Personality Theories: How I Made a Change

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines personality as distinct, individual patterns of thinking and feeling (Personality, 2021). Although there are certain traits which all human beings share to varying degrees, spanning from positive traits like empathy to negative ones like irritability, not all persons possess these traits in the same degree, and exhibit those traits in the same manner. The latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that is currently used to diagnose clinical mental disorders even includes a category of personality disorders, as distinct from general mental illnesses. These are personalities which are significantly maladaptive in the ways that they interact with the world (Robitz, 2018). This suggests that an individuals personality is distinct from an individuals mental state.

Change in Personality

Although personality is often represented as something fixed and unchanging, even in some psychological literature, this does not mean that the human personality is static. Aging, experience, and changes in the environment can foster profound personality changes. In my case, over the past five years, I have noted a considerable shift in my mental health, particularly in the ways I experience anxiety and stress. Growing up, I had a very reactive personality. I was shy and afraid of speaking in front of people, as well as meeting new peers and teachers. I often worried about things other children were not concerned about, spanning from going to school, to getting good grades, to making my chosen sports team. For a long time, these worries possessed me. But over the past five years, I have acquired new coping mechanisms to deal with my stress, including meditation and yoga. I have also accomplished more things. As I see myself as capable in one area of my life, that spills over into other areas. The more I have forced myself to do more social things, the more social I have become

Explanations

Big Five

I find the Big Five personality theory to be particularly persuasive in explaining psychological changes in my behavior. The Big Five is considered to be one of the most reliable, empirically-validated personality tests, suggesting that all individuals have, to varying degrees traits such as openness (a willingness to embrace new experiences), conscientiousness (an attention to detail), extroversion (outgoingness and the ability to be energized by the presence of others), agreeableness, and neuroticism (anxiety) (Big 5, 2021). The test suggests that these characteristics are relatively stable in the short run, but less so in the long run. It suggests that my anxiety and neuroticism is not entirely abnormal.

Although the traits are found to be fairly consistent cross-culturally, it is also important to note that these traits are not the same as the static personality types of the non-empirically validated enneagram or Myers-Brigg (Big 5, 2021). In other words, someone can be agreeable but not extroverted, or anxious but not conscientious, even if these traits may seem to be related. In my case, by trying to change habitual personality patterns and thoughts, I was able to change my ways of thinking and behaving for these specific features of my personality, without changing my entire character.

Personal Construct Theory

However, the Big 5 theory does not entirely explain why I felt so motivated to change...

…open to new experiences. Taking risks resonates with how I was able to overcome my anxiety. Instead of beating myself up every time I felt anxiety, getting angry at myself, and becoming more anxious, I set small goals for myself, such as speaking in class once or twice, or thinking up one or two positive thoughts about new situations, rather than smothering all of my negative thoughts. Creative responses like downloading a meditation app on my phone, and doing gentle yoga were useful, as they were methods I would not have thought to have tried until I did research on overcoming anxiety.

Finally, Rogers phenomenological theory stresses the importance of a sense of fulfillment in life. I think this is yet another reason why I was so motivated to try different approaches to seeking out new experiences, reframing my thoughts, and overcoming my anxiety. I realized that, quite simply, by always anticipating the worst, I was unlikely to have a fulfilling personal or professional life. I did not regard myself as a bad person for overcoming anxiety, but rather as someone who was worthy of doing the work to assume a more healthy mindset

Conclusion

Of all the three major personality theories, I find that Rogers theory is the most convincing in offering a concrete map for others who wish to make major personality changes and major life changes. While I did not have a personality disorder, my anxiety had become a very fixed and rigid mindset, and it was difficult to shift my perceptions and way of looking at the world. I am glad I did the work to do so in a…