Nature versus nurture. The age-old question of how our environment versus our genetics affects who we are as people. Not only physically, but also mentally and psychologically.
No scientist, counselor or medical professional would ever say you should only choose one over the other when trying to understand a patient or test subject. Why do you think medical professionals request information about your family history and background diagnosing a patient? Indirectly, they are asking for information about your genetics. Medical professionals ask these questions because they understand that genetic factors, as well as environmental and behavioral factors need to be taken into consideration for a diagnosis.
For some reason, as genetic testing advances, some people believe the claims of genetic testing are reaching beyond the science, so they immediately dismiss the genetic side of the equation. Are they correct in that some claims of genetic testing are reaching beyond the science and making claims that are not supported by the science? In some situations: yes.
Interpretation of the genetic research needs to be done in a methodical and scientific way. But some naysayers immediately dismiss the genetics as secondary or even worse, irrelevant. In fact, this backlash has coined a new term… Genetic Denialism – immediately dismissing the genetic side of the equation and focusing 100% on the environmental factors.
The only way to combat this attitude is to focus on the science. If you’re dealing with a company that offers a product in genetic testing or if you’re dealing with a medical professional who works with genetic testing, focus on their expertise. Focus on their interpretation of the data and their scientific credentials to interpret that data.
Don’t be fooled by false claims, but also don’t throw out the genetics side of the equation or you will be doing yourself a disservice.
An example of this disservice is in the following article about using genetics to determine the probability of psychological problems.
