The Minnesota Family Twin Studies have found that 50% to 70% of personality traits are inherited. They did this by comparing identical twins who grew up in different families. The similarities in personality were striking, correlated at 50% when studying their self-perceptions but up to 70% when also combined with their best friend's description of their personality.
The other striking finding is that there is 0% correlation to parenting, because there is no difference in personality similarity correlation in twins raised together and twins raised with different parents. What is believed is that parenting in general has little influence but unique experiences overall including unique parenting experiences probably makes up the rest of the personality. So, in the case of parenting, the unique dynamic between a particular child and parent probably has more of an influence, so if there is a child that is high in neuroticism and low in agreeableness then the dynamic with its parent would be different than with a child that is low in neuroticism and high in agreeableness.
This last part about the dynamics between a parent and child is something that I have observed myself. I have believed for a long time that the particular combination of personalities between a parent and child makes a huge difference in family dynamics and the development of healthy relationships. Siblings can have very different personalities and they can have very different relationships with the same parent. Sometimes one sibling gets along well with a parent and the other one has a really negative view of the same parent, or the same parent has the same situation with their two children. It's the combination of the particular personality dynamics of the two individuals, parent and child.
The correlation between non identical twins is 25% and for other siblings it is 10%. It is believed that something called emergenesis takes the 50% genes from each parent and recombines them to create a very different personality that is not necessarily similar to the siblings who also have 50% each from the same parents.
The other striking finding is that there is 0% correlation to parenting, because there is no difference in personality similarity correlation in twins raised together and twins raised with different parents. What is believed is that parenting in general has little influence but unique experiences overall including unique parenting experiences probably makes up the rest of the personality. So, in the case of parenting, the unique dynamic between a particular child and parent probably has more of an influence, so if there is a child that is high in neuroticism and low in agreeableness then the dynamic with its parent would be different than with a child that is low in neuroticism and high in agreeableness.
This last part about the dynamics between a parent and child is something that I have observed myself. I have believed for a long time that the particular combination of personalities between a parent and child makes a huge difference in family dynamics and the development of healthy relationships. Siblings can have very different personalities and they can have very different relationships with the same parent. Sometimes one sibling gets along well with a parent and the other one has a really negative view of the same parent, or the same parent has the same situation with their two children. It's the combination of the particular personality dynamics of the two individuals, parent and child.
The correlation between non identical twins is 25% and for other siblings it is 10%. It is believed that something called emergenesis takes the 50% genes from each parent and recombines them to create a very different personality that is not necessarily similar to the siblings who also have 50% each from the same parents.
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