ABSTRACT
The relative contribution of biology (nature) and the environment (nurture) to the development of the individual has fascinated researchers for many years. The role of heredity in temperament and personality has attracted attention over the past decades and provides insight into the role of nature in coping. Nevertheless, the issues surrounding heredity and coping are to date relatively unexplored. For example, gender is a clear correlate of coping, since generally boys report that they cope in different ways from girls (see Chapter 5). Age is likewise a determinant of coping, in that there is a general tendency for early adolescents to use different coping strategies than older adolescents, and adolescents, in turn, to use different coping strategies than adults. While the area of temperament research is less definitive, there are indications that personality type is a concomitant of coping. Ethnicity and the cultural background of the family are also determinants of coping. How an individual perceives themselves, their attributes and achievements both determines and is determined by how they cope.
