Prompt: Our personalities are predetermined as a result of our genes before we are born and there is nothing that can be done to change our character traits. Ċ To what extent do you agree?

Research on personality development is a vast topic in the field of psychology. There is a view that nothing can alter our identity as it is determined by our genes before our birth. This essay elaborates, why I completely disagree with this view. Ċ To begin with, a man/woman's personality develops with experiences that he/she encounters. A small baby doesn't have much in terms of character, to start with. As he grows older, he faces numerous struggles, learns from them and develops his own responses which shape his personality. Even though the baby carries his genetic makeup since birth, it the surrounding struggles that ultimately shape his character traits. For example, identical twins carry the same set of genes, but are challenged with different scenarios in life, and thus end up having different personalities. Ċ Secondly, not only is personality development dependent on the situations that we face in the younger years, but it is also malleable. Though we choose to stay rigid about some of our traits, we can alter them according to the situation that we face. For instance, an introverted man who repeatedly fails at relationships might just become an obvious extrovert with practice and effort to succeed in his future relationships. Though our DNA is fixed since birth, even the most basic inherent qualities can be modified contradicting the argument that our genes determine our quirks and nothing can be done to transform them. Ċ Hence, in conclusion, I would completely disagree with the opinion that our personalities are predetermined and our character attributes are not amenable to alteration because our personalities are an outcome of our struggles (more than our nucleic acids) and the ability of a human being to change even the most basic of his traits (a quality not possessed by the genetic material).