Moving on from old dichotomies: beyond nature-nurture towards a lifeline perspective.
BACKGROUND
Genetics is increasingly being used to explain human behaviours, with growing enthusiasm for what could be termed 'genetic determinism', which an ultra-Darwinist approach seeks to apply to all aspects of the human condition.


OBJECTIVE
To consider the validity of the claims concerning the genetics of human behaviour and psychological distress.


METHODS
A critical review of the current assumptions about the relative contributions of genetics and the environment.


CONCLUSIONS
Organisms are in constant interaction with their environment: that is, organisms select environments just as environments select organisms. Like organisms, environments evolve and are homeodynamic rather than homeostatic; both 'genome' and 'envirome' are abstractions from this continuous dialectic.
Rose
S
S
Gresham College, London. s.p.r.rose@open.ac.uk
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004777:Environment; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States