A
genetic predisposition is a
geneticGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
affectation which influences the
phenotypeA phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
of an individual organism within a species or population but by definition that phenotype can also be modified by the
environmentalThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
conditions. In the rest of the population, conditions cannot have that effect. Genetic testing is able to identify individuals who are genetically predisposed to certain
health problemsA disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
.
Behavior
Predisposition is the capacity we are born with to learn things such as language and concept of self. Negative environmental influences may block the predisposition (ability) we have to do some things. Behaviors displayed by animals can be influenced by genetic predispositions. Genetic predisposition towards certain human behaviors is
scientifically investigatedEthology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
by attempts to identify patterns of human behavior that seem to be invariant over long periods of time and in very different cultures.
For example, philosopher
Daniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
has proposed that humans are genetically predisposed to have a
theory of mindTheory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own...
because there has been
evolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary selection for the human ability to adopt the
intentional stanceThe intentional stance is a term coined by philosopher Daniel Dennett for the level of abstraction in which we view the behavior of a thing in terms of mental properties...
. The
intentional stance is a useful behavioral strategy by which humans assume that others have
mindThe concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
s like their own. This assumption allows you to predict the behavior of others based on personal knowledge of what you would do.
It has been proved that there's no genetic predisposition for learning a particular language.
Genetic discrimination in health insurance
The
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination ActThe Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 , is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit the improper use of genetic information in health insurance and employment...
, which was
signed into law by President Bush on May 21, 2008, prohibits discrimination in employment and health insurance based on genetic information.
See also
- Human nature
Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally....
- E. O. Wilson's book on sociobiology
Sociobiology is a field of scientific study which is based on the assumption that social behavior has resulted from evolution and attempts to explain and examine social behavior within that context. Often considered a branch of biology and sociology, it also draws from ethology, anthropology,...
and his book ConsilienceConsilience, or the unity of knowledge , has its roots in the ancient Greek concept of an intrinsic orderliness that governs our cosmos, inherently comprehensible by logical process, a vision at odds with mystical views in many cultures that surrounded the Hellenes...
discuss the idea of genetic predisposition to behaviors
- The field of evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...
explores the idea that certain behaviors have been selected for during the course of evolution.
- The nature versus nurture
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...
debate
- Behavioral genetics
- Predispositioning Theory
Predispositioning theory in the field of decision theory and systems theory is a theory, that focused on the intermediate stage between a complete order and a complete disorder....
- Genetic discrimination
Genetic discrimination occurs when people are treated differently by their employer or insurance company because they have a gene mutation that causes or increases the risk of an inherited disorder. People who undergo genetic testing may be at risk for genetic discrimination.The results of a...
- Psychiatric genetics
Psychiatric genetics, a subfield of behavioral neurogenetics, studies the role of genetics in psychological conditions such as alcoholism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. The basic principle behind psychiatric genetics is that genetic polymorphisms, as indicated by linkage to e.g...
- Gene-environment correlation
Gene-environment correlation is said to occur when exposure to environmental conditions depends on an individual's genotype.-Definition:...
- Medical genetics of Ashkenazi Jews
- eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
- Eggshell skull
The eggshell skull rule is a well established legal doctrine used in some tort law systems, with a similar doctrine applicable to criminal law.-The law:...
- MODY
Mody may refer to:* Maturity onset diabetes of the young * Hormusjee Naorojee Mody...
- Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
External links