Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 Module 
41 
Trait, Learning, Biological and Evolutionary, and Humanistic Approaches to Personality 
457
may be less inclined to smile at the child; in turn, the environment in which that 
child is raised will be less supportive and pleasant. In a sense, then, genes not only 
infl uence a person’s behavior—they also help produce the environment in which a 
person develops (Scarr, 1998; Plomin & Caspi, 1999; Kim-Cohen, Caspi, & Moffi tt, 
2003; Kim-Cohen et al., 2005). 
Although an increasing number of personality theorists are taking biological and 
evolutionary factors into account, no comprehensive, unifi ed theory that considers 
biological and evolutionary factors is widely accepted. Still, it is clear that certain 
personality traits have substantial genetic components and that heredity and environ-
ment interact to determine personality (Ebstein, Benjamin, & Belmaker, 2003; 
Bouchard, 2004; South & Krueger, 2008).
Humanistic Approaches: 
The Uniqueness of You 
In all the approaches to personality that we have discussed, where is an explanation for 
the saintliness of a Mother Teresa, the creativity of a Michelangelo, and the brilliance 
and perseverance of an Einstein? An understanding of such unique individuals—as well 
as more ordinary sorts of people who have some of the same attributes—comes from 
humanistic theory. 
According to humanistic theorists, all the approaches to personality we have 
discussed share a fundamental misperception in their views of human nature. Instead 
of seeing people as controlled by unconscious, unseen forces (psychodynamic 
approaches), a set of stable traits (trait approaches), situational reinforcements and 
punishments (learning theory), or inherited factors (biological and evolutionary 
approaches), humanistic approaches to personality emphasize people’s inherent 
goodness and their tendency to move toward higher levels of functioning. It is this