Chapter 2.
INTERLUDE
Human genetics had been well known and understood for eons, as had human psychology. It had become apparent early on that environment had as much to do with forming individual personality as did inherited genes. It was, therefore, imperative that environmental factors be incorporated, to the extent possible, into the lives of the “seedlings” so as to enhance the probability that the new race would survive.
The first three to four years of life are critical in forming human personality. Because the brain is devoid of experience at birth, any information fed into it becomes, essentially hard wired. It becomes the fundamental reference point from which all experiences are compared. It becomes an essential component of the individual personality. What that hard wiring, that value system, becomes is largely determined by external, rather than internal influences.
Over the years, more and more information is accumulated, prioritized, and filed away. Still, the original information acquired during those early years (one might call it the moral/ethical compass) remains in force and guides and influences practically everything the individual does.
Efforts to reprogram or redirect an individual’s “compass” met with little success. If reprogramming was attempted after the formative years, (determined to be roughly 4 years of age and older) the resulting individual became confused, even amoral. Clarification of what was right and wrong was hard for such an individual to sort out. From his perspective, he had been given contradictory information. Having no other experience base to compare it to, the individual regressed to a more instinct-driven level, geared more toward self-gratification and self-preservation. He was as likely to do the wrong thing as he was to do the right, so long as he received no negative experiences in the process, and so long as there was a reward provided at the end of the experience.
Efforts at reprogramming a mature individual were only a bit more successful. This success was due to the fact that the individual had, over time, acquired an experience base sufficient to differentiate between actions and consequences. It was generally easier to persuade him to change his behavior once he understood the probable outcome. Never the less, the “hard wired” portion of his value system still remained essentially intact.
The formative years (from birth to about age 4) were also found to be critical times for bonding. Human infants are essentially helpless at birth. But they do possess all the instinctual data necessary for survival. What they lack is the physical capability to apply that data. Because they are helpless, they will bond with any individual who provides for their needs. And if, for one reason or another, that bond is broken, they will naturally tend to revert back to survival mode. To the extent that they are able, they will fend for themselves in order to survive.