Page 24 - Biblical Counseling II-Textbook

The third piece of evidence for the biological paradigm is “the consistency of temperament over time.
Some have linked temperament to genetics and then defined personality as temperament plus
environment (nature + nurture). Generally speaking, when we go to bed at night we do not expect to
wake up the next day with a radically changed personality. Although abrupt changes do occur these are
often due to trauma of some sort, either physical or emotional, which changes brain physiology in the
case of an accident or brain chemistry in the case of a traumatizing event. More often, humans
experience a stable consistent personality, which is predictable from day to day. Biological psychologists
believe that this is because of the stable nature of our brain hardware. Clearly, it seems that there is not
refuting the fact that inborn genetic and physiological patterns underlie human personality” (p. 160).

The biological paradigm is interesting and important to study. It helps us understand how our brains are
connected to our personality. We also have a better understanding of how temperament traits are
genetic. However, we know “the biblical teaching regarding human nature includes both physical and
spiritual dimensions. The Bible teaches that humans are a unified whole consisting of both material and
immaterial attributes united together to become a ‘living soul.’ The separation of body and spirit is
unnatural and is the essence of death. To leave out the spiritual aspect of human nature is to leave out
one of the foundational moorings of a biblical anthropology” (p. 161).

Take a moment and think about your personality from the biological approach. What personality traits
do you think you were born with? Do you have personality traits now that you had when you were a
child? Even as a baby? Write a few of them here:

The Behavioral Paradigm of Human Personality
Let’s take what we just learned about the biological approach to personality and spend a little time on
another approach. The behavioral paradigm of human personality “sees people as behaving organisms,
as animals who are simply more complex in nature and more advanced in mental capacity. Correction
and reinforcements come from everyday experiences and forces in the environment, which serve to
shape our thinking, attitudes, behavior, and personality. Biological psychologists see behavior as a result
of brain functioning and innate personality traits. Behaviorists believe that personality traits are
determined by causal factors within the experience of the person rather than in his biology” (Shields &
Bredfeldt, p. 165-166, 2001). Let’s take a quick look at four propositions Professors Shields and Bredfeldt
use to summarize the behavioral paradigm. Evaluate each proposition as you read it for what you know
to be true about human personality:

“Proposition 1: Experience and learning are the primary forces that shape human behavior and
personality. Behaviorists hold that in experiences of daily life, personality qualities are formed and
habits learned. Whether it is the tendency toward aggression or shyness, whether it be socially desirable
or undesirable behavior, the behaviorist would point to experience and to conditioned and
observational learning as the reasons for these personality markers” (p. 167). (In the case of our two-
year-olds, Behaviorists would say the Joshua and Steven learned these qualities because of the
environment they life in.)

“Proposition 2: Humans are born with a “blank slate” mind that immediately begins to form
associations from worldly sensations. This belief does not allow for free will or conscious decision
making. Instead, each child is seen as a blank slate subject to the conditioning forces in the environment.
Through experiences beginning at the moment of birth, children are believed to establish associations
within the mind between behaviors and various rewards. These associations, become the basis on which
personality is built (p. 168).” (Behaviorists would say timid, shy Joshua is that way because of how he

23