Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968
Cynthia Clayton
PSY/300
February 24, 2014
Geraldine Juchniewicz

Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King, both a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s.”Martin Luther King (2014). Among many efforts, King headed the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. According to Martin Luther King Jr (2014), “Through his activism, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South and other areas of the nation, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” According to Martin Luther King, Jr (2014), “King was the youngest to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. King was assassinated in April 1968, and continues to be remembered as one of the most lauded African-American leaders in history, often referenced by his 1963 speech,” "I Have a Dream." In his young days Martin family grew up in a poor farming community, they grew up in a secured and loving environment where faith was an important part of their daily lives. His father tried to protect his children from racism but failed. Martin tried to follow in his father’s footsteps but often rebelled during his adolescence years, Martin questioned his faith and in his teenage years he renewed his religion by taking a Bible class, he was a smart student he excelled in all his classes and was named valedictorian class of 1951. By his adulthood he started following his peers by drinking and playing pool instead of studying.
Heredity and environment together both play important roles in the development of many human traits. Children learn from their parents. “Heredity and environment are responsible for shaping an individual’s personality” (Zuckerman, 2004). Heredity is one of the major characteristic in the developmental it is passed on by your parents whereas environmental is learned by your peers, friends, neighbors, or teachers. Parents that have a lot of authority will provide shelter, calm and supportive environment, they carry high for the future and good standards, and they explain why behaviors are or are not acceptable, they enforce household rules consistently, they include their kids in making his or her decisions, and they provide age-appropriate opportunities for autonomy. Martin when once got on track followed that pattern for his family, his intellectual and spiritual development was influenced by one of his fathers’ classmate. According to Kowalski and Westen (2001), “moral development refers to the acquisition of valves and rules for balancing the potentially conflicting interest of the self and others.” While doing what is right based on social and cultural norms, rules and laws. Children develop proper attitudes and behaviors toward other people in society.
Influences on individual personality development include biological, cultural, familial, social, and situational factors that can be conscious or unconscious (Zuckerman, 2004). Behavioral factors are heritable features such as physical statue, attractiveness, sex, and temperament. Many personality theorists believe personality can be explained by the genetic chromosomal constitution of individuals (Bouchard, 1994). Each individual has a unique neural system whose affect is significant on personality and behavior (Bouchard, 1994). The family issues that supported the person’s developmental growth was from his leaders and followers this civil activist was in a very religious household issues included racism and how to protect yourself without violence, learn to respect others, he was influences by many church members and educators in his field of ministry. He grew up in a Christian environment even though be rebelled at times he knew how to come back and teach what he had learned in his younger days as a child.
Personality is a dynamic and organized set of characteristics made up of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique in his or her own way, possessed by a person that may influence his or her cognitions, and motivations, in various situations. One theory of personality that Martin Luther King possesses is the trait theory which characterizes his character such as friendly, social able, kind, committed, family man, professional, outgoing, just to name a few. It describes what a person feels, believes, and acts. Another theory would be Erik Erikson stages of development, I think Martin went through the stages from infant to adulthood, starting with trust and ending with intimacy. Martin experience the stages of who to trust, develop a greater sense of personal control , meet with social interactions and develop a sense of self throughout his life. Erikson believed, “it is vital that people develop close, committed relationships with other people.” Those who are successful at this stage will form relationships that are committed and secure. According to the theory, “successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and successful interactions with others.”
Behavioral theories suggest that personality is a result of interaction between the individual and the environment. The behavioral approach is my chosen that best explains Martin Luther King’s behavior and achievements. Learning theory suggests that an individual will behave according to environment, cognitive, and behavioral factors (Stone, 2011). Martin had parents that was very strict in their upbringing, and expected the best out of their children, to be successful and liked by others by teaching them respect and dignity to others and treat people equally as brothers. With all the cultural teaching, Martin became one of the famous Americans in history. “He graduated at age 15 and became a Baptist minister and a social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States in the mid-1950s.” Martin Luther King Jr (2014). He was known as the man of peaceful intentions, the youngest to win the Peace Nobel Prize and was named the man of the year in 1963. He is known for his famous speech, “I have a dream” and his last speech, “I’ve been to the mountain top.” He was assassinated in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is remembered in January on the third Monday as a national holiday, we celebrate the man and what he stood for, peace for all human kind.

References
Bouchard, T. (1994). Genes, environment, and personality. Science, 264(5166), 1700-1701. doi:10.1126/science.8209250
King, Jr., M. L. (2014). The biography channel website. Retrieved from http://biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr.9365086
Kolwaski, R., & Westen, D. (2011). Psychology (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Stone, D. (2011). Psychology Musings. Retrieved from http://psychological-musings.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/personality-analysis.html
Zuckerman, M. (2004). The shaping of personality: genes, environments, and chance encounters. Journal of Personality Assessment, 82(1), 11-22. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa8201_3