^{HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT}

            ^{Man is an integrated psychosomatic system and his total personality is a product of the interaction between heredity (nature) and environment (nurture). Differences in individuals, resulting from growth and development, can be clearly attributed to the variations in heredity endowments and environmental stimulations. Differential influences of these two factors result in individual differences in personality traits and consequent variations in behaviour.}

^Heredity

            ^{Heredity is the sum total of the physical and mental qualities that an individual inherits from his parents. These qualities are transmitted to the person from his parents through genes in the chromosomes. According to Peterson, heredity of an individual may be defined as what he gets from his ancestral stock through his parents. People belong to different heredity stock and are thus bound to differ in native endowments, abilities and capacities provided by the heredity decide the limit of one’s growth and development in various dimensions and aspects of one’s personality.}

            ^{Heredity is of two types – biological heredity and social heredity. Biological heredity involves all those physiological and psychological characteristics which a person inherits form his parents through genes in the chromosomes. Social heredity refers to all that one generation gets from preceding generations in the form of social customs, traditions, ideals, values, believes, morals, conventions, skills etc. When each generation transmits the acquired skills and knowledge to the succeeding generations, it constitutes social inheritance. Every society is characterized by its culture heritage which is transmitted from generation to generation in the form of social heredity.}

^Environment

            ^{Environment is everything other than heredity that influences an individual’s growth and development. According to Woodworth, environment covers all the outside factors that have acted on the individual since he began life. It refers not only to the physical surroundings but even to the thoughts and attitudes of others which exert an influence on individual. Education, training , experience, nourishment and all other stimulations come under environmental influences.}