Personality Development
PERSONALITY:
Definition
Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and
behaving. The study of personality focuses on two broad areas: One is understanding
individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or
irritability. The other is understanding how the various parts of a person come together as a
whole. The pattern of feelings, thoughts, and activities that distinguishes one person from
another.
Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is
an act of courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the
individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of existence, coupled
with the greatest possible freedom of self-determination.
The complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group;
especially the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics
Determinants
What determines personality? Of all the complexities and unanswered questions in the study
of human behavior, this question may be the most difficult. People are enormously complex;
their abilities and interests and attitudes are diverse. An early argument impersonality
research was whether an individual's personality was the result of heredity or environment.
Was the personality predetermined at birth, or was it the result of the individual's interaction
with his or her environment? Personality appears to be a result of both influences.
Additionally, today we recognize another factor - the situation. The problem lies in the fact
the cognitive and psychological processes, plus many other variables, all contribute to
personality. The determinants of personality can perhaps best be grouped in five broad
categories: biological, cultural, family, social and situational.
,Biological Factors
The study of the biological contributions to personality may be studied under three
heads: Heredity: Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception.
Physical stature, facial attractiveness, sex, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes,
energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are considered to be inherent
from one‘s parents. The heredity approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an
individual's personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.
Research on animals has showed that both physical and psychological characteristics can be
transmitted through heredity. But research on human beings is in adequate to support this
view point. However, psychologists and geneticists have accepted the fact that heredity plays
an important role in one's personality.
Brain: The second biological approach is to concentrate on the role that the brain plays in
personality. Though researchers make some promising inroads, the psychologists are unable
to prove empirically the contribution of human brain in influencing personality. Preliminary
results from the electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) research give indication that better
understanding of human personality and behaviour might come from the study of the brain.
There seem to be definite pleasurable and painful areas in the human brain. This being true, it
may be possible physically to manipulate personality through ESB.
Biofeedback: Until recently, physiologists and psychologists felt that certain biological
functions such as brainwave patterns, gastric secretions, and fluctuations in blood pressure
and skin temperature were beyond conscious control. Now some scientists believe that these
involuntary functions can be consciously controlled through biofeedback.
If personality characteristics were completely dictated by heredity, they would be fixed at
birth and no amount of experience could alter them. But personality characteristics are not
completely dictated by heredity. There are other factors, which also influence personality.
Cultural Factors
Among the factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which
we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups
,and other influences we experience. Traditionally, cultural factors are usually considered to
make a more significant contribution to personality than biological factors.
The culture largely determines attributes toward independence, aggression, competition, and
cooperation. According to Paul H Mussen "each culture expects, and trains, its members to
behave in the ways that are acceptable to the group. The personality of an individual to a
marked extent is determined by the culture in which he or she is brought up. It follows that a
person reared in a western culture has a different personality from a person reared in our
Indian culture.
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. For example, children reared in a cold, un stimulating home are much more
likely to be socially and emotionally Mal adjusted than children rose by parents in a warm,
loving and stimulating environment.
The parents play an especially important part in the identification process, which is important
to the person's early development. According to Mischel, the process can be examined from
three different perspectives. Identification can be viewed as the similarity of behaviour
including feelings and attitudes between child and model. Identification can be looked at as
the child's motives or desires to be like the model. It can be viewed as the process through
which the child actually takes on the attributes of the model. From all three perspectives, the
identification process is fundamental to the understanding of personality development. The
home environment also influences the personality of an individual. Siblings (brothers and
sisters) also contribute to personality.
Social Factors
Socialization involves the process by which a person acquires, from the enormously wide
range of behavioural potentialities that are open to him or her. Socialization starts with the
, initial contact between a mother and her new infant. After infancy, other members of the
immediate family – father, brothers, sisters and close relatives or friends, then the social
group – peers, school friends and members of the work group, play influential roles.
Socialization process is especially relevant to organizational behaviour because the process is
not confined to early childhood, taking place rather throughout one's life. In particular,
evidence is accumulating that socialization may be one of the best explanations for why
employees behave the way they do in today's organizations.
Situational Factors
Human personality is also influenced by situational factors. The effect of environment is
quite strong. Knowledge, skill and language are obviously acquired and represent important
modifications of behaviour. An individual's personality, while generally stable and consistent,
does change in different situations. The different demands of different situations call forth
different aspects of one's personality. According to Milgram "Situation exerts an important
press on the individual. It exercises constraints and may provide push. In certain
circumstances it is not so much the kind of person a man is, as the kind of situation in which
he is placed that determines his actions". We should therefore not look at personality patterns
in isolation.
Personality Traits
traits and how you express them in the world. If you've never taken a personality test
or read much about your personality type, you probably rely on the feedback you've
heard about yourself from others. We take these descriptions and use them to help us
craft what we believe to be our ―personality.‖ Also, over time we learn things about
ourselves — our preferences, how we behave in certain situations, and how we
interact with others. If we pay attention to our words and actions, we can assimilate
and recognize more qualities that make up our personalities. In general, personality
consists of the recurring patterns of thoughts, emotions, characteristics, and behaviors
that make a person unique. It arises from within each individual and remains fairly
consistent and permanent throughout life. Research suggests that personality is also
influenced by biological processes and needs.. The trait theory suggests that
individual personalities are made up of broad dispositions, and many modern
researchers believe there are five core personality traits:
PERSONALITY:
Definition
Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and
behaving. The study of personality focuses on two broad areas: One is understanding
individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or
irritability. The other is understanding how the various parts of a person come together as a
whole. The pattern of feelings, thoughts, and activities that distinguishes one person from
another.
Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is
an act of courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the
individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of existence, coupled
with the greatest possible freedom of self-determination.
The complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group;
especially the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics
Determinants
What determines personality? Of all the complexities and unanswered questions in the study
of human behavior, this question may be the most difficult. People are enormously complex;
their abilities and interests and attitudes are diverse. An early argument impersonality
research was whether an individual's personality was the result of heredity or environment.
Was the personality predetermined at birth, or was it the result of the individual's interaction
with his or her environment? Personality appears to be a result of both influences.
Additionally, today we recognize another factor - the situation. The problem lies in the fact
the cognitive and psychological processes, plus many other variables, all contribute to
personality. The determinants of personality can perhaps best be grouped in five broad
categories: biological, cultural, family, social and situational.
,Biological Factors
The study of the biological contributions to personality may be studied under three
heads: Heredity: Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception.
Physical stature, facial attractiveness, sex, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes,
energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are considered to be inherent
from one‘s parents. The heredity approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an
individual's personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.
Research on animals has showed that both physical and psychological characteristics can be
transmitted through heredity. But research on human beings is in adequate to support this
view point. However, psychologists and geneticists have accepted the fact that heredity plays
an important role in one's personality.
Brain: The second biological approach is to concentrate on the role that the brain plays in
personality. Though researchers make some promising inroads, the psychologists are unable
to prove empirically the contribution of human brain in influencing personality. Preliminary
results from the electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) research give indication that better
understanding of human personality and behaviour might come from the study of the brain.
There seem to be definite pleasurable and painful areas in the human brain. This being true, it
may be possible physically to manipulate personality through ESB.
Biofeedback: Until recently, physiologists and psychologists felt that certain biological
functions such as brainwave patterns, gastric secretions, and fluctuations in blood pressure
and skin temperature were beyond conscious control. Now some scientists believe that these
involuntary functions can be consciously controlled through biofeedback.
If personality characteristics were completely dictated by heredity, they would be fixed at
birth and no amount of experience could alter them. But personality characteristics are not
completely dictated by heredity. There are other factors, which also influence personality.
Cultural Factors
Among the factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which
we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups
,and other influences we experience. Traditionally, cultural factors are usually considered to
make a more significant contribution to personality than biological factors.
The culture largely determines attributes toward independence, aggression, competition, and
cooperation. According to Paul H Mussen "each culture expects, and trains, its members to
behave in the ways that are acceptable to the group. The personality of an individual to a
marked extent is determined by the culture in which he or she is brought up. It follows that a
person reared in a western culture has a different personality from a person reared in our
Indian culture.
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. For example, children reared in a cold, un stimulating home are much more
likely to be socially and emotionally Mal adjusted than children rose by parents in a warm,
loving and stimulating environment.
The parents play an especially important part in the identification process, which is important
to the person's early development. According to Mischel, the process can be examined from
three different perspectives. Identification can be viewed as the similarity of behaviour
including feelings and attitudes between child and model. Identification can be looked at as
the child's motives or desires to be like the model. It can be viewed as the process through
which the child actually takes on the attributes of the model. From all three perspectives, the
identification process is fundamental to the understanding of personality development. The
home environment also influences the personality of an individual. Siblings (brothers and
sisters) also contribute to personality.
Social Factors
Socialization involves the process by which a person acquires, from the enormously wide
range of behavioural potentialities that are open to him or her. Socialization starts with the
, initial contact between a mother and her new infant. After infancy, other members of the
immediate family – father, brothers, sisters and close relatives or friends, then the social
group – peers, school friends and members of the work group, play influential roles.
Socialization process is especially relevant to organizational behaviour because the process is
not confined to early childhood, taking place rather throughout one's life. In particular,
evidence is accumulating that socialization may be one of the best explanations for why
employees behave the way they do in today's organizations.
Situational Factors
Human personality is also influenced by situational factors. The effect of environment is
quite strong. Knowledge, skill and language are obviously acquired and represent important
modifications of behaviour. An individual's personality, while generally stable and consistent,
does change in different situations. The different demands of different situations call forth
different aspects of one's personality. According to Milgram "Situation exerts an important
press on the individual. It exercises constraints and may provide push. In certain
circumstances it is not so much the kind of person a man is, as the kind of situation in which
he is placed that determines his actions". We should therefore not look at personality patterns
in isolation.
Personality Traits
traits and how you express them in the world. If you've never taken a personality test
or read much about your personality type, you probably rely on the feedback you've
heard about yourself from others. We take these descriptions and use them to help us
craft what we believe to be our ―personality.‖ Also, over time we learn things about
ourselves — our preferences, how we behave in certain situations, and how we
interact with others. If we pay attention to our words and actions, we can assimilate
and recognize more qualities that make up our personalities. In general, personality
consists of the recurring patterns of thoughts, emotions, characteristics, and behaviors
that make a person unique. It arises from within each individual and remains fairly
consistent and permanent throughout life. Research suggests that personality is also
influenced by biological processes and needs.. The trait theory suggests that
individual personalities are made up of broad dispositions, and many modern
researchers believe there are five core personality traits:
