The complex genetics and biology of human temperament : a review of traditional concepts in relation to new molecular findings

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shown that temperament is strongly influenced by more than 700 genes that modulate associative conditioning by molecular processes for synaptic plasticity and long-term learning and memory. The results were replicated in three independent samples despite variable cultures and environments. The identified genes were enriched in pathways activated by behavioral conditioning in animals, including the two major molecular pathways for response to extracellular stimuli, the Ras-MEK-ERK and the PI3K-AKT-mTOR cascades. These pathways are activated by a wide variety of physiological and psychosocial stimuli that vary in positive and negative valence and in consequences for health and survival. Changes in these pathways are orchestrated to maintain cellular homeostasis despite changing conditions by modulating temperament and its circadian and seasonal rhythms. In this review we first consider traditional concepts of temperament in relation to the new genetic findings by examining the partial overlap of alternative measures of temperament. Then we propose a definition of temperament as the disposition of a person to learn how to behave, react emotionally, and form attachments automatically by associative conditioning. This definition provides necessary and sufficient criteria to distinguish temperament from other aspects of personality that become integrated with it across the life span. We describe the effects of specific stimuli on the molecular processes underlying temperament from functional, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives. Our new knowledge can improve communication among investigators, increase the power and efficacy of clinical trials, and improve the effectiveness of treatment of personality and its disorders.Peer reviewe

Identifying the dominant personality profiles in medical students: Implications for their well-being and resilience

Purpos

Rations for dairy cows

"May, 1939""Revised April 1942""The average annual production for Missouri dairy cows, 160 pounds of butterfat, can be raised to approximately 300 pounds through proper feeding."--First paragraph.M. J. Regan and W. H. Cloninge

Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well

The purpose of this dissertation is to consider the role of well-being in schooling. Recent advances in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and medicine have led to a reexamination of the role of well-being in society. There is a growing body of educational theory on the subject of well-being in schools that draws on these advances (Cohen, 2006; Noddings, 2003, 2006; Ruyter, 2004; Spring, 2007). The few serious treatments on the role of well-being in education consider it from a theoretical perspective. Few if any empirical research studies in the fields of Curriculum or Educational Psychology have been conducted that explore well-being in schools. This dissertation will use the Science of Well-Being (C. R. Cloninger, 2004), an emerging theory unifying many fields of science, to take a new look at alternative education to explore how schools can attend to the well-being of children and society. Specifically, this dissertation will investigate Krishnamurti Education using an arts-based qualitative research method: Educational Criticism and Connoisseurship (Eisner, 1998). I conducted research for roughly one month each at two Krishnamurti schools: the Oak Grove School in Ojai, California, and Brockwood Park in Hampshire, England. I made long-term observations of 9 teachers at these two schools. All told, this dissertation draws from 150 hours of observations and interviews with parents, teachers, administrators, and former students. By studying these two schools, I answer the following research questions: 1) How is well-being related to schooling? 2) In two schools dedicated to the ideas of well-being and self-awareness, what specific strategies and pedagogies are used to help students cultivate self-awareness and well-being? 3) What is the significance of theories and practices aimed at increasing well-being for public schools in general? In an attempt to compare the educational approaches of the two schools, five underlying principles or dimensions emerged, which both schools share. These five dimensions are: 1) Safety, Security, and Trust, 2) Order, Structure, and Activity, 3) Care, Affection, and Attention, 4) Intellect, Reasoning, and Meaning, and 5) The Sacred, Spirituality, and Religiosity. These five dimensions of schooling are essential to consider in the development of well-being. Krishnamurti schools, by attending to all of these dimensions, seek to reinvigorate communities of learning. Instead of relying exclusively on techniques, ideology, and methods, they seek to create relationships within a community. The three themes that emerged from this study inform this dimensional framework by helping us to see how well-being can be encouraged in each of these five dimensions. The three themes of love, freedom, and awareness emerged from the observations and interviews; they also appear frequently in Krishnamurti\u27s writings and correspond with research from the Science of Well-Being on the practices that lead to greater well-being and the development of character. The implications of this research for public education and teacher education are explored

Uncovering the complex genetics of human character

Human personality is 30-60% heritable according to twin and adoption studies. Hundreds of genetic variants are expected to influence its complex development, but few have been identified. We used a machine learning method for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to uncover complex genotypic-phenotypic networks and environmental interactions. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) measured the self-regulatory components of personality critical for health (i.e., the character traits of self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence). In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified five clusters of people with distinct profiles of character traits regardless of genotype. Third, we found 42 SNP sets that identified 727 gene loci and were significantly associated with one or more of the character profiles. Each character profile was related to different SNP sets with distinct molecular processes and neuronal functions. Environmental influences measured in childhood and adulthood had small but significant effects. We confirmed the replicability of 95% of the 42 SNP sets in healthy Korean and German samples, as well as their associations with character. The identified SNPs explained nearly all the heritability expected for character in each sample (50 to 58%). We conclude that self-regulatory personality traits are strongly influenced by organized interactions among more than 700 genes despite variable cultures and environments. These gene sets modulate specific molecular processes in brain for intentional goal-setting, self-reflection, empathy, and episodic learning and memory