What is personality?
We use the word ‘Personality' for attractive men or women. There is no doubt that attractiveness is an important factor of a personality. In other words, all good personalities are attractive. But, attractive people cannot be said to have good personalities. Why? Because attractiveness is necessary but not the only sufficient condition for being a good personality is a combination of many factors and qualities in an individual. Personal characteristic that leads to consistent patterns of behavior.
- Observable patterns of behavior that last over time (Trait theory)
- How the unconscious of an individual reacts to stimuli (Psychoanalytic theory)
- Self-actualization and the drive to realize one’s potential (Humanistic theory)
According to Slocum and Hellriegal, 'Personality represents the overall profile or combination of stable psychological attributes that capture the unique nature of a person. It combines a set of mental and physical characteristics that reflects how a person looks, thinks, acts and feels.
S P Robbins observes that personality is ‘sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others.
Personality Attributes
- Internal Locus of Control: People who believe that they can control their own destinies are said to have internal locus of control
- External Locus of Control: People who believe that things happen just by accident or chance are said to have external locus of control.
- Authoritarianism: Following are the traits of an authoritarian person – Intellectually rigid, Judgmental, Suspicious, Resistant to change, Respects highly placed people and Exploits subordinates
- Machiavellianism: Following are the traits of Machiavellian person – Pragmatic , Keeps an emotional distance, Believes that ends justify means, Takes decision quickly and Takes greater risks
- Self-esteem : The degree of liking/disliking the self; indicator of: capability, importance, success, job satisfaction, etc.
- Self-monitoring: Ability to adjust with external factors. Striking contradictions in public and private and ability to play multiple/contradictory roles, etc.
- Tolerance for ambiguity: The degree of tolerance to uncertainty, ability to change without undue stress, and capable of working in a turbulent environment.
- Risk-taking: Time taken for decision-making, logical and rational decision-making, subsequent actions for moderate risks.
- Work-ethics orientation: Extremity leads to work holism, normality leads to effective management, balance between work and home results in a rational manager.
Personality types based on temperament
- The sanguine type is cheerful and optimistic, pleasant to be with, comfortable with his or her work.
- The choleric type is characterized by a quick, hot temper, often an aggressive nature.
- Phlegmatic temperament. These people are characterized by their slowness, laziness, and dullness.
- Melancholy temperament. These people tend to be sad, even depressed, and take a pessimistic view of the world.
What shapes personality?
- Heredity: ‘Heredity’ approach, the ultimate explanation of an individual’s personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes. However, the critics observe that if personality characteristics were completely dictated by heredity, they would be fixed at birth and no amount of experience/learning could alter them.
- Socialization: Socialization involves learning the following: Social customs Values Norms Attitudes Relationships Hierarchies Structures Environment plays an important role in shaping one’s personality. People are greatly influenced by culture, values, and traditions, formal and informal groups etc.
- Person-situation interaction: An individual’s personality, although generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations. Individuals react to different situations differently. Moreover, individuals may also react differently to an identical situation. Thus, person-situation interactions keep adding to overall development of one’s personality.
Personality Traits
There are five core personality traits that best predict performance at the workplace.
- Emotional stability: degree to which a person is relaxed, secure and unworried
- High emotional stability: Stable, Confident, Effective
- Low emotional stability: Nervous, self-doubting moody
- Agreeableness: person’s ability to get along with others
- High agreeableness: Warm, tactful, considerate
- Low agreeableness: independent, cold, rude
- Extraversion: person’s comfort level with relationship
- High on extraversion: Gregarious, energetic, self-dramatizing
- Low on extraversion: Shy, unassertive, withdrawn
- Conscientiousness: the number of goals on which a person focuses
- High Conscientiousness: Careful, neat, dependable
- Low Conscientiousness: Impulsive, careless, irresponsible
- Openness: person’s curiosity and range of interests
- High on openness: Imaginative, curious, original
- Low on openness: Dull, unimaginative
Major Determinants of Personality
- Biological factors - The following are some of the biological factors that determine personality:
- Heredity: Determined at conception, physical stature, facial, attractiveness, sex, temperament, muscle composition, reflexes, energy levels, biological rhythm, molecular structure of genes located in the chromosomes.
- Brain: Electrical Stimulation of the Brain (ESB) and Split Brain Psychology (SBP).
- ESB: Pleasurable v/s Painful areas; can be manipulated by ESB for reducing stress and increasing creativity.
- SBP: Planning on the left and Managing on the right (Henry Mintzberg); the left and the right hemispheres control specific characteristics.
- Physical characteristics and rate of maturing: Physical appearance is extremely important; children exposed to social situations mature faster than those who are not.
- Family factors - The following are some of the family factors that determine personality:
- Family atmosphere
- Loving, warm, caring and stimulating atmosphere
- Cold, non-caring, non-stimulating atmosphere
- Basic discipline
- Social factors - The following are some of the social factors that determine personality:
- Social culture
- Social status
- Traditions, customs
- Cultural factors - The following are some of the cultural factors that determine personality:
- Early formative years
- Independence and aggression
- Competition and co-operation
- Beliefs, perceptions, values and attitudes
- Towards self, family, society; organization's, work, money
- Situational factors - The following are some of the situational factors that determine personality:
- Every individual is a complete person
- Every individual is different
- Every situation is different
- Every individual-situation interaction is different
- Different situation > Different demands > Different behavior >Personality
