No Two Alike
A paradigm-shifting personality theory.
The controversial author of The Nurture Assumption addresses psychology's biggest mystery: why do people differ so much in personality and behavior? Even identical twins who grow up together - same DNA, same parents - have distinct personalities, so it can't just be "nature and environment." And if psychologists can't explain why identical twins differ, they won't be able to explain why each of us is unique. Why are there no two persons alike?
Harris proves to be a natural fit for the detective profession, and it's not simple to deceive her. She gathers the typical candidates and demonstrates why none of the currently prevalent hypotheses for human variations, such as birth order effects or gene-environment interactions, can be the culprit she seeks. None of these hypotheses can explain the enigma of human uniqueness.
Harris' hunt for clues leads him down some intriguing scientific paths. She looks at everything from traditional social psychology studies to cutting-edge neuroscience research. She looks at twin studies, autistic kid research, chimp observations, bird observations, and even ant observations.
Her answer is breathtakingly original: it's the first fully new personality theory since Freud's. Harris' theory explains how traits we all have in common may make us distinct, based on an evolutionary psychology notion that the human mind is a toolbox of special-purpose gadgets.
This is the narrative of a scientific quest, but it's also the story of a brave and inventive woman who refused to accept "what everyone knows to be true."
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