Personality Dr. Anshul Singh Thapa

Meaning and Definition In common dialect, personality is “what makes one individual different from another”. Personality is not something people possess in large or small quantities, nor it is concrete thing that is easily observable such as white skin or black hair. Rather it is what one is – a sum total of all his traits and attributes which go to make him a unique individual. The word personality is derived from persona which originally meant “theatrical mask” worn by actor in a play to denote various characters in ancient Greece. Later Carl Jung considered that ‘persona was at the outer edge of the self, the mask worn by a person in response to the demands of social civilization. If we wish to study personality, we must be ready to shift our attention rapidly from concrete person to abstract person. The concrete person might refer to observable dimension of personality such as physique, activities etc. the abstract person underlines intellectual, mental, spiritual and social qualities generally acquired and developed.

Concept of Personality One of the best way to understand personality is through its structure. Personality is divided into three separate but related levels: a psychological core, typical response and role related behavior (Hollander 1967, marten 1975)

Role related behavior Typical response Psychological core dynamic external internal constant

Psychological Core Typical Response Role Related Behavior

Psychological core The most basic level of our personality is called the psychological core. The deepest component it includes, our attitude and values, interests and motives, and beliefs about ourselves and our self worth. In essence, the psychological core represents the centerpiece of our personality “the real we” not what we want others to think of us.

Typical response Typical response are the ways we each learn to adjust to the environment or how we usually respond to the world around us. Often our typical responses are good indicator of our psychological core. That is, if we consistently respond to social situation by being quiet and shy, we are likely to be introverted.

Role related behavior How we act based on what we perceive our social situation to be is called role related behavior. This behavior is the most changeable aspect of personality: our behavior changes as our perception of the environment changes. Different situations require playing different roles.

Psycho - analysis Psycho – analysis presented by Sigmund Freud is considered an important mile stone in the history of personality. Freud formulated a concept of the unconscious mind which ultimately became central to his personality theory. He linked mind to an ice berg, with most of it is hidden beneath the surface in the vast reservoir of the unconscious. According to Freud, memories, desires and feelings are repressed or suppressed into the unconscious mind because they are too painful or anxiety producing to be tolerated in conscious thought. To Freud the conscious was not the true reality. To understand a person’s personality, therefore, we must tap his/her unconscious. Freud believed that personality is composed of three primary interactive and often conflicting components – id, ego and superego.

The Id According to Freud, id is the biological component of personality which is obscure, primitive and inaccessible. It can be reached only through analysis of dream. Much of its structure is of negative character and can be describe as being all that the ego is not. The id operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of all instinctive derives regardless reason, impact that the behavior it motivates shall have. Values, morality and ethics are unknown to it.

The ego According to Freud, discovering of reality prompts the development of the ego as an product of the id. The ego develop gradually as the child interact and learn to cope with the external reality. It functions as an mediator between the instinctual demands of the id and the reality of the world. In fact the ego serve as the executive of the personality, making decisions regarding the pleasures which may be pursued at the urging of the id, and the morel dictates of the superego that will be followed. The ego operates by the reality principle or the tendency to satisfy the id’s demands realistically, sometimes delaying the gratification of desire springing from id, and sometimes relaxing the rules and regulations by the superego.

The superego While the id and the ego are considered as biological and psychological aspect of personality respectively, the superego is its social component – the internal representative of the ideas of society, the moral judge of conduct. It emerges as the infant become a child, it is a composite of the moral values and standards of parents and society that we incorporate into our personalities as we develop. The major concern of the superego is to decide whether an act is right or wrong. It operates by the morality principles. According to Freud, the superego is composed of two parts or sub-systems, the conscience and the ego-ideal. The conscience consist of moral inhibition (should nots) of behavior which stem from punishment. The ego-ideal comprises (shoulds) of behavior for which we receive approval/rewards, and to which we aspire.

Dimension of Personality The "Big Five" factors of personality are five broad domains or dimensions of personality which are used to describe human personality. The Big Five factors and their constituent traits can be summarized as follows: Openness - (inventive / curious vs. cautious / conservative). Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience Conscientiousness - (efficient / organized vs. easy-going / careless). A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior Extraversion - (outgoing / energetic vs. shy / withdrawn). Energy, positive emotions, urgency, and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others. Agreeableness - (friendly / compassionate vs. competitive / outspoken). A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. Neuroticism - (sensitive / nervous vs. secure /confident). A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability.

Characteristic of Personality Physical characteristics (Physique, Way of talking, walking, speaking etc.) Intellectual/ mental (perceptual process, interpretation of the information, understanding level etc.) Sociological (how popular and social an individual is like outgoing, easy to mingle etc.) Emotional (how strong one is under difficult situations)