Biology, in An Introduction to Vocational Psychology

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Genes
by Andrew D. Carson, Ph.D.

How does recent understanding gained from the Human Genome Project relate to vocational psychology? Behaviorally oriented psychologists such as Anders Ericsson assert the importance of learning and especially practice in the development of expertise; however, even Ericsson does not deny the likely impact of genes on various factors, particularly personality and interests (see essay on Expertise). Other psychologists, such as Linda S. Gottfredson, have stressed the important role that genes surely play in career development.

Researchers in behavior genetics have reported findings suggesting a strong genetic impact on personality, interest, ability, and other variables likely to affect vocational choice and adjustment. The percentage of influence that is strictly genetic appears to increase with age, reaching approximately 80 percent of variance in important variables (e.g., personality traits and measures of ability) by age 60. However, this percentage is much lower in adolescence and young adulthood. Environmental factors -- and especially nonshared factors -- appear to have a major impact on the development of these traits early in life. Nonshared factors are those influences not attributable to genes that are also not share across all children in a family. For example, if a child attends an art exhibit on Piet Mondrian as part of a class field trip, but his or her siblings did not, then this might set the stage for a nonshared environmental affect on personality or interests. This sort of thing has been studied for years under the rubric of biodata (e.g., the work of William Owens), often in relation to predictors of success in an occupation.