Personality, its constructs and origins have baffled neuroscientists for the last century. Personality is of great annoyance to the scientific community and has of yet defied their attempts to deconstruct its mechanics, refusing to concede to empiricism (Lewis, 2009). Personality falls under the umbrella of consciousness; it is by definition observable, but to measure personality is difficult save for its most rudimentary characteristics. Indeed, much of what we know or think we know comes from inferential data. When studying personality there are two ideological factions; the nomothetic approach – the belief that personality is immutable, the result of environmental and genetic coalescence, a manifestation of determinism (Mullins, 2011) - the idiographic approach favouring individualism and ratifying (to some extent) free will. I tend to side with the idiographic approach, the notion of neurological fluidity is not only an uplifting one but scientifically sound. Of course, free will cannot exist without chance. In Quantum Physics the uncertainty principle necessitates microscopic a...
This course has taught me a lot about the different personality theories as well as the best known psychology theorists that have developed these theories. Personality consists of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make an individual unique. Numerous theories have been emerged to implicit the different features of personality. The main purpose of some theories is to focus on explaining how personality developed.
In conclusion, personality is a term that refers to the many patterns of similarities and patterns of differences among individuals. There are various ways with psychologists have examined individual differences in personality including the use of genetics. Through this method, psychologists have mainly examined biological underpinnings that contribute to individual differences in personality. While these measures provide some insights regarding personality, individual differences in personality cannot be adequately explained with reference to genes because of the weaknesses of these theories and the effect of environmental factors.
In its most basic form, personality is what defines a person through their “…expression of emotions, relationship building, and their individual patterns of behavior…” (CITE). Two of the most prolific theories on the formation of personality were developed by neurologist Sigmund Freud and psychologist Carl Rogers. Both Freud and Rogers worked in psychotherapy, the area of therapy, which “…focuses on fostering a positive mental well-being…” (CITE). These men based their general theories of personality on their experiences with patients, however their conclusions are worlds apart. Rogers is recognized for his approach to therapy where the “…client…” has a more direct role in the process (CITE). Whereas Freud is best known for his work on the unconscious mind.
The purpose of this research report is to investigate the personality of Beyoncé Knowles in terms of humanistic and trait conceptions of personality.
Neurophysiology is the study of the brains behavior. Personality affects how a person will behave in certain situations. Human’s attitudes are determined by their environments, personal preferences and dislikes all reflex their everyday actions. Personality is 50%-70% hereditary and that home environment has little impact on child development. Motivated behavior; extraverts demonstrate an increased sensitivity to reward signals. There are three criterions necessary to establish the neurobiological basis of such a personality: a) define the network of neural structures associated with the trait, b) explain how individual differences occur within the functioning of that network and c) identify the sources of individual differences. Neurobiology investigates these questions with a reductionism approach, examining chemical release at synapses and correlating such activity with behavior. Personality research has a long history in the field of psychology. Only in the last forty years, however, have scientists begun to look for biological explanations. Is it possible that eventually neurobiology will be able to explain personality on the same level as motor responses or our sense of hearing? Still, the chemical basis of personality gives us great insight into how and why we behave as we do. It can help explain why different people react differently to similar situations. Perhaps most importantly, it offers the potential to alter such behavior, from treating mild cases of anxiety to severe personality disorders.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Personality is characterized by many dimensions of a person’s overall being. The belief that personality stems from one origin is small minded and on many levels, unsupported. If the scope of personality is expanded, it suggests that there is not a single explanation determining a person’s personality and how it is formed. Personality Theories have been generated for centuries by individuals who desire to identify what distinguishes a person’s personality and how it affects their behaviors. What is it that comprises all the unique characteristics about a person?
Many psychologists throughout many years present theoretical approaches in an attempt to understand personality. Hans Eysenck’s approach of personality differed from that of Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytical theory of personality. Eysenck’s theory of personality relies on the scientific basis of biology in explaining human personality. Although Freud’s theories are intriguing to an open mind, Eysenck’s approach made measurable scientific sense. He relied on the use of trait and factor analysis, which is a statistical method. Freud relied on faith and his personal opinions based on observational research to reach the assumptions that set forth his theories (Feist & Feist, 2009). Eysenck and Freud did not agree on anything about understanding how and why the mind operates the way, it does.
organizing principle. It propels you on your life path. It represents the orderly arrangement of
There are many people in this world; no two people are the same. When considering personality theories it is important to note that not all theories apply to all situations or all people. Different theories have different approaches. It is important to know the person before making assumptions about the proper theory to apply to the person or in any given situation. The purpose of this paper is to analysis how different personality theorists could interoperate different individual circumstances and behaviors based on case examples provided by the instructor.
The study of personality traits is beneficial in identifying the many variables that exist from human to human; the combinations of these variables provide us with a true level of individuality and uniqueness. In the field of psychology, trait theory is considered to be a key approach to the study of human personality (Crowne, 2007; Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). This paper aims to identify a number of significant contributors who have played crucial roles in both the development and application of trait theory. This paper then moves focus to these theorists, outlining their theory and analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of those theories. An illustration of the methods used in trait measurement is given and includes the arguments both for and against such procedures. Lastly the findings of trait theory and its components described within the paper will be summarised.
The Five-Factor Model of Personality is a system used in order to describe an individual’s personality traits. By requiring said individual to answer a series of questions, this test is able to decipher the traits that are most likely evident within their life. The Five-Factor Model of Personality test gives the test subject a series of situational options. Using the subject’s responses, psychologist match the answers to the personality in which best relates. A highly accurate description of ones’ personality can be easily configured by using the Five-Factor Model of Personality by testing either high or low in the following areas; openness to experience, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
Traits are specific factors a person possesses that makes up their personality. According to trait theories, personality consists of broad, enduring dispositions that tend to lead to character responses. (King, 2016) This essentially means that we can define individuals by how they act, whether their friendly, outgoing, shy, or introverted. People who show those specific traits frequently are known to be “high” in those specific traits. For example, if someone is low in openness then they would be more practical or traditional in how they behaved or dealt with situations. Gordon Allport was one of the first psychologists to heavily focus on the study of personality. He believed that personality psychology should be concerned
Our personalities are what distinguish us from each other beyond our appearance; without them, we would all behave and react in the same way. Personality is the reason we are outgoing or introverted, persistent or blaze, and anxious or calm. We each have different levels of these competing characteristics that make us unique. But why are personalities so varied? Personality is determined by an array of factors from genetic and biological to the personal experiences and decisions we have faced from the day we are born. The complexity of our personalities cannot be simply explained, and for this reason there exists many different theories of how it’s developed and personality is still deeply under study. I went into this subject with an open-mind
The concept of personality has numerous definitions (Fatahi, Moradi, & Kashani-Vahid, 2016). Schultz and Schultz (2009), define personality in its broad sense as the manner of an individual’s behaviour in different situations. This essay explores the nature of personality, with the intention of highlighting its flexibility. The results of numerous empirical research studies are examined in order to investigate if, and how personality changes over time. It will be argued that an individual’s personality has the ability to change throughout their life.
Personality is the expression of a person’s traits according to ones feelings, mentality and behavior. It involves understanding individuals’ traits such as withdrawal and willpower and how various parts of an individual link together to form personality. Personality expresses itself from within an individual and is comparatively regular throughout in an individual’s life. Different people have different personalities dependent on factors such as environment and genetic composition. Our personality is dependent on the success or failure of our development in the eight stages of life. This is proposed by Erik Erikson. Success in the development stages lead to virtues while the failure leads to malignancies.