PERSONALITY

DEVELOPMENT
 NOTE - SLIDE 5 to 11 is just extra or
background information and is not there
for your exam. It is merely given so that
you will be able to understand the
progress of change. If you are interested
to know more in depth, the information is
taken from your textbook.
Definition - Need to know this from an exam pov

>>>It is the sum total of enduring characteristics that differentiate

one individual from another<<
Researchers say that personality traits are relatively stable but can gradually
change with experiences.

Personality develops from Temperament.

Temperament are patterns of arousal and emotionality that are consistent

and enduring characteristics of an individual.

Temperament refers to the HOW children behave and Personality describes

'what' a person does or 'why' they do things
FROM HERE DO NOT STUDY FOR YOUR EXAM BUT JUST
KNOW IT AS A PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT
3 categories

Easy babies - Easy babies have a positive disposition. They are adaptable. They
are generally positive, cheerful, showing curiosity about new situations, and their
emotions are moderate or low in intensity.

Difficult babies. - Difficult babies have more negative moods and are slow to
adapt to new situations. When confronted with a new situation, they tend to
withdraw.

Slow-to-warm babies - They are inactive, showing relatively calm reactions to

their environment. Their moods are generally negative, and they withdraw from
new situations, adapting slowly..
With the development of one’s personality is the
development of one’s self identity or self concept

Self Concept is defined as “A person’s identity or

set of beliefs about what one is like as an
individual.
It is multi-dimensional, incorporating our views of
ourselves in terms of several different aspects
(e.g., social, religious, spiritual, physical,
emotional);

Gender identity - the sense of being male and

female
Self identity

● In childhood one’s self concept are not always accurate

Preschool

● In preschool years, they tend to overestimate their knowledge and skills. Their
view about themselves are unrealistic and too optimistic.
● View themselves more in terms of external, physical attributes Such as I am a
tall girl, I am a fast boy, I have long hair, I am good at drawing
● For example they will say when I grow up I will be the best basketball player,
when I grow up, I will be famous.
Middle childhood
● From physical it becomes psychological and inner traits. I am smart, helpful, beautiful.
● Erikson- Industry versus Inferiority
● Tend to view themselves by their strengths and weaknesses
● Realistic
● Develop their self concept based on their performance in academics. There is also a
personal self concept or non academic self

During this period Self Esteem also develops

● Self esteem is defined as one’s overall and specific evaluation of self.
● They judge them as being good or bad.
● It differs from self concept where SC is the belief and SE is emotional feelings towards self
● SE develops because children now compare themselves to others,society’s standards and
their own internal expectations.
● SE is viewed in black and white terms- positive SE means I am good at everything.
● SE is relative high
● For those that is low - cycle of failure
● For those that it is high - cycle of success
Gender Identity
● At birth, babies are assigned male or female based on BIOLOGICAL
characteristics. This is the "sex" or "assigned gender" of the child.
● Gender identity refers to an internal sense people have of who they are that
comes from an interaction of biological traits, developmental influences, and
environmental conditions. This may be male, female, somewhere in between,
a combination of both or neither.
● The sense of being male or female is well established in preschool years
itself.
● By 2yrs children can identity people based on their gender- male or female.
● They also identify themselves as being boy/ girl
● They tend to have a very strict perception about gender and tend to abide by
their gender stereotype.
● Tend to engage in play that is typical of their gender
Adolescent - START FROM HERE FOR YOUR EXAM
● During this period forming identity becomes important
● Who am I? Where do I belong in the world?
● Reason- transitional period, maturity, puberty

Self Concept
● Self conscious, preoccupied with self.
● They have the ability to know what others think of them but at the same time, other’s
opinions do not necessarily define who they are as a person.
● However while describing who they are they take into account their own and other’s views
● View self based on psychological traits or abstract ideas of self
● Define themselves based on the ideology or group that they belong to. For example I am a
social activist, or environmental activist.
● Because their self concept is so broad- can be confusing.They lack the ability to have an
integrated idea about who they are
● They have expectations of how they want to be and get frustrated when they aren't like that.
Self Esteem

● Their self concepts determine their feelings towards themselves.

● Self esteem varies. SE is high in one area and low in another

Factors that affect SE

1. Gender differences
● Girls SE tend to be lower and more vulnerable than boys
● Girls---worry---physical appearance,social success and academic
achievement.
● Boy - self esteem is higher. However they also worry about fitting in with the
stereotype
2. Socioeconomic status and race

● Adolescents of higher SES have a higher SE

● Social status
● Discrimination, prejudice of being a part of a minority group can affect SE
 IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

● Erikson - Identity versus Role Confusion

● Societal pressures.
● Because of the pressures of the identity-versusidentity-confusion period, Erikson suggested
that many adolescents pursue a “psychological moratorium.” The psychological
moratorium is a period during which adolescents take time off from the upcoming
responsibilities of adulthood and explore various roles and possibilities.
● For example, many college students take a semester or year off to travel, work, or find
some other way to examine their priorities.
● On the other hand, many adolescents cannot, for practical reasons, pursue a psychological
moratorium involving a relatively leisurely exploration of various identities. Some
adolescents, for economic reasons, must work part time after school and then take jobs
immediately after graduation from high school. As a result, they have little time to
experiment with identities and engage in a psychological moratorium.
 MARCIA’S APPROACH TO IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

● Using Erikson’s theory psychologist James Marcia suggests that identity can
be seen in terms of which of two characteristics—crisis or commitment—is
present or absent.
● Crisis is a period of identity development in which an adolescent
consciously chooses between various alternatives and makes decisions.
● Commitment is psychological investment in a course of action or an
ideology
1. Identity diffusion.
● It means that adolescents has neither explore nor made a commitment. (not working to
form one)

Characteristics-

● They are passive and living in the moment with no consideration of who they are and
who they want to be.
● They lack self-esteem, be externally oriented, have lower levels of autonomy, and take
less personal responsibility for their lives.
● They are popularly known as slackers or underachievers
● They tend to be flighty, shifting from one thing to the next.
● While they may seem carefree, according to Marcia, their lack of commitment impairs
their ability to form close relationships.
● In fact, they are often socially withdrawn
2. Identity foreclosure.
● These are adolescents who have committed to an identity but who did not go
through a period of crisis in which they explored alternatives.
● Instead, they accepted others’ decisions about what was best for them.
● For example a son who enters the family business
3. Moratorium.
● They have explored various alternatives to some degree, they have not yet
committed themselves.
● As a consequence, Marcia suggests, they show relatively high anxiety and
experience psychological conflict.
● They experience a continuous crisi
● On the other hand, they are often lively and appealing, seeking intimacy with
others.
● Adolescents of this status typically settle on an identity but only after
something of a struggle.
4, Identity achievement.
● They have successfully explored and thought through who they are and what
they want to do(a period of crisis) and have now committed to a particular
identity.
● Teens who have reached this identity status tend to be the most
psychologically healthy, higher in achievement motivation and moral
reasoning than adolescents of any other status.
It is important to note that
1. Adolescents are not necessarily stuck in one of the
four categories.
2. Some move back and forth between moratorium and
identity achievement in what has been called a
“MAMA” cycle (moratorium—identity achievement—
moratorium—identity achievement).
3. For instance, even though a forecloser may have
settled on a career path during early adolescence with
little active decision making, he or she may reassess
the choice later and move into another category.
4. For some individuals, then, identity formation may take
place beyond the period of adolescence.
5. However, identity gels in the late teens and early 20s
for most people