Personality Theory

Introduction

Personality is an important facet of a person. It says a lot about the person’s background and how he grew. According to Carl Jung, it is the realization of an individual’s inherent variable, or should we say characteristic (http://wilderdom.com/personality/L5-1WhatIsPersonality.html 1). It is the complete ingredient that makes up a person, why an individual is different from another. Personality, as defined by some, can be the summation of all the characteristics an individual possesses to encapsulate their true essence or worth. A consistent behavior with a certain pattern can also be a definition of an individual’s personality (http://wilderdom.com/personality/L5-1WhatIsPersonality.html 1). It is the façade of an individual. It dictates other persons, how they would brand an individual of who they are. These individuals will be known and remembered as their mask or ‘brand’ that they showcased their audience, the society. The over-all implication of personality to an individual is an individual’s ability to be distinct as compared to others. Although there are different types of personalities which can correspond to different individuals, it cannot be measured accurately for personality is qualitative (with no numerical values) and not quantitative (which can be measured and is finite).

This paper aims to provide the writer’s own personality theory, on how a person creates their own distinctive factor that separates them from the others. I would like to present a theory on how individuals form their personality to ‘show-off’ to others. This paper will discuss several personality theories and my own theory with the comparison of the existing theories vis-à-vis the theory I will be proposing.

DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES

There are different personalities of a person that is discussed in psychology literatures. It has different ways and processes how to define and determine an individual’s personality. Depending on the psychologist, an individual’s personality can differ and/or vary according to their emotional and physical attributes. An example would be the ancient Greek philosophers’ use of ‘humors’ to describe an individual’s personality (http://wilderdom.com/personality/L6-1PersonalityTypes.html 1). Excess fluid would determine what kind of personality a person has. It can either be irritable, depressed, optimistic or calm. Each characteristic has its own corresponding body fluid (http://wilderdom.com.com/personality/L6-1PersonalityTypes.html 1). Another example is the somatotype or the different classifications of personality according to an individual’s body-shape. According to Sheldon (in http://wilderdom.com/personality/L6-1PersonalityTypes.html 1), there are three basic body types that correspond to all the people’s personality distinction. First is the plump type people who are more relaxed and sociable. Second are people with a muscular body-built. Their characteristics include activeness to strenuous activities and an outgoing personality. Last, there are people who have lean body-built. They are usually quiet and sensitive.

Other personality theories are also presented by other philosophers such as Jung, Myers-Briggs, and Kiersey (http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nomothetic-idiographic.html 1). Currently, the Kiersey test on personality is one of the most commercially used by different companies and entities to test applicants. It is also used in identifying what type of an individual the person is and what kind of people the person usually interacts with. Kiersey used the term ‘temperaments’ instead of personality to describe how an individual would be distinguished as a different entity to against another. Temperaments include introversion or extroversion, intuition or sensing, thinking or feeling, and judgment or perception.

MY ORIGINAL PERSONALITY THEORY

There are a lot of personality theories that are present in the literature of this area of study. However, in this paper, I plan to have my own take on the personality theory. In my opinion, an individual’s personality can be traced back in their parents of from their origin. An individual has their own distinct personality that distinguishes a person from the crowd. According to health facts, babies in their mother’s womb can already feel the emotions their mothers feel. It has several implications on the birth of the baby. Other babies suffer from different harms like growing up introvert or impairments physically. This signals personality changes in an individual’s development and growth stage. Outside their mother’s womb, they are exposed to several environments that can greatly affect an individual’s personality. Normally, an individual exposed to a very good environment grow up to be good and model citizens. Their personalities are influenced by the society and environment where they interact with other organism present in their environment.

An individual’s personality is a reflection of their parents’ upbringing. How the parents educate their children before socializing in their preparatory classes shows how the parents taught their children how to act when in public. Like the definition earlier of personality, it is a mask worn by individuals that showcases the image that they would like to others to believe in. The parents usually create the mask of their children, which shapes their personality and how they act in the society. Acting accordingly is ideal to the society. With the right manners and good conduct, an individual would not have any problems regarding interaction with other people in the society and individuals who belong to the same or other environments. Exposing an individual to different environments can make a person very flexible in talking to other people from different societies. So, an individual’s personality can be dictated by the parents who raised them and by the environment wherein this individual was brought up and was used to its norms and traditions.

This theory that I am trying to imply possesses mix of both nomothetic and idiographic focus. First, it is nomothetic in nature for an individual’s personality should be according to the society’s norms. Deviation from the norm signals rebellion from the majority or a great difference against others. Beliefs of people living in one society can be different; however, there are some factors that weave a society as one which all individuals have in common. Nomothetic, meaning law, is what we share with others. Ideal characteristics and personal traits are what we should share with others. The idea of being a good individual is normally what the society is asking, that every individual should posses a good personality which is coherent to the mission and vision of the society. On the other hand, it is idiographic for an individual’s personality is what distinguishes a person apart from others. Having a unique personality or character is what a person needs to be distinct from the other individuals where the person shares the environment and the society. Although these individuals should follow the same set of norm of the society, there is always one factor that separates them from the others. It is what their idiographic focus is, their personality being unique from others.

References

Simply Psychology. 05 February 2008. 05 February 2008 [http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nomothetic-idiographic.html].

Wilderdom.com. ‘Personality traits: idiographic vs. nomothetic’. 02 April 2007. 05 February 2008 [http://wilderdom.com/personality/traits/PersonalityTraitsIdiographicNomothetic.html].

Wilderdom.com. ‘What is personality’. 02 April 2007. 05 February 2008 [http://wilderdom.com/personality/L5-1WhatIsPersonality.html].

Wilderdom.com. 02 April 2007. 05 February 2008 [http://wilderdom.com/personality/L6-1PersonalityTypes.html].

Wilderdom.com. ‘Evolutionary psychology’. 02 April 2007. 05 February 2008 [http://wilderdom.com/personality/L7-1EvolutionaryPsychology.html].