Free Tutorial in Basic Psychology - Understanding Personality
Personality is a reflection of a person's thinking, feelings, behavior, and subconscious, and unconscious mind. This article will try to understand what constitutes a personality and how we characterise it.
Introduction
In an earlier article in basic Psychology, we learned about Human Behavior which is one of those elements which makes the personality of a person. Now in this article, we will learn about what personality means and in Psychology how we define and understand this important human characteristic.
The word 'personality' is derived from the Latin word persona. In Latin language, persona means a theatrical mask worn by performers to play specific roles or disguise their identities.What constitutes personality
Personality is a unique behavior mannerism and characteristics of an individual. There are many traits, manners, approaches, interactions, and other attributes that constitute a personality and give it that unique distinction. Based on personality we can distinguish a person from one another. The building up of a personality is based on various factors like heredity, upbringing, learning, environment, family atmosphere, social factors, etc.Some fundamental characteristics of personality
Human traits, thought patterns, emotions, and mindset affect the behavior of a person and the same is reflected in one's personality. Certain aspects characterize personality. These are -Types of personalities
There are several theories about personality development and personality types. Some top theories are mentioned below -
The first theory known as Myers-Briggs theory identifies a personality based on four zones of characteristic patterns of personality as follows -
The second theory categorising personality in types suggests that there are mainly four types of personalities. These are -
The third theory about personality is Trait Theory which says that personality is the reflection of internal characteristics and these characteristics are -
The fourth type of theory about personality is called Psychodynamic Theory. In this category 'the psychosexual stage theory' by Sigmund Freud and 'stages of psychosocial development' by Erik Erikson are worth mentioning. These theories are based on the influence of the unconscious mind on personality.
The fifth theory about personality is known as Behavioral Theory. As per this concept, psychologists believe that personality is a result of interaction between the individual and the environment. In this theory, more weightage is given to observable and measurable behaviors rather than internal thoughts and feelings. Some of the famous behavioral theorists in this line of thinking were B. F. Skinner and John B. Watson.
The sixth theory of personality is the Humanist Theory. In this theory, emphasis is on the importance of free will and individual experience in developing a personality. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were the main theorists in this stream of thinking.Personality assessment
Personality can be assessed through specialized quizzes tests or questionnaires and helps in categorizing the personality of a person. It also helps in monitoring the personality of an individual and gives valuable data to the people engaged in research on topics related to personality development.Personality disorders
As we discussed, personality is the reflection of our thinking, behavior, thoughts, subconscious, and unconscious mind. If there is some stress or disruption in the mind then it manifests as a disorder in personality. Many symptoms are quite evident in personality disorder condition. Some of these are - Aggressive behavior, Distrust of others, Delusional thinking, Flat emotions, Lack of interest in friendships or relationships, and Invading or violating others' boundaries.Conclusion
Understanding the personality of an individual helps us understand his behavior, traits, and attributes. Personality assessment can be done using psychological tests and helps in modelling the personality of that individual. Human behavior is a complex process and reflects in one's personality. So understanding personality is necessary to decipher human behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can we judge the personality of a person?
Personality is a characteristic of a person and just by observing the behaviour, manners, and such other attribute we can find a lot about the personality of a person.Are personality tests accurate?
Personality tests are based on some responses of the particular person to queries and questionnaire. If the person is honestly responding then the results are quite accurate.Why the name of Sigmund Freud is so famous in Psychology?
Sigmund fred was the first person who interpreted the behaviour and personality of a person to one's sexual feelings in subconscious mind. It got a lot of criticism also.Can personality disorders be corrected?
It is not easy to correct such disorders but some psychiatrists suggest measures to control and correct them with limited success.
A good article from the author. Every human being will have his/her way of thinking and they will behave based on their thinking and understanding. When we meet a person whom we didn't know earlier, our knowledge about that person will be zero. But after spending some time with him/ her, observing will give us an understanding of his/ her personality as we will get an understanding of their personality from their behaviour. The following are some ways to understand the personality of the other person-
1. Having a conversation with the other person.
2. Observing him while performing his duties
3. Constantly following his body language
4. Watching him while he talks and keeping an eye contact
5. Sharing our details and getting his details.
However, human personality is a very tricky thing, and it may change from situation to situation.