PERSONALITY

 

DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY :-

The term ‘personality’ is derived from the Latin word ‘persona’ which means a mask. According to K. Young, “Personality is a …. patterned body of habits, traits, attitudes and ideas of an individual, as these are organised externally into roles and statuses, and as they relate internally to motivation, goals, and various aspects of selfhood.” G. W. Allport defined it as “a person’s pattern of habits, attitudes, and traits which determine his adjustment to his environment.”

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Personality, a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with other people. It includes behavioral characteristics, both inherent and acquired, that distinguish one person from another and that can be observed in people’s relations to the environment and to the social group.

PERSONALITY THEORIES :-

1. Physiological Type Theories

The idea that people fall into certain personality type categories in relation to bodily characteristics has intrigued numerous modern psychologists as well as their counterparts among the ancients. The idea that people must fall into one or another rigid personality class, however, has been largely dismissed. Two general sets of theories are considered here, the humoral and the morphological.

2. Trait Theories

Contemporary personality studies are generally empirical and based on experiments. While they are more precise, and thus may be more valid than much of psychoanalytic theory, experiments perforce have a narrower scope than the grand sweep of psychoanalysis. In the 1940s many investigators focused on intensive studies of individual traits and of combinations of traits that seemed to define personality types, such as the “authoritarian personality.” Others, like the American psychologists David C. McClelland and John W. Atkinson, studied the characteristic presence of certain needs identified by Murray, such as the need for achievement or affiliation. The method used to measure these needs was to examine the fantasy productions of Murray’s Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and to relate the motive score to other behavioral indexes such as personal history, occupational choice, speed of learning, and persistence of behaviour following failure.

3. Humoral theories :-

Perhaps the oldest personality theory known is contained in the cosmological writings of the Greek philosopher and physiologist Empedocles and in related speculations of the physician Hippocrates. Empedocles’ cosmic elements—air (with its associated qualities, warm and moist), earth (cold and dry), fire (warm and dry), and water (cold and moist)—were related to health and corresponded (in the above order) to Hippocrates’ physical humours, which were associated with variations in temperament: blood (sanguine temperament), black bile (melancholic), yellow bile (choleric), and phlegm (phlegmatic). This theory, with its view that body chemistry determines temperament, has survived in some form for more than 2,500 years. According to these early theorists, emotional stability as well as general health depend on an appropriate balance among the four bodily humours; an excess of one may produce a particular bodily illness or an exaggerated personality trait. Thus, a person with an excess of blood would be expected to have a sanguine temperament—that is, to be optimistic, enthusiastic, and excitable. Too much black bile (dark blood perhaps mixed with other secretions) was believed to produce a melancholic temperament. An oversupply of yellow bile (secreted by the liver) would result in anger, irritability, and a “jaundiced” view of life. An abundance of phlegm (secreted in the respiratory passages) was alleged to make people stolid, apathetic, and undemonstrative. As biological science has progressed, these primitive ideas about body chemistry have been replaced by more complex ideas and by contemporary studies of hormones, neurotransmitters, and substances produced within the central nervous system, such as endorphins.

 

4. Morphological (body type) theories

Related to the biochemical theories are those that distinguish types of personalities on the basis of body shape (somatotype). Such a morphological theory was developed by the German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer. In his book Physique and Character, first published in 1921, he wrote that among his patients a frail, rather weak (asthenic) body build as well as a muscular (athletic) physique were frequently characteristic of schizophrenic patients, while a short, rotund (pyknic) build was often found among manic-depressive patients. Kretschmer extended his findings and assertions in a theory that related body build and personality in all people and wrote that slim and delicate physiques are associated with introversion, while those with rounded heavier and shorter bodies tend to be cyclothymic—that is, moody but often extroverted and jovial.

PERSONALITY DETERMINANTS AND TRAITS :-

Following are the factors which help in shaping one’s personality:-

1.     Heredity - Heredity refers to factors that are determined once an individual is born. An individual’s physique, attractiveness, body type, complexion, body weight depend on his/her parents biological makeup.

2.     Environment - The environment to which an individual is subjected to during his growing years plays an important role in determining his/her personality. The varied cultures in which we are brought up and our family backgrounds have a crucial role in shaping our personalities.

3.     Situation - An individual’s personality also changes with current circumstances and situations. An individual would behave in a different way when he has enough savings with him and his behavior would automatically change when he is bankrupt.

An individual’s appearance, character, intelligence, attractiveness, efficiency, style determine his/her personality.

 

FIVE TRAITS OF PERSONALITY:-

1. Extroversion:

People get the energy from their preference of extroversion or introversion. The people who prefer extroversion get the energy from their interactions with other people. The people who prefer introversion get energy by spending time or doing the activities by themselves. Extroversion types people develop and maintain wide-range of social network while the introversion, type people narrow down their relationships to a few people.

According to Jung, even the introverts possess social skills, but prefer internal world of ideas, thoughts and concepts. In fact certain societies encourage and reward extroverts. Extroverts at workplace prefer variety and they don’t mind the interruptions at workplace by people/co-workers.

They prefer relationships over quality and quantity of output. In contrast, the introverts prefer complete concentration and least disturbances at workplace by people/coworkers and telephone calls. They prefer quality and quantity of output over relationships. Introverts prefer to work in isolation and concentrate on performance.

Extroversion represents a person’s interest in the external world. Person’s interest in the external world can be exhibited through sociability, talkativeness/gregariousness and assertiveness. Thus, this dimension deals with relationships with others. Extroverts are assertive, sociable, talkative, gregarious people and introverts are reserved, timid and quiet.

2. Agreeableness:

Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm and trusting, whereas less agreeable people are cold, disagreeable and antagonistic. Individuals with agreeable traits think from the view- point of their employees or clients, accept the proposals, needs or requests of the employees. Employees’ job behaviour and job performance is influenced with such a trait. Individuals with such a trait are good natured, cooperative and trusting.

Mr. Uday of Kotak Mahindra enters into the shoes of his employees and customers and analyses the issues and problems from their point of view. Added to this, his positive attitude towards others makes him to exhibit his trait of accepting the proposals or requests or needs of his subordinates. His subordinates are influenced positively by his trait of agreeableness.

3. Conscientiousness:

Conscientiousness refers to governing or regulating the work activity by conscience. Conscientiousness is a measure of reliability. Persons with a high level of conscientiousness are reliable, organized, dependable and persistent; while persons with a low level are easily distracted, disorganised and unreliable. The conscientiousness trait of the executive changes the job behaviour and enhances the job performance of the subordinates. The conscientiousness trait includes responsibility, dependability, persistency and achievement-oriented.

4. Emotional Stability:

Some executives absorb the actions, reactions, views, feelings, attitudes, outcome of activities, etc., and maintain stability of their emotions. Consequently, they tend to be calm, self-confident and secure. People with negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed and insecure.

5. Openness to Experience:

Executives are expected to be open to new job experiences, learn, absorb and integrate them with their previous experiences and knowledge. This trait includes imaginative, artistically sensitive, intellectual, creative and curious people. Those with low level of openness are conventional and go along with the familiar.

 

What is Personality Development ?

Personality development is defined as a process of developing and enhancing one’s personality. Personality development helps an individual to gain confidence and high self esteem.

Personality development also is said to have a positive impact on one’s communication skills and the way he sees the world. Individuals tend to develop a positive attitude as a result of personality development.

 

 Top Four Methods Used for Measuring Personality:-

Personality is measured through tests. These personality tests are supposed to find out the traits possessed by an individual. These tests determine the personality factors mainly in three areas, viz. – (i) personal adjustments, (ii) attitudes, and (iii) interests. Research studies show that there is a positive relationship between the three different personality factors. The personality of an individual is attributed to the above factors.

Methods used for Judging Personality:

1. Word association test (WAT)

2. Situation Reaction Test (SRT)

3. Interview

4. Transactional Analysis

1. Word Association Test (WAT):

This test is intended to give an insight into the personality of an individual through his imagination. It works as guide to an individual’s emotional attitude and behavioural pattern. It is observed that different persons react in different manners to the same stimulus.

For example, certain words bring different ideas and feelings in different persons. Thus, the same stimulus word is associated with different traits of personality of the individual tested.

2. Situation Reaction Test (SRT):

A situation reaction test measures an individual’s responses to a situation confronted by him in everyday life, one come across various unforeseen situations and one has to tackle such situations. This is normally done with one’s past experience of similar situations. For this purpose, an individual must have qualities of alertness, adaptability, logical thinking and presence of mind to take proper decision and quick action.

The reactions of an individual’s personality are measured through Situation Reaction test.

3. Interview:

This is a popular method of judging the personality. This method is commonly made use of by the Service Selection Board (SSB) and Public Service Commission. The very fact that an interview can be successful in finding the personality of a candidate, if the interviewer is well-trained in interview techniques. He must be aware of what he is looking for in a candidate, while conducting the interview.

4. Transactional Analysis:

This is a theory of a communication process that helps predict the future pattern of behaviour. This was introduced by Eric Berne. He, after a long experimentation, through clinical examination and process advocated the principle as a rational form of theory suitable for psychic patients.

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