PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Introduction to Personality Development
A. Importance of Knowing Oneself
a.1 Knowing the self, better would help them grow and achieve chosen goals.
a.2 It could help people understand their strengths and
weaknesses and lead to more fruitful and meaningful lives.
a.3 Challenges and stressful situations are handled
differently by different kinds of people and knowing oneself
helps.
a.4 It could also one deal with other people more
effectively and understand how one is in relationship.
a.5 Some people use their knowledge of the self as well
as knowledge about others.
a.6 Career choices, financial decisions, and
interpersonal decisions are affected by who one is as a person
paving the way to good and happy life.
B. Defining Personality
b.1 A pattern of relatively permanent traits that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior (Feist,
and Roberts, 2013 citing Roberts and Mroczek, 2008).
b.2 For the psychologists, this term refers to “a psychological quality that contribute to an individual’s enduring
and distinctive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving (Cervone and Pervin, 2014, p.8)
b.3 It is also defined as the consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within individual
(Burger, 2004).
b.4 Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and
relatively enduring and that influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to the intrapsychic, physical, and social
environments (Larsen & Bus, 2005, p.4).
Psychological traits are characteristics that describe ways in which people are similar or different
from each other (Larsen & Bus, 2005).
Psychological mechanisms refer to the processes of personality.
b.5 Personality is something within the individual which means that one’s personality is something that one carries
from one situation to the next, across time.
b.6 Personality has also been recognized as
influential in one’s interactions with the
environment.
b.7 Adaptation, connotes that our personality has
adaptive functions (Larsen & Buss, 2005).
b.8 The definition of personality would be
incomplete without the emphasis of environment.
This may refer to one’s physical and social
environment.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Unit 1. Self-Development
Lesson 1: Knowing Oneself (Part I)
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:
1. explain that knowing oneself can make a person accept his or her
strengths and limitations and improve his or her ways of dealing others;
2. share his or her unique characteristics, habits, and experiences; and
3. maintain a journal om significant events that pertains to personal/ self-
development.
“One of the key areas in self-development is the process of knowing oneself.”
Explore: Knowing Personality or the Self
THE SELF
(Western Psychology) Self is generally defined as one’s personality came
from the Greek word, “persona” which means “mask”.
It refers to “one’s public face”, or the self usually shows to other
people.
It constitutes an individual’s personal identity with the its typical
ways of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and behaving as one raised by
his or her sociocultural environment and one’s own conscious
learning from experiences.
A “product” of social environment though one’s family, school, and
community.
The self as raised by social agents is expected to later on be of service
to the needs and goals of society of which it is considered a “citizen”.
(Asian Psychology) The self or personality is but a frozen picture or a concept of the self from past conditioning or
how one was raised in the family and community, that may no longer be true to the evolving and wiser self in the
present time.
bigger Self or whole Self (with capital S) as one’s more true or authentic natural Self.
the bigger Self (one’s essence or whole person) holds many more resources that the personality or self
(with a small s) can claim and actualize for its well-being (Llaneza-Ramos, 2013).
The self encompasses one’s body, feelings, emotions, thoughts, values, and relationships. It is a unique personal
identity made up of one’s experiences, beliefs, convictions, as well as one’s longings, dreams, life purpose, and
meaning. In brief, it is what is manifested by one’s consciousness and behavior.
Explore: Determining Personality Traits
What Is a Trait?
A trait is a personality characteristic that meets three criteria: it
must be consistent, stable, and vary from person to person. Based
on this definition, a trait can be thought of as a relatively stable
characteristic that causes individuals to behave in certain ways.
Individuals must be somewhat consistent across situations in their
behaviors related to the trait. For example, if they are talkative at
home, they tend also to be talkative at work. (CONSISTENCY)
A trait must also be somewhat stable over time as demonstrated behaviors related to the trait. For example, at age
30 if someone is talkative they will also tend to be talkative at age 40. (STABILITY)
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
People differ from one another on behaviors related to the trait. People differ on how frequently they talk and so
personality traits such as talkative exist. (INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES)
A. Allport’s Trait Theory
The first trait theory was proposed by a American psychologist named Gordon
Allport (1897-1967) in 1936. Allport found that one English-language dictionary contained
more than 4,000 words describing different personality traits. He espoused the uniqueness of
each individual and focused on understanding and measuring personality in terms of traits,
which are enduring and consistent disposition of human beings.
He categorized these traits into three levels:
1. Cardinal Traits
Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and dominating, usually developing later
in life. They tend to define a person to such an extent that their names become synonymous
with their personality. Examples of this include the following descriptive terms:
Machiavellian, narcissistic, Don Juan, and Christ-like.
2. Central Traits
These general characteristics form basic personality foundations. While central traits are not as dominating as
cardinal traits, they describe the major characteristics you might use to describe another person. Descriptions such as
"intelligent," "honest," "shy," and "anxious" are considered central traits.
3. Secondary Traits
Secondary traits are sometimes related to attitudes or preferences. They often appear only in certain situations or
under specific circumstances. Some examples include public speaking anxiety or impatience while waiting in line.
B. The 16 Personality Factors
Following the focus on traits, Raymond Cattell (1905-1998), a British-American psychologist, who conducted
researches on personality traits and proposed that personality is made up of 16 basic dimensions (Feist et al., 2013).
Meaning, these 16 traits are the source or core of all human personality.
Cattell’s main goal was to predict a person’s behavior in different situations.
Cattell defined traits as reactions tendencies that are somewhat permanent traits that are somewhat permanent
parts of personality.
Table 1.1 Cattel’s Classification of Traits
Type of Traits Description
Common Traits These are traits which everyone shares; for example, everyone has some measure of
intelligence or extraversion.
Unique Traits These are traits that distinguish us as individuals; for example, an interest in politics or sports
such as basketball.
Ability Traits Skills or abilities that determine how well we can work towards our goal.
Temperament Emotions or feelings that determine how we react to people and situations; examples include
Traits assertiveness and the tendency to be fretful or easy-going.
Dynamic Traits These traits underlie our motivations and drive our behavior.
Surface Traits Characteristics that are composed of source traits or behavioral elements. These can be
unstable and impermanent and may weaken or strengthen depending on the situation.
Source Traits These are the single, stable, and permanent elements of behavior.
Constitutional Source traits that have biological origins, such as behaviors which arise from too much alcohol
Traits consumption.
Environmental- Source traits that have environmental origins such as behaviors influenced by our friends,
mold Traits work environment, or neighborhood.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Cattel came up with 16 source traits that are basic elements of our personality. The 16 source traits were adapted
into an objective test called “Sixteen Personality Factors (16 PF) Questionnaire”. According to Cattell, there is a
continuum of personality traits. In other words, each person contains all of these 16 traits to a certain degree, but they
might be high in some traits and low in others.
Table 1.2 16 PF High and Low Scores Descriptors
C. Costa and McCrae’s “Big Five”
Robert McCrae and Paul Costa (1992), research psychologists, narrowed down the 16 PF or traits that Cattel
proposed into five (5) categories, calling it the “Big Five”. They believe that these traits remain stable throughout a person’s
lifetime, especially after 30 years old.
The Big Five became a universal and widely agreed upon dimension of personality called the Five-Factor Trait
Theory. The five tendencies or dimensions are abbreviated as OCEAN:
Table 1.3 Costa and McCrae’s Big Five
OCEAN of Human Behavior
Openness imaginative or practical
interested in variety or sticks to a routine
independent or conforming
Conscientiousness organized or disorganized
careful or careless
disciplined or impulsive
Extraversion sociable or retiring
fun-loving or somber
energetic or reserve
Agreeableness soft-hearted or ruthless
trusting or suspicious
helpful or uncooperative
Neuroticism calm or anxious
(Emotional Instability) secure or insecure
self-satisfied or self-pitying
Openness to experience
o It describes the extent to which one is open to new things and prefer to variety versus those who seek more
comfort and familiarity.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
o It relates to people who love to step out of their comfort zone.
o They are active seeking and appreciation of experiences for their own sake (Lord, 2007).
Conscientiousness
o It describes the extent to which people are orderly, controlled, organized, ambitious, achievement-focused,
and self-disciplined.
o It also describes the person’s ability to be rule-bounded, hardworking, and persevering.
o It refers to how a person operates in terms of dealing with tasks and goals.
Extraversion
o It is innate in those who are fun-loving, sociable, active, and passionate about everything they do.
o They are not shy, reserved, or passive, nor they prefer to be affectionate, jovial, talkative, or fun-loving.
o Extraversion refers to the quantity and intensity of energy directed outward into the social world (Lord,
2007).
Agreeableness
o It relates to people who are good-natured, trusting, generous, and lenient.
o The domain of agreeableness locates in people in a continuum where interactions range from being
compassionate to being tough-minded (Lord, 2007).
Neuroticism
o It is known to be common quality of worriers.
o This trait can explain to those who are always anxious, emotional, vulnerable, and self-conscious.
Conversely, it is less evident in those who are calm, even-tempered, comfortable, and with hardy efficacy.
o It is extent to which people tend to be vulnerable to stress-related disorders.
Table 1.4 OCEAN or Big Five
This five-factor model of personality represents five core traits that interact to form human personality.
Big Five Factor Low Scorers High Scorers
Extraversion Loner Joiner
Quiet Talkative
Passive Active
Reserved Affectionate
Agreeableness Suspicious Trusting
Critical Lenient
Ruthless Soft-hearted
Irritable Good-natured
Conscientiousness Negligent Conscientious
Lazy Hardworking
Disorganized Well-organized
Late Punctual
Neuroticism Calm Worried
Even-tempered Temperamental
Comfortable Self-conscious
Unemotional Emotional
Openness to Experience Down-to-earth Imaginative
Uncreative Creative
Conventional Original
Uncurious Curious
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Explore: Personality Types
Aside from knowing one-self in terms of traits, psychologists have also tried
to understand personalities according to their types.
A personality type can be understood as a unique collection of several traits
that tend to go together.
Personality type is regarded as “an integrated collection of personality traits
that tend to characterized an individual”.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is one of the world’s most popular personality
tools. With more than 70 years of science-based, research-based insight, the MBTI assessment is a robust tool for
self-awareness and improvement. It provides positive language for understanding and valuing individual
differences.
The MBTI was constructed by two Americans: Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs
Myers, who were inspired by the book Psychological Types by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Isabel Myers was
particularly fascinated by the concept of introversion and she typed herself as an INFP. However, she felt the
book was too complex for the general public, and therefore she tried to organize the Jungian cognitive functions
to make it more accessible.
MBTI measures the following:
Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I); whether a person is energized by
being surrounded with people
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N); whether the person prefers to use his or her
senses or ideas in interpreting information
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F); whether the person tends to think or feel
when making decisions
Judgment (J) or Perception (P); whether the person deals with situations
by planning or spontaneity.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Figure 1.1 Key Opposite Factors in MBTI
Table 1.5 The 16 Personal Types
ESTJ ISTJ ENTJ INTJ
(The (The (The (The
Supervisor) Inspector) Commander) Mastermind)
ESFJ ISFJ ENTP INTP
(The Provider) (The (The (The
Protector) Visionary) Architect)
ESTP ISTP ENFJ INFJ
(The (The (The Teacher) (The
Dynamic) Craftsman) Counselor)
ESFP ISPF ENFP INFP
(The (The (The (The Healer)
Performer) Composer) Champion)
How do you classify your personality type?
1. The first letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the first letter of the preference of general attitude
(E and I).
2. The second letter corresponds to the preference within the sensing-intuition dimension (S and N).
3. The third letter corresponds to preference for thinking-feeling pair (T and F); and
4. The fourth letter corresponds to preference within the judging- perceiving pair (J and P).
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PERDEV)
Mr. Nicasio B. Balbontin, LPT
Table 1.6 Personality Types and Their Descriptions
Sensing Types Intuitive Types
E ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ
X Highly serious and Quietly shows care for others Sees symbolic meanings in Highly strategic,
T accomplishes tasks but is highly organized experiences and logical, and
R with great accuracy interactions with others determined
O
V ISTP ISFP INFP INTP
E Adventurous and a Aesthetically-inclined and Highly idealistic and uses Logical but also
R quiet problem-solver highly spontaneous personal values in making intellectually
T decisions adventurous
S
I ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP
N Seeks adventure and Exudes merriment in a group Enthusiastic, spontaneous, Actively engages
T communicates directly and seeks excitement and always full of ideas other people in
R with others intellectual
O discussions
V ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ
E Analytical, practical, Outwardly expresses warmth Charismatic, and uses Actively leads a
R and makes objective and care for others empathy in leading a group group using logical
T decisions in a group and strategic thinking
S
References:
Book
Llaneza- Ramos, Maria Lourdes, PH.D., (2017) Personal development; A journey to self-awakening for SHS. pages
1-11. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Website:
https://www.verywellmind.com/gordon-allport-biography-2795508
https://www.verywellmind.com/trait-theory-of-personality-2795955
https://www.verywellmind.com/trait-theory-of-personality-2795955
https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/chapter/trait-
theory/#:~:text=Trait%20theory%20in%20psychology%20rests,and%20(3)%20individual%20differences.
Personality Tests:
16 PF Test: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/16PF.php
Big Five PF Test: http://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM/
MBTI: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Prepared by:
NICASO B. BALBONTIN, LPT
Subject Teacher, Personal Development
S.Y. 2023- 2024
