New book: No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality

A few years back, Judith Rich Harris, a psychology textbook writer unaffiliated with any university, published The Nurture Assumption, which suggested that the home environment provided by parents was of little effect in shaping the personality of their children – genetics, peer-group socialisation, and unique life events play the dominant role. Despite criticism from some quarters, the book was also endorsed by such luminaries as Steve Pinker (who actually wrote a forward to the book).

Now Rich Harris has a new book out, No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality, in which she apparently outlines a new theory of personality development, one that explains why we — even identical twins — turn out as individuals. The book isn’t available in the UK yet, but in the meantime here’s a review of the book.