Premium Essay

Personality Paper

In:

Submitted By erikamarie90
Words 1085
Pages 5
Introduction to Personality Paper
Erika Rindahl
Psy/405
January 14th 2013
Thom Mote

Personalities are frequently evaluated and described whether or not it is a realization in the eyes of the person assessing. After generations, psychologists have been able to use the evolved knowledge to study personalities as they affect humanity as a whole.This paper will define personality, examine the theoretical approach in the study of the personality, and analyze factors that may influence and individual’s personality development.
What is Personality? As quoted by Friest and Friest, “Although no single definition is acceptable to all personality theorists, we can say that personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior” (Fiest & Fiest, 2009). The term personality focuses on the more prominent areas of the individuals life. The focus is on a person’s outward appearance such as energetic or spiritless. When defining personality, most definitions refer to a person’s mental system. This accumulation of psychological collections will include emotions, motives, and thoughts. ”Personality includes all those relatively permanent traits or characteristics that render some consistency to a person’s behavior” (Fiest & Fiest, 2009). Traits among individuals may be unique, mutual with few, or common among an entire species; however, the pattern will always be different for each and every person. People may share similar thoughts, views, etc; but they are still very much unique.
The Scientific Approach to Studying Personality When examining theoretical approaches to the study of personality, “people confuse theory with philosophy, speculation, hypothesis, or taxonomy (Fiest & Fiest, 2009. Scientists use theories and detective reasoning to formulate hypothesis that

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper Christopher Hill PSY/211 October 5, 2015 Personality Paper Personality provides a good look into other people’s lives and how they live. Personality traits affect every person differently and uniquely. Every person in the world has a personality and there are no two people alike. A person’s personality provides a topic to psychologists to research and better understand a person’s mind and how they think. There are many different personality traits that make up the five personality types. There are many different points of view when it comes to personality. There are psychoanalytic, humanistic, trait, social cognitive, and biological. The psychoanalytic perspective talks about a person’s early childhood experiences being stored in the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud believed that things in our unconscious mind sometimes are seen in our dreams. The humanistic perspective looks at our mental growth and focuses on our feelings that drive for good in our behavior. This perspective helps a person to focus on the good versus the bad or their strengths rather than their weaknesses. The trait theory is a different way to look at human behavior and thoughts. This identifies and measures personality traits from one individual to another. The social cognitive perspective refers to behavior that has been developed through observation. This suggest that our personalities are a combination of things we have observed throughout our lives. The biological...

Words: 425 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Running head: Personality Paper Personality Paper Je’Neil Gant Alfred Hughes According to dictionary.com, personality is the visible aspect of one’s character as it impresses others. The four perspectives of personality are as follow: The psychoanalytic perspective, the trait perspective, the humanistic perspective and the social cognitive perspective. The psychoanalytic perspective focuses more on the unconscious mind. The trait perspective focuses on describing, identifying and measuring traits of your personality. The humanistic perspective focuses on human nature and “Free Will”. The social cognitive perspective is where it focuses on the behavior and achievement. The Psychoanalytic Perspective The psychoanalytic perspective focuses more on the unconscious mind. This perspective is the structure of the mind that supports the id, ego, and the super ego. The id of personality is what makes fast decisions and emotional responses. The ego of personality is what thinks about what to do before you actually do it. The super ego of personality is the one that is very critical and very judgmental. The Trait Perspective The trait perspective is based on describing, identifying and measuring traits of our personality. You have two sets of traits. These traits are called introversion and extraversion. The difference between the two is that introversion people focus on the world inside us. Extraversion people are more focused on the world outside. Introvert people may include...

Words: 612 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Abstract Our personality is what makes us who we are. It determines how we behave, how we react to different situations and it can also help people determine what kind of person you are. We spend a lot of our lives trying to make friends, be a likeable person, and wanting respect from those around us. This paper will discuss four perspectives of personality, showing the different ways of thinking in the psychological community. We will also discuss theories involved in personality development, how personality is assessed, the benefits of those assessments, as well as issues that need to be taken in to account when assessing personality. Personality Paper There are several theories to personality. What makes us who we are and what we will be like, are interesting questions that the psychological community has spent years trying to answer. As with a lot of theories in the psychological community, there are several ways of thinking for personality and how it is developed and trained. The Trait Perspective Common, Secondary Traits are a good defining character of what kind of person someone is. Are they outgoing and calm? Are they reserved and ill tempered? The trait perspective is different from other theories, in that it focuses on the different traits in individuals and not experiences they may have had as children or things they came to on their own. One person’s individual traits are what makes up their personality. The Psychoanalytic Perspective ...

Words: 724 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper Melissa Hammond PSY/211 September 22, 2014 Jessica King Personality Paper Personality refers to an individuals’ unique psychological makeup and how it consistently influences the way a person responds to his or her environment. Both personality and situational factors play a role in determining each individuals’ behavior. Personality is incorporated in many activities such as: A persons choices of leisure activities, political perspectives, aesthetic tastes, and Lifestyles. Scientists are unsure whether personality is a learned trait or whether it can be genetically passed on from family member to family member; there may be a possibility that both are true. Today, psychologists have identified four perspectives of personality. (Holmes) Understanding Trait perspective, researchers believe they can better comprehend the differences between individuals. Trait personality is determined by a number of set, relatively unchanging traits. Some theorists believe that there are thousands of different traits that make up human personality. Raymond Cattell’s theory identified 16 personality traits that he believed could be utilized to understand and measure individual differences in personality. Where as Robert McCrae and Paul Costa: Introduced the big five theory, which identifies five key dimensions of personality: 1) extraversion, 2) neuroticism, 3) openness to experience, 4) conscientiousness and 5) agreeableness. Socio-cognitive theorists argue that personalities...

Words: 746 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper According to the Enneagram personality type test my result was closer to the helper. This personality type is caring for others in a personal level. This type characterized by their kind heart, empathetic and friendly. I feel that this type is in human being. Their weakness is that they can be self-sacrificing and people pleasing without paying enough attention to themselves. Which can leads to utilized by others. I agree with test result because I tend to pay attention to the people around me specially my family; maybe because I had to sacrifice lots of things by travelling and leaving my family. Also, well-meaning of people is a positive attitude but it can be misleading in terms of knowing the real personality of others. My life was pretty simple and happy with my parents, sisters and brothers in Sudan, Africa. My father was in the army. After elementary school, I began to play basketball with my older sister. I fell in love with the game that I mastered it to the point that I played in the National team. In the 60’s the government prevented girls from playing sports in Sudan, I decided to leave the country and travel to Egypt. That was the first decision I ever made in my own life. Traveling to Egypt was the hardest decision I made in my life. I was young and stubborn but I couldn’t do it without the encouragement of my father. I felt that I sacrificed lots of thing including leaving my family, friends and school. I do feel the need to be around my...

Words: 478 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper PSY/405 November 20, 2011 Personality Paper Personality doesn’t have a single definition but the term “personality” is more than the part in which individuals take place in. Personality is derived from Latin meaning persona, it is also a type of mask that was used in by roman actors in theatrical performances (Fiest & Fiest, 2009). Personality theorists have developed unique and vital theories, because personality is so different the theorist couldn’t agree to the nature of humanity. An individual’s behavior is defined by the unique and unusual characteristics and traits these consistency add character to the persons personality. Traits can be common, unique or shared by a group, therefore giving individual differences in behavior. Personality can be the quality or condition of being a person. It can also be the pattern of temperamental, emotional, or mental traits of a person, making distinctive qualities to the person. Personalities can determine friends. Personality can also be furnishings that make a room unique. A person’s personality embraces their attitudes, opines, style of thinking, there moods, motivations, speaking, acting, and of course perceiving, these make the individual distinct. Personality theories have been in most cultures throughout recorded history (Fiest & Fiest, 2009). People have to use their personalities in everyday life, from their job to the people in their lives. Some people also see personality in many ways as, the story...

Words: 1042 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper Joy L. Hamby PSY/405 August 14, 2013 Laraine Frajio Personality Paper Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are characteristic patterns that make a person unique. A person’s personality is what sets them apart from the rest of the world. The uniqueness that each person possesses is called personality. Although individuals may possess similar qualities no two people can share the same personality (McLeod, 2007). The term personality was originated by the Latin word persona. A persona was in reference to a theatrical mask worn by stage performers to disguise their identities. The study of individual differences among human beings is called personality psychology. Psychologists strive for the construction of logical interpretations of individuals and their major psychological processes. The theoretical approaches when studying personality include biological theories, behavioral theories, trait theories, psychodynamic theories, and humanistic theories. The term personality is not easy to define because it a composition of so many influential aspects. One’s personal morals, values and beliefs are a combination of factors that shape and mold one’s personality. There are multiple factors that influence personality a few of these includes genetics, family, friends, close intimate relationship and social interactions....

Words: 1119 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Running Heading: The Human Personality one The Human Personality Mary Gonzales June 24th, 2012 PSY/405 Angela Snelling The Human Personality two The Human Personality People often wonder why other people do what they do, whether or not people have the ability to shape their own personality, and why people are so different. There are individuals that are predictable and others that are completely unpredictable, and what exactly controls or is a factor in ones personality. For centuries scientists, philosophers, psychologists, and theologians pondered the nature of human beings, or wondered if people have a common basic nature. There have been many psychologists who researched and developed different theories about what traits or characteristics are apart of ones personality, how a personality develops, what contributing factors influence or determines an individuals personality, and this text is written to explain all these elements as best as possible what the human personality is and how it is formed. What is Personality ? Personality has no singular definition, however theorist do agree that personality is a pattern of permanent traits and characteristics that are both consistent and personal to a individuals behaviors. A persons characteristics are unique qualities that one has that sets them apart from everyone else, be it their...

Words: 1415 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper PSY/211 February 17, 2014 Personality Paper 1. According to Hockenbury and Hockenbury (2014), (Chapter 10 Personality ). There are four perspectives of personality they are humanistic, social cognitive, trait, and psychoanalytic. Humanistic Psychology emphasizes unique characteristics as free will and self-awareness. Fraud had a different perceptive on humanistic psychology. Fraud viewed things with a pessimistic point of view. He believed people to be motivated by unconscious sexual and destructive instincts. Humanistic psychologists saw people as being naturally good. Humanistic psychologists also had a different views from psychoanalytic theorists by their focus on the healthy personality rather than on psychologically troubled people. Social Cognitive is another perspective of personality. The social cognitive perspective is different from the psychoanalytic and humanistic perspectives in many ways. To compare social cognitive with humanistic, trait and psychoanalytic someone could say that instead of basing their view on self-analysis or ideas obtained from psychotherapy, social cognitive personality theorists base their ideas on experimental findings. Social cognitive perspective uses conscious, self-regulated behavior instead of unconscious mental influences and basic instincts. Another component in of the perceptive of personality is trait. Traits are very different from the other perspectives. To compare them someone might say...

Words: 733 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Personality Paper

...28, 2010 Personality Paper Personality seems like such a straightforward concept. Anyone at asks could most likely tell you what he or she perceives personality to be. Personality is what makes a person individual; it’s the behaviors and attitudes that once can define a person by in regards to what kind of person they are. They are many different viewpoints and theories that exist but all concede that personality is unique to each individual and no two are ever the same. Individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving would be referred as Personality. The study of personality also focuses on two broad areas: understanding individual differences in particular personality characteristics, and how various parts of a person would come together as a whole. There are roughly sixteen personality types, that Briggs Meyers created in relation to better understand which type you would be classified under. While including top careers, relationships, and core values and motivation; by participating in a personality test you can discover how to use your strengths, to create an exciting and satisfying life. INTJ is my basic personality type, and is one of the less common to have of the 16 types some may say. Personality disorders are classified as mental disorders characterized by long lasting patterns of behavior and thought which can be unhealthy. Schizotypal personality disorder can be associated with a person whose personality is (INTJ). Learning...

Words: 2221 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Introduction to Personality Paper Debra L. Thompson PSYCH 405 May 21, 2012 DR. Barry Brooks PhD Introduction In the search for understanding behavior, the quest takes one to the subject of personality. This world is full of individual with different personality; some extrovert, some introvert, and some complex. This paper will define personality, examine theoretical approaches in studying personality, and analyze factors that may influence an individual’s personality development. Define personality In defining personality one must understand that many in psychology cannot agree on a solitary definition. These are many frames of reference and influences. The practitioner’s frame of reference and influences extend largely from their geographical areas in which each person has lived. The practitioner's experiences are as diverse as sands of a beach. However, the one definition extracted comes from Feist & Feist (2009), in which the author's state personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics. The authors go on to say within personality, there are two elements, traits, and characteristics. Traits provide for individual differences in conduct regularity of behavior over time and steadiness of behavior across circumstances. Traits are unique, or common to some group; however, each pattern is solitary to the person. Characteristics are singular aspects of a person who embodies such virtues as, temperament...

Words: 1424 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality Assesment Paper

...Personality Reflection Paper PSY/250 I would define personality as a blend of traits or characteristics that make up one’s distinctive character. Characteristics such as the way a person talks, laughs, walks, or eats can define their personality. A person’s thoughts, or lack of thoughts, and emotions also define their personality. Personality influences the way we interact with different people and in certain situations on a daily basis. Personality also influences the way view other people in situations and social settings Everyone has a personality that is presented to others, expressing oneself in ways to create an influence or impression on others. Personality shows morals, beliefs, mental attributes, emotional attributes, and is displayed physically. There are many different personality features that a person can have. I have discovered many about myself while learning and growing. Some of them are honesty, shyness, confidence, and impatience. Those four features seem to describe me the most. A major concept the describes why those features are most prominent is my personality while at work. While at work I am always honest with my clients when it comes to suggestions, I am shy sometimes depending on what type of client I am working with, I am always confident in whatever I suggest to my clients, and impatience comes when I am waiting for a client or waiting to complete a set I am working on. My personality features are usually never consistent. My personality changes...

Words: 502 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper Christina M. Bartlett PSY/211 June 11th, 2013 Dr. Kathlyn J. Kirkwood Personality Paper Often it is thought that people’s personality is just who they are. “Personality is defined as an individual’s unique and relatively consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving” (Hockenbury, Chapter 10, 2014). But often personality is what people observe, are taught, or even a conditioned process based on events that they have been through. There are several personality theories within psychology, which gives different ideas and attempts to give an explanation about the way personalities develops. “A personality is an attempt to describe and explain how people are similar, how they are different, and why every individual is unique” (Hockenbury, Chapter 10, 2014). Over the years, there have been multiple personalities theories analyzed and discussed. Many of the theories are defined under four major perspectives: the Psychoanalytic Perspective, the Humanistic Perspective, the Social Cognitive Perspective, and the Trait Perspective. Each of these perspectives defines, recognizes, and simplifies the ability to understand the human personality. For instance, Sigmund Freud was considered an influential contributor based on his contribution and development of the Psychoanalytic Theory. “ Psychoanalysis is a theory that stresses the influence of unconscious mental processes, the importance of sexual and aggressive instincts, and the enduring effects...

Words: 1243 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality PSY/211 Personality Personality is a hard subject to nail down. There are many theories and perspectives to what psychologist think how personalities are structured. From Freud to Eysensk, some theories are crazy, but they do make sense. Psychoanalytic perspective is used more for explaining past behaviors than predicting future behaviors (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 432). Some psychoanalytic ideas have been validated; such as much of an individual’s mental life is unconscious (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 432). Early childhood experiences have pivotal impacts on later relationships (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p.432). Also, people differ greatly in the degree into which impulses, emotions, and thoughts toward adaptive and social acceptance are regulated (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 432). Humanistic perspective emphasizes human potential, self-awareness, and free will. It focuses more on healthy personalities instead of psychologically troubled individuals (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 433). Humanistic psychologists believe that people are motivated less by environmental reinforcements and more by the need to grow psychologically (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 433). Humanistic perspective is criticized for two points (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 436). It is hard to test scientifically and humanistic view of human nature is too optimistic, because it minimizes the darker, destructive side of humans...

Words: 1028 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality ```````````````````` Essentials of Psychology 211 March 8, 2014 Shelly Peed Personality What is personality? According to Hockenbury and Hockenbury (2014), personality is a person’s distinctive and rather consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. But how is that personality developed? What influences certain personality traits and can we find the root of them? Countless theorists have studied and dissected this provocative subject. Psychoanalytic Perspective Cherry (n.d.), “The psychoanalytic perspective of personality emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences and the unconscious mind” (para. 3). The emphasis is put on the value of unconscious process and early childhood experience. Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud first introduced this perspective on personality. He believed the unconscious mind concealed things that could be uncovered through dreams, free association and slips of the tongue (Cherry, n.d.). Humanistic Perspective The humanistic perspective has a more optimistic approach on human nature as compared to the other perspectives. The focus is more on personal awareness, free will, and psychological progress (Cherry, n.d.). The two more prominent contributors to the humanistic approach were Carl Roger and Abraham Maslow. They were part of the opposition of two dominant perspectives in the 1950s, which were psychoanalysis and behaviorism. They championed a “third...

Words: 1125 - Pages: 5