Personality Theories of Personality This Paper Analyses

¶ … Personality

Theories of Personality

This paper analyses the process of personality development in detail. It discusses how various genetic, environmental, cognitive, unconscious and socioculture factors affect the process of personality development in different individuals.

Theory of Personality

Personality can be defined as the sum total of all the characteristics that make an individual unique and different from other individuals. In order to analyze one's personality you do not necessarily need a psychologist to speculate and observe it. In our day-to-day dealings we refer to a large number of personality traits that various individuals possess. Different authors and playwrights usually use key figures and role models in their novels and plays to attract people. The word 'personality' is frequently used in day-to-day conversations nowadays. All of us develop our own theories of personality, each and every time we answer the question ' how is he or she like?'. There are five major dimensions of personality development, namely; 1) The genetic perspective, 2) The environmental perspective, 3) The unconscious perspective, 4) The cognitive perspective and 5) The sociocultural perspective. (Houston, 2005)

Impact of Genes on Personaity

Recent studies have shown the impact of genes and heredity on personality development. It has been reported by a number of studies that the unique combination of genes that is being inherited by all the siblings, has some influence on their personality and as some elements of these genes are similar, therefore, siblings are reported to have a similar personality. An evidence supporting the impact of genes on the personality development is the 'Twin Study'. Loehlin and Nicholls, in the year 1976, examined and analyzed the personality traits of 800 pairs of twins. This analysis was done on the basis of self report personality questionnaires. It was being determined that all the personality traits showed a moderate influence of genes on personality traits. It was also being observed that monozygotic, or identical twins, had more identical personality traits as compared to the dizygotic or non-identical twins. In addition to that, a study of non-genetically related family members, the adopted family members, showed that they did not possess similar personality traits, such as extraversion, temperament etcetera. This shows that the family members do not instill personality traits in each other instead it is the genes, that they inherit, which influence their personality. (Houston, 2005)

It can, therefore, be concluded from the above discussions that, different people, depending on the types of their genes, may react differently while facing various environmental, cultural and emotional issues. It is also evident that the genes play a moderate role in determining the level of temperament, introversion and extroversion in an individual and it may also have an influence on the preferences, likes and dislikes of an individual. (Keltikangas-Jarvinen & Jokela, 2010)

Impact of Environment on Personality

The word environment has been derived from a French word 'environn', which means to encircle or to surround. Environment, therefore, can be defined as the circumstances that surrounds an individual. In other words, we can say all the physical, biological, chemical, social and cultural consequences that may have an impact on the individual and his community can be defined as an environment. The environmental factors also have an influential impact on the personality of the individual. These factors include, the family, peers, education, occupation, religion and community. ("Your environment, " 2006)

The family is the primary factor that can have an influential impact on the personality development of an individual. It can mould the personality traits of an individual by bringing him up according to some rules and regulations. Different families have different values and these values are deeply rooted and reflected in the personality of an individual. In addition to that, peers or friends also influence the personality of an individual as the individual learns some new and perceived ways of handling emotions and situations from his peers. Education, occupation and community are also some important environmental factors as they shape the behavior and personality of an individual. They instill in him, self-discipline, norms, courtesy, social responsibility and politeness, and these factors in return shape his personality. Religion also plays an important role in shaping the personality. It has been reported by a number of studies that, monotheist, atheist and polytheist have different and varying personality traits due to their religious mindsets. It can, therefore, be concluded that environmental factors also work in alignment with the genetic factors to shape the personality of an individual. ("Your environment, " 2006)

Impact of Unconscious Mind on Personality

The unconscious part of our brain consists of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and feelings that are not easily accessible by the conscious part of our mind. According to Freud, the unconscious part of our mind is related to our biological nature and in most of the situations it operates naturally without our consent. In most of the cases certain thoughts and wishes are repressed that is they are pushed of the conscious part of the mind and are surged into the unconscious mind. This is because these thoughts threaten our self-esteem, comfort and pleasure and give rise to the feelings of stress, anxiety, nervousness and depression. Once they are pushed into the unconscious mind, it protects us from such feelings. ("Personality theories," 2002)

The feelings repressed, however, can have influential impacts on our biological and personality structures. The dreams that we see and the slips of tongues are the examples of the impacts that these repressed feelings or unconscious part of our mind can have on our personality. In addition to that, sometimes these repressed feelings give us the feeling of dissatisfaction and anxiety and the conflict between the unconscious and rational parts of the mind can also lead towards an indulgence in criminal behavior. From the above evidence it can be concluded that the unconscious part of our mind can have an influential impact on our personality, behavioral and biological structure. ("Personality theories," 2002)

Impact of Cognition on Personality Development

Cognition and different processing strategies also have an influential impact on the personality of an individual. Various individuals perceive different events in different ways, therefore, their reaction to those events may vary. For example, if a lecturer ends a class twenty minutes earlier, then the people who wanted to go to the coffee shop may react in a happy manner, whereas, those who were willing to study and learn more, may react in an aggressive manner. The way we perceive and understand events can have an important impact on our personality. (Houston, 2005)