
 Cystic Fibrosis
 Diabetes
 Down syndrome
 Sickle-cell anemia
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Blood Factors
 A person’s blood type is determined by genes.
 Rh Factor-specific blood element.
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When a Rh-negative mother is carrying a baby who is Rhpositive the mothers antibodies can attack the blood of the
infant.
A vaccine can be given to the mother to prevent the
antibodies from attacking the infant.
How can peer pressure affect personal health?