TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of the family environment on personality
T2 - Accounting for sibling differences
AU - Hoffman, Lois Wladis
PY - 1991
Y1 - 1991
N2 - Findings from behavioral genetics indicate that environment affects personality but that siblings are not alike. This has been interpreted as challenging the idea that child rearing and family events are important. Research from behavioral genetics and developmental psychology is reviewed, suggesting the following: (a) Sibling dissimilarity may be overestimated because of limitations of methodology, measurement, and the outcome variables examined; (b) developmental psychology conceptualizes the family as involving interaction between the person and the environment and personality as multidetermined; thus, sibling dissimilarity is not surprising; (c) objective and subjective family experiences vary for siblings because of birth order, age differences, gender, genetics, idiosyncratic experiences; (d) sibling differences and similarities may be tied to whether particular outcomes are influenced by specific, varying environments or general family styles.
AB - Findings from behavioral genetics indicate that environment affects personality but that siblings are not alike. This has been interpreted as challenging the idea that child rearing and family events are important. Research from behavioral genetics and developmental psychology is reviewed, suggesting the following: (a) Sibling dissimilarity may be overestimated because of limitations of methodology, measurement, and the outcome variables examined; (b) developmental psychology conceptualizes the family as involving interaction between the person and the environment and personality as multidetermined; thus, sibling dissimilarity is not surprising; (c) objective and subjective family experiences vary for siblings because of birth order, age differences, gender, genetics, idiosyncratic experiences; (d) sibling differences and similarities may be tied to whether particular outcomes are influenced by specific, varying environments or general family styles.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0000067977&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0033-2909.110.2.187
DO - 10.1037/0033-2909.110.2.187
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0000067977
SN - 0033-2909
VL - 110
SP - 187
EP - 203
JO - Psychological Bulletin
JF - Psychological Bulletin
IS - 2
ER -