Unit 3: Personality

A Lecture By:
Dr. Vagisha Mishra
 What do we mean by “Personality”?
● The word personality itself stems from the
Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical
mask worn by performers in order to either
project different roles or disguise their
identities.
● Personality is defined as the characteristic sets
of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional
patterns that evolve from biological and
environmental factors.
● Personality is the characteristic patterns of
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a
person unique. It is believed that personality
arises from within the individual and remains
fairly consistent throughout life.
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 Influences on Personality
● Heredity: This refers to the influences on your personality that you are born
with. They are in your genes and there is not much you can do to change these
traits. They can include your temperament, which helps to determine how you
react to situations and how easygoing you are. In kids, it may affect how well
they get along with others. Genetics, of course, also determines how someone
looks.

● Environment: Our environment is the nurturing aspect of our lives. It is the

type of environment in which we live and grow up. Environment would include
home, school, work, or other places that you spend a lot of time.
Environmental factors also include such things as languages, religion, etc.

● Situations: These are the experiences that each individual person goes
through. The various things that people experience will leave imprints on and
help to develop his or her personality. Everything from divorce, death, trauma,
and even happy times fit into the "situations" category of shaping one's
personality.
 Key Theories of Personality Formation
● Our personalities make us unique, but how does personality develop?
● What factors play the most important role in the formation of
personality?
● Can personality change?

To answer these questions, many prominent thinkers have developed

theories to describe the various steps and stages that occur during the
development of personality.
The following theories focus on several aspects of personality
formation—including those that involve cognitive, social, and moral
development.
 Psychoanalytic Theory on Personality
Sigmund Freud, the founder of
psychoanalysis, developed psychoanalytic
theory, which assumes that personality
reflects the workings of the unconscious
mind, according to Psychology: A Concise
Introduction. Freud believed personality was
divided into three sections, each with its own
distinct function:
1. Id
2. Ego
3. Super-Ego
 Humanistic Theory on Personality
● Abraham Maslow conceived humanistic theory in the 1950s. He stressed the
importance of understanding the conscious mind and personality in their
normal states.
● Humanistic theory assumes that humans have free will and that people make
choices based on an ultimate desire for self-excellence. Personalities are based
on subjective experiences and individuals’ interaction with their environment.
● The humanistic theory of personality eventually led to Maslow’s famous
Hierarchy of Needs model, which suggests that as people’s basic needs are
met, they are replaced with ones that are increasingly complex.
Psychology outlines the five levels of need. Highest to lowest, they are:
1. Needs of self-actualization
2. Needs of esteem
3. Needs of love/belonging
4. Safety needs
5. Physiological needs
 Trait Theory on Personality
Largely defined by Gordon Willard Allport, trait theory claims that personality is composed
of a collection of characteristics within an individual, called traits. These characteristics
help express the uniqueness of each person and can be divided into three main types:

1. Cardinal Traits: Pervasive, dominant traits that influence nearly every aspect of
behavior and personality. These are rare.
2. Central Traits: Five to ten characteristics that define the basic qualities of an
individual. These might include intelligence, for example, or shyness.
3. Secondary Traits: They are dependent on context. An example might include a
preference for certain foods or colors.
 Social Cognitive Theory on Personality
Developed by Albert Bandura, social cognitive theory stresses that personalities are formed
based on social contexts. It assumes two key principles, according to Williams and
Cervone:
● The inner psychology of individuals, their environment, and their behavior all influence
each other.
● People are best understood in terms of three types of cognitive abilities: those that
help them represent events symbolically in their minds, self-reflect, and self-develop.
According to social cognitive theory, personality formation occurs when people observe the
behaviors of others. This leads to adaptation and assimilation, particularly if those behaviors
are rewarded.
Social cognitive theory is often considered a bridge between personality theories that
emphasize behavior and those that emphasize cognition.
 Real-World Applications of the Four Theories on
Personality
● Psychoanalytic theory encourages clinicians to take a “past-focused” and
“under-the-surface” approach to treatment. Counselors may often look at
early life events of their clients in order to provide better care.
● Humanistic theory encourages counselors to approach client problems
from a present-focused view.
● Trait theory is useful in the scientific study of personality (as opposed to
therapeutic services). It allows researchers to see the connection between
characteristics, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
● Social cognitive theory helps researchers inform their knowledge of social
psychology. This allows them to study ways in which situations can cause
people to display personality inconsistencies.
 Personality Disorders
When personality becomes problematic for daily living, it is considered a disorder. The Mayo
Clinic defines a personality disorder as characterized by rigid or unhealthy patterns of
thinking, functioning, or behavior. Personality disorders fall into three main clusters:

1. Cluster A: Disorders defined by eccentric thinking or odd behavior. Examples include

paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal
personality disorder.
2. Cluster B: Disorders defined by behavior and thinking that are excessively emotional
or unpredictable. Examples include narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial
personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
3. Cluster C: Disorders defined by thinking and behavior that is excessively anxious and
fearful. Examples include avoidant personality disorder, depending personality
disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
 Factors Leading to Personality Disorders
The American Psychological Association suggests the following influences:

1. Genetics
2. Childhood trauma
3. Verbal abuse
4. High sensitivity

Oppositely, personality disorders may be prevented by consistent, positive

interaction with peers.
 Types of Personalities
The goal of personality development theories is to explain how we each
develop our own unique characteristics and traits. While the list of options
could be almost endless, most of these personality traits fall into five basic
categories:

1. Openness: Level of creativeness and responsiveness to change

2. Conscientiousness: Level of organization and attention to detail
3. Extraversion: Level of socialness and emotional expressiveness
4. Agreeableness: Level of interest in others and cooperativeness
5. Neuroticism: Level of emotional stability and moodiness
 1. Openness of Personality
● Openness is shorthand for "openness to experience." People who are
high in openness enjoy adventure. They're curious and appreciate art,
imagination and new things. The motto of the open individual might be,
"variety is the spice of life."
● People low in openness are just the opposite: they prefer to stick to their
habits, avoid new experiences and probably aren't the most adventurous
eaters.
 2. Conscientiousness of Personality
● People who are conscientious are organized and have a strong sense of
duty. They're dependable, disciplined and achievement-focused. You
won't find conscientious types jetting off on round-the-world journeys
without an itinerary; they're planners.
● People low in conscientiousness are more spontaneous and freewheeling.
At the extreme, they may tend toward carelessness. Conscientiousness is
a helpful trait to have, as it has been linked to achievement in school and
on the job, researchers reported in 2019 in a study published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(opens in new tab).
 3. Extraversion of Personality
● Extraversion versus introversion is possibly the most recognizable
personality trait of the Big Five types of personality. The more of an
extravert someone is, the more of a social butterfly they are. Extraverts
are chatty, sociable and draw energy from crowds. They tend to be
assertive and cheerful in their social interactions.
● Introverts, on the other hand, need plenty of alone time. Introversion is
often confused with shyness, but the two aren't the same. Shyness
implies a fear of social interactions or an inability to function socially.
Introverts can be perfectly charming at parties — they just prefer solo or
small-group activities.
 4. Agreeableness of Personality
● Agreeableness measures the extent of a person's warmth and kindness. The more
agreeable someone is, the more likely they are to be trusting, helpful and
compassionate. Disagreeable people are cold and suspicious of others, and they're less
likely to cooperate.
● As you might imagine, agreeableness has its benefits. In a 25-year study published in
Developmental Psychology in 2002, agreeable kids had fewer behavioral problems
than kids low in agreeableness, and agreeable adults had less depression and greater
job stability than adults who were low in agreeableness.
● But being agreeable isn't always rewarded. A 2018 article in Harvard Business Review
by Miriam Gensowski, an assistant professor at the Department of Economics of the
University of Copenhagen, stated that, "more agreeable men, who tend to be friendly
and helpful to others, have significantly lower earnings than less agreeable men. The
man who is very agreeable (in the top 20%) will earn about $270,000 less over a
lifetime than the average man."
 5. Neuroticism of Personality
● To understand neuroticism, look no further than George Costanza of the long-running
sitcom "Seinfeld." George is famous for his neuroses, which the show blames on his
dysfunctional parents. He worries about everything, obsesses over germs and disease
and once quits a job because his anxiety over not having access to a private bathroom
is too overwhelming.
● People high in neuroticism worry frequently and easily slip into anxiety and depression.
If all is going well, neurotic people tend to find things to worry about. A 2021 study
found negative association with neuroticism and earnings. Although, even when
neurotic people with good salaries earned raises, the extra income actually made them
less happy. Because people high in neuroticism tend to experience a lot of negative
emotion, neuroticism plays a role in the development of emotional disorders,
according to a paper published in Clinical Psychological Science.
● In contrast, people who are low in neuroticism tend to be emotionally stable and
even-keeled.
 The Science of Personality Development
● Personality development refers to the process by which the organized thought
and behavior patterns that make up a person's unique personality emerge over
time. Many factors influence personality, including genetics and environment,
how we were parented, and societal variables.
● Perhaps most importantly, it is the ongoing interaction of all these influences
that continue to shape personality. Personality involves not only inborn traits
but also the development of cognitive and behavioral patterns that influence
how we think and act.
● Temperament is a key part of personality that is determined by inherited traits.
Character is an aspect of personality influenced by experience that continues to
grow and change throughout life.
 Key Ideas Helping in Personality Development
● Identify your current traits. You won't know where to place your efforts if you don't
first identify the personality traits you feel the need to work on. A personality test can
provide an assessment of your current traits. Pick one or two traits to work on that you
feel would help you grow as a person and focus on them.
● Set a daily personal development goal. Commit to doing at least one thing every day
to help develop your personality. This doesn't have to be a big action either. Even baby
steps will move you in the right direction.
● Keep a positive mindset. Changing yourself can be difficult, especially if you're
working on a part of your personality you've had for a long time. Staying positive along
the way helps you pay more attention to the pros versus the cons. It also makes the
journey more enjoyable, for you and everyone around you.
● Be confident. When you have something about yourself that you'd like to change, it
can be easy to let your perceived imperfection reduce your confidence. Yet, you can be
confident and continue to develop your personality in meaningful ways at the same
time, giving you the best of both worlds while pursuing personality development.