La personalità è “scritta” nei geni?

Caterina Iofrida 8 febbraio 2012

La personalità umana è, da secoli, al centro dell’interesse di studiosi appartenenti a discipline diverse e distanti tra loro. Storicamente indagata dalla filosofia e, in seguito, dalla psicologia, è oggi studiata approfonditamente anche dai medici e dai biologi, in particolare neuroscienziati e genetisti.

genetic is not an excuse - da http://bartsblackboard.com/
genetic is not an excuse – da http://bartsblackboard.com/

 

Ma che cosa c’entrano i neuroni e i geni con la “mente” della gente?

Nella mia vita, al di là degli addetti ai lavori della scienza, ho quasi sempre incontrato persone convinte che la “mente” e, per dire, il fegato fossero cose completamente diverse, di certo non fatte della stessa materia. La mente non è mica roba fisica, è un po’come l’anima, roba seria insomma. Nobile. Eppure, con una martellata forte in testa, ciao ciao alla memoria, ai sentimenti e quant’altro…!

Tra gli scienziati, invece, spesso ho sentito parlare del carattere di qualcuno in meri termini di livelli di neurotrasmettitori. Come non ci fosse nient’altro: storia personale, sfumature…

Queste diverse categorie di persone, tra di loro, riescono a parlare?

Io cercherò di parlare da scienziata a non-scienziati.

Alcuni geni sono implicati nella predisposizione allo sviluppo di determinati tratti della personalità, nonchè di disturbi di essa. “Predisposizione” significa avere, per trasmissione ereditaria, una probabilità maggiore della media di sviluppare un determinato tratto, o disturbo mentale. Spesso, la probabilità più alta della media è quella di sviluppare un tratto/disturbo solo in risposta ad un certo contesto ambientale. Che cosa significa in risposta? Che questo tratto, o disturbo, potrebbe, anche in soggetti predisposti, non essere mai sviluppato in assenza di un determinato evento o ambiente. Ad esempio, gli individui predisposti geneticamente al “disturbo da stress post traumatico” (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) hanno una probabilità più alta della media di sviluppare depressione, ma solo in risposta ad un evento traumatico nella loro vita. Se l’evento non avviene, non si differenziano in nessun modo, nel carattere e nella probabilità di diventare depressi, dai soggetti non predisposti.

Ecco perchè si pensa che la personalità di un individuo, in un dato momento, sia il risultato di una interazione geni-ambiente che comincia alla sua nascita e continua a “formarlo” per tutto il corso della sua vita. Non sono i soli geni né il solo contesto ambientale a determinarla, ma il loro effetto complessivo.

La questione più importante risiede nel se e quando si debba fare uso, nella società, delle conoscenze che si acquisiscono dalla scienza, così come dalle altre discipline.

Cercherò di argomentare con degli esempi.

Esempio di un tratto caratteriale con una componente genetica: una “personalità altamente sensibile” (Highly Sensitive Personality). Questo tratto non costituisce affatto una patologia e fa parte delle caratteristiche variabili che contribuiscono ad una normale e sana diversità tra individui, definendo parte della personalità delle persone che lo manifestano. Comprendere le sue caratteristiche penso sia utile alla società come qualunque altra conoscenza riguardo la psicologia delle persone. In casi del genere, non credo sia opportuno intervenire in alcun modo per prevenire o modificare un simile tratto caratteriale, semplicemente penso che la società dovrebbeadeguarsi alla diverse realtà delle condizioni psicologiche dei suoi membri.

Esempio di un disturbo mentale con componenti genetiche: la depressione, patologia che affligge una parte imponente della popolazione mondiale ed ha molti sotto-tipi, tra cui il Leggi tutto “La personalità è “scritta” nei geni?”

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