IELTS Essay Topic: Personal character

Many people hold that our character traits are predefined by hereditary before birth, therefore, changing them is simply out of question. I do not completely agree with this notion because I believe genetic makeup is not the only determinant of human personalities.

Together with herediaty, there are other shapers of personalities, including culture and education. In specific, cultural values affect the way people behave under certain circumstances while educational knowledge acts as a foundation where people build and develop their own set of personal traits. In certain contexts, the interaction between genetics and these factors might make a person alter his/her personalities. For example, a person might be genetically predisposed to being shy and simple-minded, but living in a high-interactive and well-educated community might lead him to be more confident and intelligent. In general, cultural and educational environments are the real keys to the personality change.

Of course, the role of genes in the development of personality is also undeniable. Many research findings suggest that most genetic traits that we have are emotional patterns, the natural states that hardly changes throughout one’s lifetime. For example, some people are naturally more fearful than others and even they reach adulthood, they still have phobias and tend to avoid scary things, such as horror movies. However, as mentioned above, genes are not the only one crucial factor in personality forming, therefore, it is unlikely that inherited personalities will remain fixed and stable throughout life.

In conclusion, although genetic makeup has an immense influence on the development of personalities, this is not a sound reason to argue that our characteristic traits will never be changed.

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