Personality, will and

character
Introduction
• The word personality has been derived from the Latin word ‘persona’.
meaning “mask’ ’According to this root, personality is the impression
we make on others; the mask we present to the world.
Definition
• Personality consists of the distinctive patterns of behaviour including thoughts and
emotions that characterize each individual’s adaptation to the situations of his or
her life.
Walter Mischeal-1976

• Personality is the sum of activities that can be discovered by actual observations

over a long enough period of time to give reliable information.
Watson
Characteristics

• Personality is an internal process that guides behaviour.

• Biological and genetic phenomena do have an impact on personality.
• Gordon Allport makes the point that personality is psychophysical, which means
both physical and psychological.
Theories of personality

• The major theoretical approaches to understand personality include:-

• Trait theory
• Psychoanalytic theory
• Learning theory
• Humanistic theories
Psychoanalytic theory

• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) an Austrian neurologist is considered as the father of

psychoanalytic theory. He emphasized the unconscious processes or
psychodynamic factors as the basis for motivation and behavior. Freud
categorized his personality theory according to structure dynamics and
development.
• Freud organized the structures of personality into three major components:
• Id
• Ego
• Superego
 Id
The Id contains all our biologically based drives and operates according to the
‘pleasure principle'. The Id is the “bad boy” of our unconscious is an impulsive part
of the psyche that seeks pleasure and avoids pain at all costs. The Id wants
gratification.

Ego
The ego functions on the basis of ‘reality principle'. It maintains harmony between
the external world. The ego lies in the middle of these two entities. It is a constant
struggle to balance out these two forces and make pleasurable decisions with out
causing too much damage.

Superego
The superego referred to as the ‘perfection principle'. The superego is important in
the socialization of the individual as it assists the ego in the control of id impulses.
Freud would expect anyone in whom any of the component is absent or out of
balance to display maladaptive behaviors. One of the Freud's main beliefs is that
behaviors resulting from ineffective personality development are unconscious. He
believed that ineffective personality development was in some way related to the
relationship of the child with the parent and that it was related to what he called
psychosexual development.
Freud’s stages of personality Development
• Freud describes formation of personality through five stages of psychosexual
development
Stages of Main characteristics Successful task Examples of unsuccessful
development completion task completion
Oral stage Use of mouth and tongue to deal with anxiety Oral gratification Smoking, nail biting, drug
0-2 years addiction, difficulty in trusting
others.
Anal Muscle control in bladder, rectum, anus, toilet Bowel and bladder Constipation, perfectionism,
2-3 years training control Obsessive compulsive
disorder
Phallic Learn sexual identity and awareness of genital Becomes aware of Homosexuality, sexual identity
3-7 years area as a source of pleasure, conflict ends as sexuality problems, difficulty in
child represses urge and identifies with same accepting authority
sex parent.

Latency Quite stage in sexual development Learns to socialize Inability to conceptualize lack
7-11years of motivation in school or job

Genital Sexual maturity and satisfactory relationships Sexual maturity Frigidity,

11 years- with the opposite sex impotence,prematurejaculati
adulthood on,unsatisfactory
relationships.
 Theory of psychosocial Development
• Erik Erikson was an ego psychologist who develop one of the most popular and influential
theories of development. Erikson's theory centered on psychosocial development rather
than psychosexual development. In this view, psychosocial growth occurs in sequential
phases and each stage is dependent on completion of previous stage and life task. One of
the main elements of Erikson’s psychosocial theory is the development of ego identity. Ego
identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. Erikson
explains psychosocial development through eight stages.
Stage 1-Trust vs Mistrust (birth-18months) can I trust the world?
The first stage of Erikson’s theory centers around the infant’s basic needs being met by the
parents and this interaction leading to trust or mistrust. To come out of this stage in good
psychological health, a baby must achieve a proper balance of trust( which allows intimacy)
over mistrust (which permits self-protection).If trust predominates, children develop virtue of
hope. If mistrust predominates, children will view the world as unfriendly and predictable.
 Stage 2-Autonomy vs shame (18-3yrs)Is it ok to be me?
As the child gains control over eliminative functions and motor abilities, then they being to explore their
surroundings. Children's at this age like to explore the world around them they are constantly learning about their
environment. During this stage, virtue of will emerges. children's who successfully complete this stage feel secure
and confident. If failure to achieve autonomy evokes shame manifested in feelings of worthlessness and
incompetence.
• Stage 3-Intiativ vs Guilt (3-6years) Is it ok for Me to Do, Move, and Act?
During this stage child learning to master the world around them, learning basic skills and principles. The
child wants to begin and complete their own actions for a purpose. Guilt is a confusing new emotion. They
may feel guilty over things that logically should not cause guilt. They may feel guilt when this initiative
does not produce desired results. The child developing a sense of frustration for not being able to achieve a
goal and may engage in behaviors that seem aggressive, ruthless to parents.

Stage 4- Industry vs inferiority (6-12 yrs.) Can I make it in the world of people and Things?
Erickson sees middle childhood as a time of relative emotional calm, when children can attend to their
schooling and learn the skills culture requires. Children develop a general sense of personal mastery of
great number of activities and games-swimming etc. They also get to form moral values, recognize culture
and individual differences and are able to manage most of their personal needs and grooming. If children's
are not encouraged to actively engage in these activities, their sense of mastery will give way to personal
inferiority.
 Stage 5-Identity vs Role confusion(12-18 yrs.)Who Am I? What can I Be?
According to Erickson, the chief task of adolescence is to resolve confusion. As the active agent of identity
formation is the ego, which puts together its knowledge of the person’s abilities, needs and desires to adapt
social environment. Thus the fundamental virtue that arises from the identity crisis is virtue of fidelity,
loyalty, faith, ideology, religion, set of values.

• Stage 6-Intimacy vs isolation (18or 20-40) Can I Love?

At the start of this stage, identity vs role confusion is coming to an end, though it still lingers at the foundation
of the stage. Erickson believed that a strong sense of personal identity was important to developing intimate
relationships.Erickson believes we are sometimes isolated due to intimacy. We are afraid of rejection or breaking
up with our partner.

Stage 7-Generativity vs Stagnation(40-60)can I Make My life count?

Generativity is the concern of mature adults for establishing and guiding the next generation. The concept is
meant to include…Productivity and creativity. The virtue that develops during this stage of developed sense of
care. In contrast, a person who is self –centered and unable or unwilling to help society move forward develops a
feeling of stagnation.
Stage 8-Integrity and Despair( from 60 till death)
Is it ok Have Been Me?
Erickson sees older people as confronting the need to accept the way they have lived their lives in order to
accept approaching death. The virtue that develops during this stage is wisdom.
Psychometric Assessment of personality
• Assessing means to measure or evaluate. Methods of assessing personality are
very important because:
• To provide a means for studying personality.
• It also helps an individual to assess his/her own personality
• It also helps to assess the personality for the purpose of employment or selection
for education.
Methods
• The following methods are commonly used for evaluation and measurement of
personality traits.
 Interview method
Observed method
Personality inventories
Projective techniques
Situational tests
 Interview method
• Interview can be defined as face to face conversation carried on with some basic goals.
• Two broad types of interview are
 Structured
Unstructured
 Structured interview:- predetermined questions are asked for which answers are also
highly specific.
 Unstructured interview:- is an open interrogation. Here the interviewer question or lets the
individual talk freely.
Interview is highly flexible tool and can be used with a wide variety of population. The
person can observe through body language but it has been criticized for being highly
subjective. This method requires well trained and competent person. The seven point plan
(Roger,1974) is possibly one of the most widely known formats for job interviewing
• Following areas should be explored in the context of matching the candidate
with a job.
Attainments which include education, personal and professional background
and as assessment of how well the candidate has done in these areas.

• Overall general ability, especially general intelligence and cognitive skills.

• Special aptitudes though desirable at an interview for selection to nursing the
social skills are important.
• Circumstances which might be important in relation to the person’s life and
aspirations.
• Interests and how they are pursued which are occupationally significant eg
intelligence, physical and social pursuits.
Observation method

• In this method, the individual is observed in various situations (such as observing

a person at work or play) for several days and some conclusions are formulated.
Direct observations is most accurate if the observers are well trained in this
activity.
• Definition:- The observation method is described as a method to observe and
describe the behavior of a subject and it involves the basic technique of simply
watching the phenomena until some insight is gained.