Personality Theory

The Blind Side has influenced viewers to be more understanding of people’s circumstances and to help them out instead of disregarding their anguish. However, when one of Leigh Anne’s friends mention how she [Leigh Anne] is changing Michael Oher’s life by opening up their home to him, Leigh Anne responds how she isn’t changing Michael Oher’s life; but

Anne had always maintained a close relationship with her mother. She respected her work ethic and her determination to raise her family the best she could. Yet most young women face a time in their lives when their relationship with their mother is strained. This somewhat natural occurrence took place, but was intensified by Anne's own discovery of how the world really worked, in terms of race relations. I think that Anne always found her mother's lack of communication, regarding the race situation, as a weakness. This created more distrust for her mother at an already vulnerable time in her life.

In psychology, there are four major theories of personality: psychodynamic, trait or five-factor model, humanistic, and social-cognitive. The psychodynamic theory primarily focuses on the role of the unconscious mind. The social cognitive theory focuses on the effect of the environment on behavior and is based on theories of learning. Whereas, the humanistic theory emphasizes conscious life experiences and choices. The trait or five-factor model focuses on characteristics themselves and not the roots of personality.

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

However with advantages come disadvantages. For example, with correlational studies there is no background information obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the correlational studies is questioned.

“We are influenced by our own internal forces, forces of which we are unaware, have feelings towards, or urges we do not quite understand “(Freidman, 2012, p. 17). This is the struggle that personality psychology tries to understand, how and to what extent the unconscious forces plays a role in human behavior. It is believed that people are responsible for their own actions. There is a continuous struggle with personality psychology and the comprehension of and to what extent unconscious forces play in human behavior. “Meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction both are transformed” (Carl Jung 1993, p.57). There are various questions that are asked about the issues in personality psychology such as, “How important are social influences on the self, such as parental deprivation or excessive praise? Is the sense of self merely an inconsequential epiphenomenon or secondary perception arising from other forces that really matter? What is the core of who we are? A second core issue with the studies of personality studies is does each person require a unique approach? “Gordon Allport argued that a key aspect of the study of personality must focus on the individual and thus be idiographic” (p.18). To generalize an individual is a complication in itself because the personality of each person is complex in its own way so how can we generalize? Obtaining an answer to that question is still a dilemma. Allport complained

Allport defines personality as ‘the dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment’ (Allport, 1937). An individual’s unique personality traits and attributes are a powerful indicator of how he/she will interact with the work environment. The difference between average and outstanding employees can often be solely personality related. As the employee is the most valuable asset to the company, ‘selecting the right employee during the process is critical’ (Carbery and Cross, 2013, pp. 41-53)

Extraversion is one of the five core personality traits described in the big five theory of personality. This trait is characterized by sociability, assertiveness, emotional expressiveness and excitability. People who are high in this trait are often described as being outgoing ad talkative, while those low in this trait are described as quiet and reserved. An extroverted disposition ; concern with what is outside the self rather what is inside.

personality types, behavioural styles theories, personality and testing systems - for self-awareness, self-development, motivation, management, and recruitment

Personality theories suggest explanations for behaviors and how to change them. Multiple personality theories exist however one of the most interesting is the theory of personality by Carl Rogers. Rogers writes, “the core of man’s nature is essentially positive” (1961, p.73). “Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8,1902- February 4, 1987) was an influential American psychologist who, along with Abraham Maslow founded the humanistic approach to psychology” (“Carl,” 2017, para. 1). Carl Rogers was an instrumental humanistic psychologist who received many awards including the first APA award for Distinguished Contributions to Applied Psychology in 1972 (“Carl,” 2017). Carl Rogers’ made many contributions to therapy

Over the last 100 years, the underpinning concepts in the fields of psychology and counseling were wrought. Within this period, these concepts have transformed and evolved from somewhat crude conceptions of the psyche toward more holistic interventions and approaches. As the profession continues to move forward, adaptations of the original theorists regarding the nature of man and the development of personality continue to emerge. These adaptations, along with the integration of new concepts and ideas, continue to contribute to the field. The author describes his view of man and human nature, personality development, and explores potential implications for counseling.

I already knew before seeing the final results of the collages that my description of myself would differ from my partner’s portrayal of me. No matter who I had chosen to do it, I knew the final product would end with positive traits on their collage, and negative traits on my own. I am my worst critic, and am sometimes very blind to the good impressions I leave on other people. I do see a few of the same words between the two collages, as well as some general key themes I can make out between the two. I also notice my self criticism is very apparent, even from the other person’s point of view. I chose my mother to make the other half of the collage for me. So, obviously there is going to be a bit of a bias towards my good qualities rather

Gordon Allport (1961) popularised the term 'personality' psychology and defined it as "a dynamic organisation, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person's characteristic patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings" (Allport, 1961, pg. 11). Personality is adaptive to individual experience, constantly shaping behaviour. Personality psychology is divided into different domains, including the adjustment domain. This studies how personality operates in order to aid the adjustment and coping process of human beings, to everyday life. It also studies the consequences of personality, analysing when illness is generated. The domain claims that what personality type an individual is situated with; including what specific traits

As a strong proponent of human psychology, I've always strived for knowing more about the inner world of people around me. It's always interested me, and it didn't take me a lot of time to see that, in order to understand people better, I should start with understanding myself. MBTI personality theory provides a very valuable insight into the inner workings of the human mind. It's based on the works of Carl Jung, a very prominent figure in the field of Psychology. The theory is based on a speculation "that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world – sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking – and that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time," (Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, n.d., para. 2). There are a lot of tests online that would give the results of varied validity, starting with preliminary readings and looking whether one of the sixteen types fits on and ending with long questionnaires with a quite high chance of being correct.

Personality theory is a complex process that can be influenced by many factors. There are a few factors by which psychologist seem to measure how people adjust and adapt their personality. These factors are nature versus nurture, the unconscious, view of self, development, motivation, and maturation. Each one of these factors has their own distinguishable elements that when factored with personality can have different effects on personality development. These factors will be discussed in different context as how they relate to and affect personality.