The personality of a person is very important. There are several factors that contribute to a person’s unique personality. Each individual has different factors that have positively and negatively affected their lives and personality. As for myself, my personality was sculpted by the importance of my family, how independence is vital, my upbringing and parenting options, and finally, how education has affected my personality. Theories of personality are significant because it makes you view things differently and even similar to your parents. People often asks themselves, “Why do I work so hard?” or “What keeps me motivated day after day?” Most are unsure, but the answer is family. Whether they know it or not, family is the first real relationship you have with another human being. However, some are still uncertain as to what the meaning of family is? Everyone is faced with tough situations at some point in their lives, family helps them sustain and solve their situation based on their values that they learned from their parents. People’s values are all different based on their family and this is another thing that separates you from the rest of the world (Kanade, 2011).. Family has always been an essential part of my life. Being raised by solely my mother, it made me very close to her and my siblings. Most people don’t realize that when they were brought into this world they were unfit to survive, but with the aid of family and society, they prepare you for a future of independence. What you learned from your family becomes your value system, priority system, helps you perform perceptions, and aids you in actions. Without the assistance of family, people would be lost and would seek to find a value system which could end up in poor choices and little motivation. Being raised by a single mother, taught me the importance of independence. Independence pertains to your personality in a way that shows your inter-feelings. I think a person who is independent has a lot of confidence and self-esteem. I feel as though my mother taught my siblings and I to have independence in order to get out of with tough situations. According to an article I found pertaining to independence in teens, it shows the extreme importance of becoming independent in your later teens. At the age of 18, you are a full-fledge adult. You are responsible for getting a job, paying bills, making appointments, and other adult tasks. Being reliant on others for some things is normal, but there is greater power in being able to do things on your own and for you. If a person has no independence, they are going to struggle in the real world with the person they are reliant on (Ryckman, 2008). Independence has helped in forming my personality because I have learned to do things for myself and have formed a high confidence and self- esteem level that helps me to succeed in anything I pursue. Being a parent is one of the most challenging, but rewarding jobs any person could have. The parenting process includes: nurturing, guiding, protecting, and nourishing the child. There are many options of upbringing parents can choose from in order to help them positively develop. There are three types of parenting styles that most families live by. The first being the permissive parenting, which gives children too much freedom, set no limits, and provide no guidelines for the child to follow socially accepted norms. The next is the authoritarian style, which is very demanding, strict, give punishment, and do not allow choices or freedom to express various opinions. Finally, the authoritative style employs explanation, discussions, and reasoning. They balance parenting style by using punishment and rewards appropriately. I think it is important to choose a parenting style that is going to benefit the child’s future (D’Souza, 2009). My mother chose the authoritative style. This has benefited me positively because it has shown me to cherish things you are given and to have high self-esteem, confidence, responsibility and self-control. Parenting styles are important when raising a child because when you teach them life concepts they begin to have the same interpretations whether they are positive or negative. Therefore, my personality is based on the parenting style my mother raised me with. If she would have chosen another one, I feel as though my personality would be altered. Education is a self-enlightening process. The important thing about education is knowledge gain. It helps give us a perspective on topics we would otherwise have no knowledge on. The reason my mother forced education in my family is due to the idea that is opens more doors of opportunity. Nearly every employer today, requires potential employees to have an extensive amount of education in order to be fully qualified for their position. Therefore, with more knowledge you are more likely to get a higher paying job and reach a more competitive level of work (Oak, 2011). Employers love to see the type of education you received and in what field. I think it is important to better your knowledge on topics that interest you. Education is a lifelong process and continues with self-learning. My mother was very dedicated to her education as she is an elementary teacher. All growing up she read to us, played educational games, and other types of informational activities. This type of interaction gave us a head start in early age with education. I think this has affected my personality because it makes me more motivated and has increased my goals. I am now determined to better myself which will enable my future to be positive and help to support my family. Education not only betters yourself but your family as well. Your personality is a very important part of your life and defines the type of person you are. There are several factors that contribute to a person’s personality. Everyone has different factors that affect their lives. As for me, family helped sculpt my personality as well as how independent I am, how I was raised and parented as well as my upbringing, and how imperative education is. My mother was a single mother who raised three kids and she was adamant in raising us and teaching us essential life lessons. References D’Souza, A., D’Souza, R. (2009). Role of Parents In Upbringing Children. 27 March 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.baby-first-year.net/role-of-parents-in-upbringing-children.html Kanade, S. (2011). Importance of Family. 27 March 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-family.html Oak, M. (2011). Why is Education So Important? 27 March 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-is-education-so-important.html Ryckman, R. (2008). Theories of Personality. 9th Edition. University of Maine.27 March 2011.