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Study Guide in IC 1 - Personality Development Module No. 2

STUDY GUIDE FOR CHAPTER I

CHAPTER I: THE STUDY OF PERSONALITY - AN

INTRODUCTION
MODULE OVERVIEW

This module starts with a basic introduction on the study of personality. It then goes on to looking
deeper at the importance of personal development and how it is considered as fundamental to your overall
growth as a person. This module also presents clear and concise picture of an individual who lives in the
emerging Generation Z, their characteristics, learning habits and limitations.
This module gives further emphasis on the importance of understanding and mastery of personality
traits applied not only to individual's personal but also professional lives. It includes information that will help
you think about your personal development and ways in which you can work with it to achieve your full
potential.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Define the term personality;

2. Compare and contrast Generation Z with the other generations;
3. Explain how personality traits manifest themselves in everyday behavior.
4. Describe and give examples on each of the Big Five personality traits, as well as the low and high points on
the scale;
5. Identify the type of personality the learner possess; and
6. Discover that characteristics of the learner that identify his/her personal branding.

LEARNING CONTENTS

What is Personality?

In our present society which mainly focuses on the necessity of being

Masks served several important
purposes in Ancient Greek theater:
their exaggerated expressions helped
audience members in the distant seats
see and define the characters the
actors were playing.
liked and appreciated by many, one’s personality is very important. The term
‘personality’ is derived from the Latin word ‘personae’ or ‘persona’ which is
referred to the masks used by ancient actors in a Greek theater.
In the recent popular sense, personality is understood as “the pattern
of characteristic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes an
individual from another and that persists over time”. It is the sum total of
genetically determined and learned behavior that shapes the individual's
distinctive responses to environmental stimuli.
Personality is all about self-discovery. What factors influence a
person's personality? How do we act or behave in our daily lives,? All of this
represents our character. You learn more about yourself as you grow and
develop from childhood to adulthood.

What is Personality Development ?

The majority of people place a high value on having a pleasing personality. Several people believe
that there isn't much that can be done. Personality development, however, is a difficult subject to study
because it encompasses such a wide range of topics. Basically, personality development is a term that refers
to the process of improving one's personality. It covers topics such as how to dress appropriately, social
graces, grooming, speech, and interpersonal skills. Personality development aids in the development of self-

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confidence and self-esteem. As a result of personality development, people tend to adopt a positive attitude.
Thus, whatever your profession, these are critical skills to master in order to advance your career.

Understanding Today’s Generation (Gen Z)

Generation Z is defined to be those who were born in the late 90s through today (after year 1996).
Other labels have also appeared, including the Homeland Generation, Multi-Gen, True Gen, Post Gen, Gen
Tech, post-Millennials, iGeneration, Gen Y-Fi, True Digital Natives, Pluralistic Generation and Zoomers.

Their parents are usually from Generation X, and their grandparents are from the Baby Boomer or
Silent Generation. Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, during the height of television's
popularity. Gen X was born between 1965 and 1980, and grew up during the computer revolution. While
between 1981 and 1996, Gen Y (also known as Millennials) came of age as the internet grew in popularity.
Neil Howe and William Strauss are widely credited with coining the term "millennial." It was coined in 1989,
as the imminent millennium became more prominent in the public consciousness.

Generation Z is made up of people who grew up immersed in

technology. It is an important aspect of their upbringing. The traits of this
generation are intriguing and distinct. Since they grew up with high-speed
internet, they are referred to as "true digital natives." They've had a lot of
exposure to the internet, social media, and mobile devices. Because Gen Z
spends so much time on social media, ads on those platforms must be
tailored to the medium. They are more likely to meet people online and
engage in meaningful conversations with them. They enjoy playing video
games and listening to music. They are interested in trends, but they are
also quick to study current events.

According to a surver, there are four core Gen Z behavior, all of

which are rooted in one thing: this generation's quest for truth. As a result,
Gen Z is also known as the "True Generation." Individual expression is
valued by Gen Zers, who avoid labels. They band together to support a
variety of causes. They are firm believers in the power of dialogue to resolve
disputes and improve the world. They are also highly analytical and
pragmatic in their decision-making and interactions with institutions. In
comparison, the previous generation, the millennials, also known as the "me
generation," arose during a period of economic prosperity and focuses on
self-interest. Its members are more idealistic, confrontational, and less
tolerant of opposing viewpoints. Finaly, In the face of the impact that political
differences and economic unsteadiness, Gen Z'ers are becoming more
accepting of people of other races, cultures, and genders.

Gen Z vs. Millennials

The primary commonalities between Gen Z and the Millennials include:

1. Desire to find meaning in life

2. Driven to make a difference in the world
3. Highly educated
4. Lives in multiculturalism
5. Longs for their own distinct experience

Differences that Gen Z will be known:

1) Less validation expectations

2) More individualistic and self-reliant
3) More imaginative and advanced
4) More expressive

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5) More competitive
6) More inspired by security
7) Guided by financial and career end

Another notable difference between Gen Z and millennials is the distinction between technology
dependency and technology fluency. Millennials are considered technology-fluent, while Gen Zs are vastly
more reliant on technology. The term "technological fluency" refers to a natural, intuitive grasp of technology
and how to use it. For Gen Zs, technological dependence isn't necessarily regarded as an addiction; rather,
they regard their mobile devices as "extensions" of themselves wherein without them, there would be a great
tendency for them to become anxious.

Basic Personality Traits

Personality traits are the patterns of emotions, thinking processes, and behaviors that people have.
Personality traits imply consistency and stability. Let’s say a person who got a high score on the trait of
extraversion is expected to be friendly and outgoing in a variety of situations and over time. Trait psychology
is based on the premise that individuals vary from one another on a set of fundamental trait dimensions that
persist over time and across circumstances.

The primary thing that hits us while observing individuals is how unique and distinct they are from
each other.  Some are surprisingly chatty, while others are extremey silent.  Some are too anxious, while
others appear to be unconcerned.  When we use one of these terms to describe those around us, such as
"talkative," "quiet," "active," or "anxious," we are describing a person's personality.

According to Allport and other personologists, the best way to understand individual distinctiveness is
to look at their personality characteristics or traits. Psychologists explains that there are only a few of these
dimensions (See OCEAN/Five Factor Model of Personality), and every individual falls somewhere along each
one, meaning they may be low, medium, or high on each one. It only means that when these psychologists
talk about introverts and extroverts, they aren't really referring to two separate kinds of individuals who are
opposed. Instead, they're referring to individuals who fall scores low or high in a continuum.

The “Five-Factor Model of Personality (FFM) ” constitutes the most common and
fundamental system of personality traits. The acronym “OCEAN” is used to recall these five broad
personality characteristics in this system (O is for Openness; C is for Conscientiousness; E is for Extraversion;
A is for Agreeableness; N is for Neuroticism). To provide a more fine-grained analysis, each of the Big Five's
main traits can be split into facets.

A. Openness - This dimension refers to how imaginative, innovative and curious people are.  Anyone
who scores low in this dimension tend to be more traditional and less open to new things, doesn't want any
ideas nor change. On the other hand, anyone who scores high in this dimension tend to be more curious and
very interested in new things since the individual is more open-minded. The person tend to have more novel
experiences in life than the former because he or she is not reluctant to adventures.

B. Conscientiousness - This dimension contains the desire to succeed. This dimension is marked by
thoughtfulness, as well as strong impulse control and goal-driven behavior. Anyone who scores low in this
dimension are more careless, exhaustive, disorganized, and irresponsible. On the other hand, anyone who
scores high in this dimension tend to be detail-oriented and coordinated. They have a higher level of caution,
dependability, and self-discipline.

C. Extraversion - Anyone who scores high in this dimension is called "extrovert". This features trait
characteristics such as being sociable and overtly communicative. They can express their emotions with high
amounts of self-confidence. Extroverts get their energy externally, everything that surrounds them such as
family, peers and even personal things. On the other hand, anyone who scores low on this dimension is
called “introvert”, who are featured to be more calm, silent and timid. They aren't necessarily socially inept.
Rather than attending social events, they prefer to focus or they tend to be more interested on coming up with

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ideas. They feel at ease when they are alone. Introverts get their energy from the internally, from personal
reflection on concepts and ideas, for example.

D. Agreeableness - This dimension includes prosocial attributes such as trust, altruism, empathy and
kindness. This sometimes referred to as "friendly compliance," with "hostile noncompliance" as its polar
opposite. Anyone who scores low in this dimension are uncooperative, competitive, and irritable that is why
they tend to engage in a more conflictual relationships. While those who score high in this dimension
generally tend to be more tactful, courteous, and caring that is why they tend to get along well with other
people.

E. Neuroticism - This dimension represents the degree to which an individual experiences the world as
threatening and unsafe. Thus, anyone who scores high in this dimension tend to experience emotional
instability or mood swings frequently, thus, the individual gets easily irritated. Highly neurotic individuals tend
to experience more negative emotions such as depression, sadness, guilt and anger. They always feel
nervous, anxious and tense in so many reasons. In contrast, anyone who scores low in this dimension tend to
be more calm, confident, and stable. They are less likely reactive to stress.

Factor analysis is one of the statistical techniques used to determine whether the diversity of words
recognized by scholars like Gordon Allport was explained by a small number of dimensions. The traits in the
Big Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality involves a lot of variance in their scores. That is, a person's
performance on one of these traits reveals very little about their performance on the others. For example, a
person can be extremely high in Extraversion and be either high or low on Neuroticism. Similarly, a person
can be low in Agreeableness and be either high or low in Conscientiousness. Thus, in the FFM, you need five
scores to describe most of an individual’s personality.

Personal Branding

Previously, personal branding features the concepts of how an people carry themselves, in the way
they wear clothes, their energy level. Nowadays, where the world is greatly habitated by the true digital
natives, the role of social media matters most in the concept of personal brand. Having a quick glance in
people’s Facebook timeline, few swipes in their uploaded photos, and reading their status updates or tweets
are all it takes in coming up with a single impression and evetually build one’s personal brand.
Personal branding involves forming an impression of an individual in the minds of others. Your
personal brand includes not only about how you think of yourself, but also how you are perceived by other
people. it's the association people have with your name. When your name was called, what word/s jumps to
people’s mind? People can distinguish themselves and stand out in a crowd by defining and articulating their
unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leveraging it across platforms with a
clear message and image to achieve a specific goal through personal branding (Schawbel, 2010, p. 6).

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Below are some elements that form the foundations of your personal branding:

1. Personality
2. Values - guiding principles that influence how you feel, act, and respond.
3. Passions and Interests - things that make you attractive to others and inspire you. When you know what
motivates you, you can look for ways to connect your interests to what you do and how you do it.
4. Strengths- qualities that powers you.
5. Education and Work Experience
6. Influencers and Inspirations- somebody whom you admire and strive to be like
7. Your Look and Style- Your ‘packaging' consists of your clothing, hair/makeup, and accessories. Whatever
your profession or personality, you should have your own personal "dress code" that is based on your
individual appearance and aligned with your personal brand and objectives.
8. Goals- It's about "getting to where you want to go and accomplishing your goals." What do you want to be
doing in the next three to five years? What do you want to be in the future?
9. Target Market- Your target are the individuals and organizations to whom your messages will be tailored. It
could be a business, its employees, or its stakeholders.
10. Peer circle and associations - Somebody who assist you in defining yourself and where you’re coming
from. Mentors, business friends, and everyone else who helps you identify who you are and what you do are
examples of these people.

Our impressions of others and what they stand for have always been significant; the difference now is
that we have a name for it. Personal branding is one of today's important tools for flourishing in today's work
environment, thanks to social media and our subsequent levels of visibility. It aids you in attracting business
opportunities by allowing you to play to your strengths and communicating knowledge to your target audience
through online, verbal, and networking channels. During job searches, candidates' personal branding has
become increasingly relevant. Many businesses are using search engines and social media as recruiting tools
for future employees.

People are struggling to stand out in today's job market because it is so competitive. Personal
branding gets into play in this situation. It's becoming a more and more useful tool for job seekers to highlight
their best qualities and sell themselves to potential employers.

Personal branding isn't just for job seekers, though. It also benefits your sense of self by assisting you
in delivering more value, defining your specialization, and improving your self-confidence. The significance of
developing a personal brand is outlined below.

1. A personal brand will assist you in gaining self-assurance.

2. You can shape your own story with a personal brand.
3. Developing a good personal brand will help you advance your career.
4. You would have a stronger sense of self if you develop a good personal brand.
5. Developing a personal brand will assist you in thinking strategically and authentically.
6. Building your brand will enable you to provide more value to your customers.
7. Personal branding will assist you in defining your area of expertise.
8. A personal brand will help you build self confidence.
9. With a personal brand, you shape your own story.

In a nutshell, A personal brand will assist us in developing a sense of self, discovering what we stand
for, and even solidifying our life path. We make it easier for like-minded collaborators to find us for growth,
jobs, and other prosperous learning and exchange by clearly broadcasting this message. Your personal brand
is a combination of one’s experience, gifts, and skills, as well as one’s personality, value systems, and goals.
You can attract prospects, parties, and constituents to work on your next projects, dreams, and career
opportunities by using visual cues, sentences, and actions to broadcast them to the world through different
platforms. With a powerful personal brand, anything is possible, giving you clarity, trust, and context you
didn't have before.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Name: ___________________________ Course/Year/Section: _____________ Date: _____________

THE MINI - IPIP SCALE

Instruction: The words below describe people's actions. Please rate how accurately each statement portrays
you using the scale below. Describe yourself as you are right now honestly, not as you would like to be in the
future. Please carefully read each statement. Read each statement carefully, put rating next to the number to
describe how accurately the statement describes you.

1 = Very inaccurate
2 = Moderately inaccurate
3 = Neither inaccurate nor accurate
4 = Moderately accurate
5 = Very accurate

_______1. Am the life of the party (E)

_______ 2. Sympathize with others’ feelings (A)
_______ 3. Get chores done right away (C)
_______ 4. Have frequent mood swings (N)
_______ 5. Have a vivid imagination (O)
_______ 6. Don’t talk a lot (E)
_______ 7. Am not interested in other people’s problems (A)
_______ 8. Often forget to put things back in their proper place (C)
_______ 9. Am relaxed most of the time (N)
______ 10. Am not interested in abstract ideas (O)
______ 11. Talk to a lot of different people at parties (E)
______ 12. Feel others’ emotions (A)
______ 13. Like order (C)
______ 14. Get upset easily (N)
______ 15. Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas (O)
______ 16. Keep in the background (E)
______ 17. Am not really interested in others (A)
______ 18. Make a mess of things (C)
______ 19. Seldom feel blue (N)
______ 20. Do not have a good imagination (O)

Scoring: First, you need to subtract 6 from every number you entered in all items. Let’s say, if you put a 2 in, it
will become a 4. Cross out the score you entered when you took the scale and replace it with a new number
that represents your score minus 6.

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Next, the scores for each of the five OCEAN scales must then be added together. Each OCEAN score will be
calculated as the sum of four factors. Place the total next to each scale in the table below.

__________ Openness: Add items 5, 10, 15, 20

__________ Conscientiousness: Add items 3, 8, 13, 18
__________ Extraversion: Add items 1, 6, 11, 16
__________ Agreeableness: Add items 2, 7, 12, 17
__________ Neuroticism: Add items 4, 9,14, 19

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IN 3 WORDS.

Instruction: Post this phrase in any of your social media accounts.
“What 3 words would you use to describe me when you first met me?”
(Note: Use the hashtag #GE10Activity so that your instructor could easily monitor and check your post)

After doing so, PRINT OUT the comment section of your post then answer the following questions:
1. Give 3 words that could describe yourself?
2. Compare your answers in #1 to the answers you got from your post. Do they match? What’s different?
Why?
3. Make a list of three adjectives that you want to represent, whether or not they match your above list.
4. Considering those 3 words, what do they imply for you and for others? Explain why you chose those 3
adjectives.

SUMMARY

 Personality’ is derived from the Latin term ‘personae’ or ‘persona’ meaning a mask.
 The pattern of distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that diffirentiates a person from another and
persists over time is known as personality.
 Generation Z is defined to be those who were born in the late 90s through today (after year 1996), also
known as the Homeland Generation, Multi-Gen, True Gen, Post Gen, Gen Tech, post-Millennials,
iGeneration, Gen Y-Fi, True Digital Natives, Pluralistic Generation and Zoomers.
 Baby boomers (1946-1964) grew up during the popularization of the use of television. Gen X (1965-1980)
grew up as the importance of computer use unfolds. Gen Y (a.k.a. Millennials) (1981 and 1996) first to
be born into a digital world.
 The five-factor model (FFM) of personality involves traits that are abbreviated as OCEAN (Openness,
Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism).

REFERENCES

Bhoite, S.D. & Shinde, L.S. (2019). An Overview on Personality Development. International Journal of
Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Special Issue | Fostering
Innovation, Integration and Inclusion Through Interdisciplinary Practices in Management, pp.138-141,
https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd23085.pdf

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Cherry, K. (2019). The 4 Major Personality Perspectives. Verywell Mind

https://www.verywellmind.com/personality-perspectives-2795950

Engler, Barbara (2016). Theories of Personality, 9th Edition. Cengage Learning. Hiyas Press, Inc.

McLeod, S. A. (2017). Theories of Personality. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/personality-theories.html

Mohr, Kathleen A. J. and Mohr, Eric S. (2017) "Understanding Generation Z Students to Promote a
Contemporary Learning Environment," Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 ,
Article 9.

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