Human Personality

Personality Some definitions of personality:

An individual’s unique pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persists over time and across situations.

The dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or her cognitions, motivations, and behaviors in various situations.

An organized combinations of attitudes, motives, values and behaviors unique to each individual.

Personality Personalities are often described in terms of relatively

enduring personality traits such as sociability, independence, dominance, reserved, etc..

Personality consists of all the relatively “stable” and “distinctive” styles of thought, behavior and emotional response that characterize a person’s adaptations to surrounding circumstances.

Trait is a characteristic of an individual, describing a habitual way of behaving, thinking, and feeling (shy, outgoing, ambitious, lazy, easy-going, confident, grumpy, happy, friendly, etc..

How would you describe yourself?• cool, reserved or warm, easy going• concrete thinking or abstract thinking• easily upset or calm, stable• not assertive or dominant• sober, serious or happy-go-lucky• expedient or conscientious• tough-mindedor tender-minded• trusting or suspicious• practical or imaginative• self-assured or apprehensive• conservative or experimenting• group-oriented or self-sufficient• undisciplined or self-disciplined• relaxed or tense-driven

Personality People have different personalities. But why do

these differences develop?Why don’t people react in the same way to the

same situation?Major personality determinants:

biological makeupearly life experiences learning

(opinion of Western theorists)

Personality

Major western personality theories:Psychoanalytic Trait Behavioral Social cognitive Humanistic Evolutionary/Biological