PERSONALITY

1. INTRODUCTION

• Stems from superficial features.

eg: speech, quality of voice, dressing, motor co-ordinations, gestures,
mannerisms, etc.
• Derived from Latin word
persona: mask/ false face
• Personality: characteristics can be acquired or inherited.
• Good personality is magnetic, attractive and remarkable.
2. DEFINITION

• Personality is the individual’s characteristic reactions to social stimuli and

the quality of adaptations to the social features of his environment.
Allport, 1934
• Personality is the total quality of the individual’s behaviour
RS Wood Worth
3. MEANING & NATURE OF PERSONALITY

• First an individual by inheritance then acquires through social world.

• Total integrated behavior, not one/more aspects.
• Stands for a concept of values.
• Not like colour/ height but totality of individual actions.
• Uses capability to make adaptations in the society.
• It is a social concept.
4. CHARACTERISTICS & NATURE OF
PERSONALITY

• Specific & unique

• Self-consciousness
• Judged through social
• Includes all behavior patterns- cognitive, conative & affective
• Sum of the traits
• Dynamic
• Unique adjustment to environment
• Product of heredity and environment
• Continuously making adjustment to environment & inner life
• Always strives for goals
• Determinants are motives, abilities, interests & temperament
• One or more features to achieve specific goals and solve
problems
• Personality functions as whole.
5. CONSTITUENTS OF PERSONALITY

1. physical appearance:
• Mostly non-verbal cue
• Prompts others to perceive others
• Humans differ from each other
2. Intelligence:
• People differ- brain operates
• 3. Character
• 4. Temperament: arises from genetic endowment
• 5. Emotionality:
• The ability to perceive and identify emotions in self and others differ
6. FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH
&DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY OF AN
INDIVIDUAL
• Wide term resulting from net effect of different circumstances and factors.
• Factors affecting include
1. Heredity
2. Brain
3. Family background
4. Social group
5. Situation
6. Cultural factors
7. Physical features
HEREDITY

• Transmission of qualities from generation to generation.

• Happens due to chromosomes.
• Predisposes to certain physical, mental, emotional states.
• Physical and psychological factors may be transmitted through heredity.
• Its an important factor in determining individual personality.
BRAIN

• Second biological factor affecting personality.

• If a persons brain is sharp, he can understand the situation better and take
prompt decision, which improves his personality.
FAMILY BACKGROUND

• Parents and family members have strong influence on personality development.

• Influences especially in early stages.
• Nature of such influence will depend on
1. Family size
2. Birth order
3. Race
4. Religion
5. Geographic location
6. Parents education level
7. Socioeconomic status of family
SOCIAL GROUPS

• Social placement of the family as the person is exposed to agencies outside

the home
• These social groups includes school mates, friends, colleagues at work place
or any other group to which the individual belongs.
SITUATION

• Situational factors also plays important role in determining personality.

• An employee who is hard working may prove as lazy and trouble maker if he
is put under unfavorable situation.
CULTURE
• Culture is the sum total learned behavior trait which manifested and shared by the
member of the society.
• It is a unique system of perception, belief, values, norms, pattern of behaviour of
individual in a given society.
• Culture is a factor which determines decision making power of an individual.
• It includes independence, competition, artistic talent, aggression, co-operation, etc.
• Each culture expects that the person should behave in a way which is accepted by
the group.
• Different cultures- different attitudes.
• No direct relationship between culture and personality
PHYSICAL FEATURES

• Great impact on personality

• It includes
1. Height
2. Weight
3. Physical aspects of the individual
7. TYPES OF PERSONALITY
A. HIPPOCRATES CLASSIFICATION

• Earliest one based on body fluids blood, yellow bile, phlegm and black bile
• Predominance of one of these give unique characteristics leading to a
particular type of personality.
 Sanguine • Light hearted, optimistic, happy, cheerful
• Vigorous, confident, hopeful,
(blood) accommodating

Choleric • Irritable, angry, passionate, hot tempered

• Strong with active imagination
(yellow bile)
Phlegmatic • Cold, calm, slow moving, sluggish,
unexcitable
(phlegm-mucus) • Indifferent

Melancholic • Bad tempered, dejected, sad, depressed

• Moron, pessimistic, deplorable, self involved
(black bile)
B. ERNEST KRETSCHMER’S CLASSIFICATION

• Correlation between physique and characteristics.

• Biological types according to physical structure
1. Pyknic
2. Asthenic
3. Athletic
4. Dysplastic
 Pyknic Athletic Leptosomatic
(Fat) (Balanced) (lean)
• Sociable • Energetic • Unsociable
• Jolly • Optimistic • Reserved
• Easy going • Adjustable • Shy
• Good natured • Sensitive
• Pessimistic
PERSONALITY IN HEALTH AND SICKNESS
• People react, respond, relate and retaliate to situations- makeup their personality.
• Psychological health is an important aspect for complete growth.
• Mentally healthy- healthy personality.
• People critique on healthy personality or that he needs to develop one.
• Healthy coping styles can enhance one’s ability to overcome stress and disease.
• Emotional factors are linked to health.
• Personality influences the link between the cause and the illness- making illness
worse or better.
• Some personalities act in a more unhealthy way.