Week 4 Discussion 3 COLLAPSE Apply It! Take one element of the theories or ideas presented this week and apply it to a real person – for

example, someone from current events, politics, business, sports, the entertainment field. Define the terms you’re using, and apply them

to an aspect of this person’s life (a specific action, behavior, or decision, for example). How can we understand this person more fully

by using this concept to understand him/her? Biological Aspects of Personality Purpose Chapter 5 is unique in providing a comprehensive

overview of biological influences on personality, but it is written in a way that is tied to other approaches and is easily understandable

by students. For example, this chapter does not get into esoteric disputes from biology and genetics, but rather keeps the focus on

personality. It can easily be integrated into courses that have not previously included a chapter on this topic. With the ‘unravelling’ of

the human genome in the year 2000, and the development of the field of behavioral genomics, it is increasingly important for students to

understand biological aspects of personality. Evolutionary effects and genetic abnormalities are of course important, but many biological

influences are not genetic! For example, environmental toxins, physical disease, and biologically-based creations of environments and

expectations are important biological influences on personality. This is too often ignored. This chapter challenges students to think for

themselves about the role of biology, and re-evaluate common stereotypes. Importantly this chapter concludes with warnings about the

political dangers of a simple-minded approach to biology and personality. Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. Objectives After

reading this chapter, you should be able to: – Discuss the role of temperament in personality and Eysenck’s theory of a biologically-based

personality. – Integrate a biologically-based approach into an understanding of personality – Describe how environmental influences (e.g.,

toxins) can alter biology and influence personality. Copyright © 1995-2002 by Allyn & Bacon A Pearson Company