Chapter 1 You: Growing and Changing
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Heredity influences more than your appearance.
It also affects traits such as your attitude, intelligence,
and behavior. Thus, heredity is one factor in shaping
your total personality.
Your environment also plays a major part in
your personality development, 1-2. Environment is
all of the conditions, objects, and circumstances that
surround an individual. You and your classmates
share parts of your environment. You attend the same
school and have the same teachers. You participate in
the same activities. Other parts of your environment
are different from those of your classmates. Factors
such as your family situation, neighborhood, religion,
and friends make your environment unique to you.
Your environment affects your thoughts, feelings,
and actions. It helps shape your personality. Traits
developed as a result of environmental factors are
called acquired traits.
1-1
From the moment of birth, a child’s personality is
affected by relationships within the family.
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Science Science
From each parent you have
23 chromosomes, which carry
hereditary information. The 46 total
chromosomes found in every cell
of your body contain genes. How
the genes combine decide a child’s
traits. For example, a child with one
dominant gene for brown eyes and
one recessive gene for blue eyes
will have brown eyes. Inheriting blue
eyes, however, means the child
received two recessive genes. Learn
other ways that genes affect you
by searching “basics on genes” at
www.kidshealth.org/teen.