Part 1: Question. Ask a question from Chapter 14 – 17, but it MUST address climate change.
Consider a case whereby two people have a similar background and are of the same gender. The socioeconomic status of their families is identical, and they receive healthcare and education of the same quality. Their neighborhoods are also similar, as well as their age. The only difference is that one of the person is in a region where it is considerably warmer almost the entire year while the other person stays in a region which is relatively colder. According to research, the person who grew up in a more temperate climate has a higher likeliness to have better emotional stability, more open, and agreeable (Fritz, 2017, para 3). This raises an interesting question: does the climate shape our personalities? If so, how are our personalities and the climate connected? A new study agrees that, indeed, people’s habits are different due to the varying temperature patterns around the globe (Scotti, 2017, para 2). If this is so, does this mean that global warming will make people more sad and aggressive in the future? Will the warming temperature stimulate disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder?
References
Fritz, A., (2017). Our personalities are shaped by the climate we grew up in, a new study says Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/11/27/our-personalities-are-shaped-by-the-climate-we-grew-up-in-new-study-says/
Scotti, A., (2017). Climate change might affect people’s personalities. Health News. Retrieved from https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/climate-change-affect-people-personalities-article-1.3665838
Part 2: Answer Your Question. This part is different from previous discussions. Here you must now answer your own question.
Human personality traits have been observed to analytically change across geographical regions around the globe. There are numerous reasons why this might be the case, although research has determined that one key factor to this observation is the difference in various ambient temperatures. The study claimed that people who portrayed increased levels of “extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience” were those who grew up in areas with “clement ambient temperatures (closer to 22 °C/about 72 °F),” (McGreal, para 1). This is not the case with individuals that grow up in regions that are either hotter or colder.
One way that personality development is affected is through the ability of the area’s temperature to stimulate temperature-related fatigue. Hotter or colder environments may also determine the personality traits that may adapt better to them. Similarly, the “Goldilocks effect” may also play a huge role in impacting personality development in one way or another. While moderate temperatures may be the best for human beings, a surrounding that is either too cold or hot may have significant impacts (22 C/ 72 F) (McGreal, para 3). According to Wei et al., the temperature is likely to affect one’s personality development, especially during his or her formative years (2017). The authors argue that mild temperatures may make individuals have the desire to get out and have new experiences, such as making new friends. In contrast, a hotter or colder temperature may make people tend to socialize or explore their environment less as they stay indoors more.
Given the proof that temperature indeed affects our personality development, one cannot stop worrying over the fact that global warming might have significant and adverse effects on our moods. A vast number of countries are recording rising temperatures, and many people are concerned about how this may affect their moods. Given the increasing effects of global warming, will hot weather impact our mood and make us more violent and aggressive? According to Denissen (2007), increasing temperatures have a similar effect on an individual’s negative feelings- one is more likely to feel jittery, distressed, and irritable when the temperatures are high. This may lead to a psychological disorder known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a depressive disorder that may be attached to a particular season. SAD may affect people during the winter and fall months (Denissen, 2007). On the other hand, Hsiang et al. (2013) discovered that higher temperatures were interlinked with aggressive behavior in humans. The researcher found out that intergroup conflicts increased by 14% whenever the temperature rose while a significant increase of 4% was observed in interpersonal violence (Hsiang, 2013).
Koskinen et al. (2002) noted that there are more cases of suicide during the summer and spring. The researcher argued that the depressed might find this period unbearable and result in committing suicide. Those affected most are the outdoor workers who recorded a higher rate of suicide during spring than during winter. This presents a challenge because the world’s temperature is continuously changing. If some types of disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are not taken seriously, it may claim many lives and leave scores depressed in the future because the world’s temperature is becoming warmer and warmer. The public should be made aware of the possible effects of a region’s weather on their moods and behavior, and this may help in preventing severe cases such as suicide and chronic depression.
References
Hsiang, SM, et al., (2013). Quantifying the influence of climate on human conflict. Science.
Koskinen O1, Pukkila K, Hakko H, Tiihonen J, Väisänen E, Särkioja T, Räsänen P. (2002). Is occupation relevant in suicide? J Affect Disord. 2002 Jul;70(2):197-203
McGreal S. A., (2018). Does Regional Temperature Affect Personality? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/unique-everybody-else/201811/does-regional-temperature-affect-personality
Penke, L., Denissen, J. J. A., & Miller, G. F. (2007). The evolutionary genetics of personality. European Journal of Personality, 21(5), 549-587. doi:10.1002/per.629
Wei, W., Lu, J. G., Galinsky, A. D., Wu, H., Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., … Wang, L. (2017). Regional ambient temperature is associated with human personality. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(12), 890–895. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0240-0
Part 3: Answer a question from your group. This is the same task as in previous discussions. Choose a question from someone else in your group and answer it. Answering to Vivek Patil’s question: “What specific disorders may be more common in such events? Knowing this, what can be done proactively to help prepare for the psychological impacts of the increased frequency/severity of natural disasters?’
Climatic change will indeed have substantial impacts such as severe droughts, massive storms, and rising sea levels. More research has majored about the physical effects of the rapidly changing climate while keeping a blind eye on the possible psychological effects. Although people may tend to accept the changing climates, the resulting psychological impacts make this complicated. That is why it is vital to make people comprehend how people may be affected by the results, which might motivate them to be more willing to take action and respond positively toward climatic change.
There will be a wide variation in how different people will be impacted by the climatic change. Different communities and individuals will be affected differently (Hodge, Manning & Clayton, 2014). Some factors may make a community more vulnerable to the psychological effects of the severe change in the climate. They include a considerable number of older people and children, low educational levels, socioeconomic factors, social stressors such as poverty and racial discrimination, poor physical infrastructure, and how intense and frequent is the climatic impact (Hodge, Manning & Clayton, 2014).
Various pathways will contribute to the effects of the climatic change. Some results will be from the natural disasters caused by the change in the climate, such as heatwaves, wildfires, and floods. Gradual impacts such as rising sea levels and increasing temperatures will also be a source of the effects. The community health at large will be severely impacted, and there might arise issues such as increased aggression, violence, and criminal behavior (Clayton, Manning, & Hodge, 2014). The primary mental health effects will include depression, anxiety, and stress with increased severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (Berry, Bowen, & Kjellstrom, 2010). The group with a higher vulnerability in such a case include older people, children, and women. Rising cases of lung problems, asthma, and infectious diseases will also increase the likelihood of physical trauma.
This may be dealt with by engaging the public on the issue of climatic change in a way that will help them handle the issue of change in climate in a confident way rather than through depression and panic. Communities should also be taken through some programs that will help them acquire strength to cope with the issue. As seen above, involving the community and ensuring that people are informed, strengthening them, and encouraging them to remain optimistic will go a long way in reducing the severe effects of climate change.
References
Berry, H. L., Bowen, K., & Kjellstrom, T. (2010). Climate change and mental health: A causal pathways framework. International Journal of Public Health, 55(2), 123–132.
Clayton, S., Manning, C., & Hodge, C. (2014). Beyond storms & droughts: The psychological impacts of climate change. https://ecoamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/eA_Beyond_Storms_and_Droughts_Psych_Impacts_of_Climate_Change.pdf
Hodge, C., Manning, C., & Clayton, S. (2014). “Beyond Storms & Droughts: The Psychological Impacts of Climate Change” Retrieved from https://psychotraumanet.org/en/beyond-storms-droughts-psychological-impacts-climate-change-eng