PERSONALITY
The word Personality is derived from a Greek word “persona”
which
means “to speak through”. Personality is the combination of
characteristics or qualities that forms a person’s unique
identity.
Personality refers to the unique pattern of thoughts, feelings,
and
behaviors that distinguishes one individual from another. It
encompasses
various traits, characteristics, and dispositions that shape
how a person
interacts with the world around them and influences their
thoughts,
emotions, and actions.
EXAMPLE
You have a unique and memorable personality
that belongs only to you. However, you might
be surprised to learn that only four main
elements determine how you became your
unique self. You are just beginning to learn
about the world when you are born, and you
rarely think ‘Who am I?’ until you are a little
older. Around the ages of the terrible twos, we
begin to understand ourselves as separate from
our parents, and we begin to reveal our
personalities.
Some definitions of Personality:
1. Gordon Allport: "Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual
of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior
and thought.“
2. Sigmund Freud: "Personality is made up of three structures: the id, ego, and
superego, which operate at different levels of consciousness and interact to
shape human behavior.“
3. Carl Jung: "Personality is characterized by individual differences and is
shaped by both conscious and unconscious elements, including archetypes
and the collective unconscious.“
4. Albert Bandura: "Personality is shaped by reciprocal interactions between
cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors, known as reciprocal
determinism.“
5. Hans Eysenck: "Personality can be described in terms of a few fundamental
dimensions, such as extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism, which are
biologically based and heritable."
Determinants of
Personality
.
Heredity:Biological Factors
The features that can be determined from the time of conception
are generally put under hereditary. Physical stature, temperament,
muscle composition, facial features, height etc. are the
characteristics that one usually inherits from parents.
Brain:
The second biological approach is to concentrate on the role that
the brain plays
in personality. The psychologists are unable to prove empirically
the contribution
of the human brain in influencing personality.
Preliminary results from the electrical stimulation of the
brain (ESB) research
give an indication that a better understanding of human
personality and
behaviour might come from the study of the brain.
Biofeedback:
Until recently, physiologists and psychologists felt that certain
biological functions such as brainwave patterns, gastric and
hormonal secretions, and fluctuations in blood pressure and
skin temperature were beyond conscious control.
Physical Features:
A vital ingredient of the personality, an individual’s external
appearance, is biologically determined. The fact that a
person is tall or short, fat or skinny, black or white will
influence the person’s effect on others and this in turn, will
affect the self-concept.
Cultural Factors
Among the factors that influence personality formation is the
culture in which we
are raised, early conditioning, norms prevailing within the family,
friends and
social groups and other miscellaneous experiences that impact us .
The culture largely determines attitudes towards independence,
aggression, competition.
According to Paul H Mussen: “Each culture expects, and trains, its
members to behave in ways that are acceptable to the group. To a
marked degree, the child’s cultural group defines the range of
experiences and situations he is likely to encounter and the values and
personality characteristics that will be reinforced and hence
learned.”ooperation and a host of other human responses
Family Factors
Whereas the culture generally prescribes and limits what a
person can be taught, it is the family, and later the social
group, which selects, interprets and dispenses the culture.
Thus, the family probably has the most significant impact
on early personality development.
A substantial amount of empirical evidence indicates that
the overall home environment created by the parents, in
addition to their direct influence, is critical to personality
development.
The parents play an especially important part in the
identification process, which is important to the person’s
early development.
Social Factors
There is increasing recognition given to the role of other
relevant
persons, groups and especially organizations , which
greatly influence
an individual’s personality. This is commonly called the
socialization
process.
Socialization involves the process by which a person
acquires, from
the enormously wide range of behavioral
potentialities that are
open to him or her, those that are ultimately
synthesized and
absorbed.
Situational Factors
Human personality is also influenced by situational
factors. The effect
of the environment is quite strong. Knowledge, skill
and language are
obviously acquired and represent important
modifications of
behavior.
An individual’s personality, while generally stable and
consistent,
does change in different situations. The varying
demands of different
situations call forth different aspects of one’s
personality.
Types of Personality
There are three types of personality:
1.Introvert and Extrovert Personality
2. Type A and Type B Personality
3. Judging and Perceptive Personality
Introvert And Extrovert
Personality
An Introvert can be defined as being someone
who
gets their energy from being in their own
company,
having time to ‘recharge’ on their own.
Someone who is introverted may appear to
be withdrawn and shy, although this may
not always be the case.
An Extrovert is a person with qualities of a
personality type known as extroversion,
which means that they get their energy
from being around other people. Someone
who is extroverted may appear as very
talkative and may be popular among peers.
Example
Type A and Type B
Personality
Type A :
A person with a type A personality may be ambitious and hardworking and
display
characteristics such as aggression, lack of patience, and determination.
Type A personalities may take on multiple tasks at once and frequently
take on extra
responsibilities to achieve or succeed.
Type A personalities may be very goal-orientated and work toward goals
and deadlines at
a fast pace, as though they are racing against time.
Type B:
A type B personality is the opposite in many ways of a type A personality.
People with a type B personality tend to be easygoing and more laid-back
in nature.
Type B personalities usually do not feel the need to prove their abilities to
others or the
need to show superiority.
People with a type B personality may be friendly and get on easily with
others, showing
low levels of hostility or aggression.
Example
Judging and Perceptive
Personality
A Judging personality:
A type typically prefers structure, organization, and closure. They
tend to be decisive, goal-oriented, and enjoy making plans. They
value order and prefer to have things settled rather than open-
ended. Judging individuals often feel more comfortable when they
have a clear direction and a sense of control over their
environment.
A Perceptive personality:
A type tends to be more flexible, adaptable, and open-minded. They
enjoy exploring possibilities, keeping their options open, and
adapting to new situations. Perceptive individuals are often
spontaneous, creative, and enjoy experiencing life without strict
plans or schedules. They are comfortable with ambiguity and may
prefer to keep their options open rather than making firm
decisions too quickly.
Example
