Brain complexity: baby brains under study (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, January 27, 2018, 14:51 (2492 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: A personality is fully formed by 25, but I agree with you it can modify over the years with experience and new events.

DAVID: We are arguing over potentiality, and we actually agree. I've said the programming in the genes exists, but has to be actuated from a zero start. The newborn starts at zero, obviously.

dhw: This discussion has turned into a word game. I have no idea how a personality can ever be “fully formed” when it is capable of change all the way through to the moment of death.

The basic underlying structure of a personality is fully formed by age 25 when the prefrontal cortex is fully developed. Ego defense mechanisms are in place. Patterns like Type A behavior appear or as in transactional analysis, are you an adult, parent or a child in your behavior? Of course your personality naturally modifies its expressions over a lifetime, and with counselling may cause a major change in underlying structure.

dhw: The genetic inborn characteristics (which you say comprise 40% of the personality) are already present even before the baby actually comes out and says “WAH!” Its personality is therefore not a blank slate, but the baby has no means of expressing its individual self, and we have no means of knowing anything about its personality, until it is born. That is the only zero.

Again you are discussing underlying potentials. Genetics and nurture modify each other as life progresses from birth, the zero/ blank point. We agree.