The word personality is derived from the word persona‘, which has Greek and Latin roots and

refers to the theatrical masks worn by Greek actors. Personality has been defined in many different
ways, but psychologists generally view personality as the unique pattern of enduring thoughts,
feelings, and actions that characterize a person. Though there are different theories of personality,
we will see the trait theory.
What is trait theory
is an approach to the study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the
measurement of traits which can be defined as habitual patterns of behaviour, thought,
and emotion. Trait theorists seek to measure the relative strength of the many personality
characteristics that they believe are present in everyone.
Social Learning Theory
Social learning is a concept automatically and instinctively applied by humans throughout their
lives, which they implement from childhood in order to find their place in the world and society.
Fundamental beliefs and worldviews, such as gender roles, religion, political views, and self-
worth, are initially shaped through social learning. This happens by observing how those around
us react to different opinions. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others, so we
automatically observe how others behave and what the consequences are in order to adapt our
behaviour. With social learning, we use this technique to adopt the behaviours with which another
person has been successful in order to achieve the desired result.
The difference between sensation and perception
Sensing and perception are fundamental psychological processes of how we acquire information.
Both these are related to one another with relation to one’s thoughts, opinions, and decisions
throughout that person’s life. Hence, even though they are two very different processes, they occur
in relation to one another.
The main difference between sensation and perception is that sensation is the process of sensing
our surrounding using the five senses while perception is the process of interpreting the acquired
sensations.

Personality is an area of the still relatively young fields of psychology in which there are several
ways in which the characteristic behavior of human beings can be explained. Though there are
different theories of personality,
 ❖ Trait
❖ Humanistic
❖ Psychoanalytic
Since we discussed about trait theory of personality we will see about the other two types of
personalities.
Humanistic theory of personality
The Humanistic Theory of Personality states that people are intrinsically good, with an
innate drive to make themselves better.
Humanistic approaches to personality emphasize people‘s inherent goodness and their tendency
to move toward higher levels of functioning instead of seeing people as controlled by the
unconscious, unseen forces (psychodynamic approaches), and a set of stable traits (trait
approaches).
Psychoanalytic theory of personality
Psychoanalytic theory emphasizes that the human organism is constantly,
though slowly, changing through perpetual interactions, and that, therefore, the
human personality can be conceived of as a locus of change with fragile and
indefinite boundaries. According to Freud, personality is formed within ourselves, arising from
basic inborn needs, drives, and characteristics. In Freud's view, personality has three parts which serves a
different function and develops at different times: the id, the ego, and the superego.

Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to

protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.
According to Freudian theory, defense mechanisms involve a distortion of reality in
wome way so that we are better able to cope with a situation.

• Denial
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Regression
• Sublimation
• Rationalization
• Reaction formation
• Introjection
• Identification with the Aggressor