Descriptive Psychopathology: The Signs and Symptoms of ...

338 Section 3: Examination domainsTable 14.1. Behavioral traits with high heritabilityAggressivenessAltruismAssertivenessConstraintEmpathyHarm avoidanceImpulsivityLeadershipNovelty seekingNurturancePersistencePhysicalityReward dependenceSocial closenessSociabilityTraditionalismWellbeingpersonality, and normal persons with dramatically different personalities stillexpress the same range of emotions. Intelligence also modestly interacts withpersonality, the higher a person’s intelligence the lower is the person’s score onpersonality measures of conformity. 35Temperament traits have high heritability (about 50%) and each has a putativeneuroanatomic and neurochemical substrate. Two types of gene–environmentinteractions are proposed. 36Shared environmental refers to common experience. Shared environment thatis considered culturally and interpersonally typical has only a weak affect onindividual differences in personality development. This includes mostly preschool,parent-related experiences. Shared environment, however, plays more ofa role when conditions are pathological, e.g. an abusive or chronically ill parent. 37Non-shared environmental experience substantially impacts trait development.The impact can be on the phenotypic trait expression or directly on genes byinfluencing transcription factors. Examples of non-shared environmental influencesinclude intrauterine events, illness-related childhood experiences, playground,school and peer influences, viral infection, and illicit drug use. Individual differencesare explained by the astronomically high possibilities of the combined strengths ofexpression of each trait, each the result of gene expression and unique experience. 38Table 14.1 displays some of the more easily recognized traits with highheritability.Examining for personality traitsPersonality traits are long-standing behaviors. Questions that will accurately elicittraits need to reflect the continuity of these behaviors. The patient needs tounderstand that the examiner is asking about the patient’s typical, most-of-the-time,everyday self when not ill. Obtaining information from the patient’s perspective and