( GENUS OF PERSONALITY )
What Is Personality?
The term ‘personality’ is considered to be derived from the Latin term ‘Persona’. In common and understandable words, personality is the characteristic patterns or traits of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is considered that personality is shaped by various factors since childhood which fairly remains consistent throughout one’s life.
Even though there are several definitions of personality, most of them focus on the pattern of characteristics and behaviors that can help predict and explain a person’s behavior through manners, body language, gestures, knowledge, and so on.
Personality is focused on a variety of influences, from genetic explanations to the role of environment and experience in shaping a person’s personality.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONALITY
So what exactly constitutes personality?
Patterns of emotions play an important role and also these following fundamental characteristics or traits of personality:
- Consistency: There is usually a recognizable regularity to behaviors. Generally, people act in similar ways in several situations.
- Psychological and physiological: Personality is a psychological and environmental construct, but research also suggests that it is influenced by biological needs and processes as well.
- Behaviors and actions: Personality not only reflects in our movement and manner of reactions in our environment, but it also motivates us to act in a certain way.
- Multiple expressions: Personality is portrayed not just in behavior. It can also be perceived in our feelings, thoughts, close relationships, and social interactions.
The “Big Five” Traits of Personality
There are numerous theories about how personality is developed, and different schools of thought influence many of these theories of psychology. Some of these major theories or perspectives on personality are as follows :
Type Theories
Type theories are early thoughts on personality. These theories considered that there is only a limited number of “personality types” which are related to the biological influences, which are as follows :
- Type A: Impatient, perfectionist, aggressive, competitive, achievement-oriented, work-obsessed, stressed.
- Type B: Tendency to procrastinate, low stress, patient, evenly tempered, creative, flexible, adaptable to change.
- Type C: Inability to disclose emotions positive as well as negative, highly conscientious, perfectionists.
- Type D: Gloomy, pale, feelings of worry, sensitivity, irritability, pessimistic outlook, negative and undesirable self-talk, unsocial, lacking self-confidence, a constant fear of rejection, hopelessness.
Trait Theories
The trait theories tend to see personality as a result of internal characteristics that are genetically based.
These are as follows:
- Agreeable: Helpful, caring, affectionate, empathetic
- Conscientiousness: Good impulse control, high levels of thoughtfulness, goal-oriented behaviors
- Eager-to-please: Conforming, accommodating, and passive.
- Extraversion: Expressive about emotions, talkative, excitability, sociability, assertiveness, activeness.
- Introversion: Reserved, mostly anti-social, quiet, shy.
- Neuroticism: Extremely moody, anxious, worried about various things, gets upset easily, struggles to start over after a stressful event.
- Openness: Tackles new challenges easily, creative, open to exploring new areas of interest.
The Trait Theory of Personality
- Psychodynamic Theories
This psychodynamic theory is a highly influenced product by the work of Sigmund Freud regarding the unconscious mind on personality. Psychodynamic theories include Erik Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development and Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stage theory.
- Behavioral Theories
Behavior Theories explain personality as a result of interaction between the environment and an individual. Theorists of this area, study measurable and observable behaviors that ignore the role of internal emotions. Theorists such as John. B. Watson and B. F. Skinner are related to behavioral theory.
- Humanist
Theorists of this theory emphasize the significance of free will and individual experiences which helps to develop a personality. Humanists such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are well known.
Other assessments and applications might measure how specific factors or aspects of personality change over the course of the period through development. Such personality assessments can be used to assist people determine what careers or fields they might enjoy, how well they could perform well in certain job roles through aptitude tests.
Personality type also includes your health and your techniques to cope with stress and tension. These characteristics can be linked to certain illnesses and health behaviors of your life.
How Personality Type Can Influence Your Physical and Mental Health ?
Understanding personality through psychology improves your chances to look for solutions or measures for well being of mental and physical health issues. This helps to have a positive approach in the field of research of several major areas.
It is important to know one’s personality trait which is the most significant part of your identity which can be used to tackle the mental and emotional problems one is suffering from. Also, the first step of self-awareness and exploring yourself lies in knowing your personality.
Even though this is a brief explanation of the genus of personalities of humans, there is a sea full of information awaiting you to understand and recognize yourself in more detail and depth.
Also Read: Anxiety : Types and Symptoms