Premium Essay

What Are Personality Theories

In:

Submitted By mjfalls
Words 1191
Pages 5
What are Personality Theories?
Michael J Falls
PSY/405
June 23, 2014
Bernard Wakley

There are several different personality theories that attempt to explain how people act and who they are. Theories categorize people on characteristics or traits, and then try to describe the effect that this has on a person’s behavior in certain situations. Personality theories are supposed to focus on how people differ from one another; theories select behaviors or characteristics to determine their taxonomies or categories. Biological theories of personalities focus on genetics as well as biological relationships in physiological arousal and the neurochemistry in our brains. The biological approach to studying a person’s personality would be the differences in brain chemistry in extrovert and introverts. Theorist use biological processes to fill in the gap between personality and genetics by theorizing biological effects with behaviors. This anatomical approach examines the functions of brain structures. One of the biggest pioneers in the field was Eysenck; he attempted to relate personality to biology. Eysenck theory is complex, but it has grown over the years, one basic assumption is the brain has excitatory and inhibitory neural mechanisms. The balance between these two produces levels of psychological arousal at any given time. The dispositional theory is the classic or traditional way of psychological study of personalities. Since the early Greeks, maybe even longer it has been recognized that people are different not just physically, but psychologically as well. The dispositional theory shows system for classification and describing psychological characteristics, and how people differ in situations over time. The dispositional theory of personality puts emphasizes on the qualities that people carry around with them that are somehow part of them (Carver & Scheier,

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

What Makes Up the Basics of Personality Theory

...What Makes up the Basics of Personality Theory? Linda Wray Liberty University Abstract Since the 1960’s personality theories has emerged as a major field of specialization. There have been many studies completed outlined by literature on a variety of theories of personality. The importance of individual differences and distinctiveness of the individual are the most frequently studied of personality theories. Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The study of personality focuses on two comprehensive areas: One understands individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or irritability. The other understands how the various parts of a person come together as a whole. Some scientists think that your personality is based on genetic predispositions or nature. Other scientists think the way you act stems from life experience, the way you were taught, and the environment in which you grew up or nurture. Personality can best be described as personal qualities of an individual. There are no two people have the same personality, however, all the different personalities in the world can be characterized into four main theories. The four psychologists that thought up the four theories are Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, and Abraham Maslow. Each man based his theory on a different part of a person’s personality development. The study of personality traits is...

Words: 2814 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

What Did You Learn About Yourself from Reading About the Trait Theories of Personality? I Found the Trait Theories of Personality to Be Extremely Interesting. I Learned That I Am a Little Bit of Each in Terms of the “

...References Note to Students: Reference List entries are listed alphabetically by the author’s last name. If there is no author name, alphabetize by the sponsoring organization, and if there is no sponsoring organization, use the title. Also note that hanging indentations are used. The first line is flush left, and the second and ensuing lines are indented ½”. (See the arrow pointing to the hanging indent below.) Finally, notice that only the first letter of the first word of the article title is capitalized; the rest of the article title is capitalized as a regular sentence would be. Article titles are not placed in quotation marks. If there is a colon in the title, the first letter of the first word after the colon is capitalized, as are proper nouns. Journal titles are capitalized as usual by the first letter of each main word. Hanging Indent Hanging Indent Anderson, R. J., Amarasingham, R., & Pickens, S. S. (2007, July). The quest for quality: Perspectives from the safety net. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 23(4), 15–28. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161 This source comes from a journal article published online. Because URLs change often, the 6th Edition of APA calls for a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, when available. Many, but not all, publishers will provide the DOI number on the first page of the article. If a DOI number is not available, the URL of the journal home page is required. Crago, M. (2002, September). Meeting patient expectations...

Words: 432 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Psychology

... | | |Theories of Personality | Copyright © 2010, 2009, 2007 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course surveys the field of personality from a scientific perspective, examining the general approaches to understanding personality. The key theorists and concepts associated with each perspective are highlighted, along with the strengths and limitations of the different approaches. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Feist, J., & Feist, G. J. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. |Week One: Introduction to Personality ...

Words: 1345 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Introduction to Personality

...Introduction to Personality Sarah Lopez PSY 405 May 21, 2012 Karen Lundstrom Introduction to Personality Personality seems like such a straight forward concept. Any one asked could most likely tell you what they perceive personality to be. Simply stated, personality is what makes a person individual. It is the behaviors and attitudes put forth that one can define a person by in regards to what kind of person they are. What is it exactly that defines personality and how is that definition determined? Many different viewpoints and theories exist but all concede that personality is unique to each individual and no two are ever the same. Defining personality The term personality is thought to have derived from the Latin word persona which was a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors during Greek dramas (Feist & Feist, 2009, p. 3). This simple definition of the word does not hold much weight in comparison to the detail of definition personality has in the field of psychology. Personality is an intricate pattern of traits and characteristics that make up one’s overall behavior (Feist & Feist, 2009). Traits are more inherent, consistent and stable qualities as opposed to characteristics which can grow or change with time and influence such as one’s intelligence and temperament (Feist & Feist, 2009). Personality is the unique and individual way one thinks, feels, acts and deals with life. Theoretical approaches to study personality There are various...

Words: 1176 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Human Resource Management

...THEORIES OF PERSONALITY Personality Usually when we talk about someone's personality, we are talking about what makes that person different from other people, perhaps even unique. This aspect of personality is called individual differences. For some theories, it is the central issue. These theories often spend considerable attention on things like types and traits and tests with which we can categorize or compare people: Some people are neurotic, others are not; some people are more introverted, others more extroverted; and so on. However, personality theorists are just as interested in the commonalities among people. What, for example, does the neurotic person and the healthy person have in common? Or what is the common structure in people that expresses itself as introversion in some and extroversion in others? If you place people on some dimension -- such as healthy-neurotic or introversion-extroversion -- you are saying that the dimension is something everyone can be placed on. Another way of saying this is that personality theorists are interested in the structure of the individual, the psychological structure in particular. How are people "put together;" how do they "work;" how do they "fall apart." Some theorists go a step further and say they are looking for the essence of being a person. Or they say they are looking for what it means to be an individual human being. The field of personality psychology stretches from a fairly simple empirical search for differences...

Words: 1079 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personality Scrapbook

...Personality Applied Final Project Table of Contents Title Page Number Chapter 1 Introduction to Personality 3-5 Chapter 2 The Trait Theory 6-8 Chapter 3 Personality Disorders 9-11 Chapter 4 The Behavioral Perspective 12-14 Chapter 5 The Humanistic Approach 15-17 Personal Reflection 16- 21 References 22-23 Chapter 1: Introduction to Personality Source: https://www.introtopsych.com/tools/oc/Bo/introtopsych/BWLKeogmGK Websites: Website #1 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/persintro.html This website encompasses the meaning of personality and the theories that support. It defines it as being what makes us an individual; what separates us from others. It describes it as a way to compare and categorize people. Such as some are introverts as others are extroverts; some are neurotic while others simply are not. Personality is of great interest to researchers. Researchers want to know why people are the way they are; “how they are put together”. It goes further into briefly discussing different theories of personality, how they came about, and faults in those theories. The writing states that the theorist were influenced by their current time and culture which help to depict the basis for their theories. For example, ethnocentrism; Freud went completely opposite of what the culture at his time influenced. In Europe in the 1800’s to talk about “sex” would be taboo, people...

Words: 4036 - Pages: 17

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

Dispositional and Learning Theories

...Personality Analysis: Dispositional and Learning Theories Analysis of personalities helps to give a better understanding for human behaviors and the process in which people learn. Theorists have worked for years discovering new theoretical approaches. Gordon Allport studied the personalities of individuals because that approach gave more definition to individuality and emphasized the uniqueness of the individual (Feist & Feist, 2009). Describing an individual with general traits only classifies people as a group. However, Allport believed to accurately know a person is by knowing the person as an individual. Individuality makes people different, no one person is the same; because people have different personalities the abilities to learn will be different too. Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory observes the manners in which people learn. Observational learning allows people to learn without performing actions or tasks (Feist & Feist, 2009). Basically people do learn from direct experiences but also learn from observing various tasks and actions by others. Most important the factors that give the answers to questions can be found through these forms of research and development. Dispositional Theories and Personalities Allport began his research of individual psychology by introducing his morphogenic science. Morphogenic science is the study of an individual, gathering information, and important data about the individual. Allport’s approach to personality theory...

Words: 1454 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality

...Personality John Bryant PSY/405 July 20, 2012 Dr. Carmel Munroe Personality Human beings are born inherently with his or her individual personality. In the following essay the author of this essay will examine personality in detail. First I intend to define personality where I will give some characteristics of personality and inform the reader what personality is. Secondly the author of this essay will examine the theoretical approaches in the study of personality and give some examples of schools of thought based on personality. Last the author of this essay will analyze influential factors that influence human personality development and compare nature versus nurture and what affect if any that has on personality. The aforementioned topics will be researched to create an understanding of human personality. An individual’s personality is made up by multiple factors that inclusively become one’s personality. Some of the characteristics of an individual’s personality are the individual’s patterns of thoughts, feelings, and certain behaviors that the individual exhibits. To understand personality one has to factor in key traits within a person and understand that personality is organized and consistent. Humans express their individual personality in different situations and tend to have stable responses to the situation. An individual’s personality tends to stay constant throughout his or her entire life with few to no changes occurring throughout. Personality is solely...

Words: 1132 - 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

Sigmund Freud Theory

...have some sort a personality. Personality tells a story of what to expect from a person. Some theories just as people produce different beliefs. Sigmund Freud approach to personality focus on the unconscious mind. He believes that personality is developing by internal factors. On the other hand B.F. Skinner believes that personality id developed by external environment ("Sigmund Freud Life Work and Theories", 2006). Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician developed psychoanalytic theory in the early 1900s. They believe that ones conscious experience contributes only a small portion to his or her psychological makeup and experience. Sigmund Freud argument is that individual’s behavior is motivated by the unconscious, the unconscious functions from an area of personality that contains memories, knowledge, beliefs, feelings urges, drives, and instincts which the individual is not aware ("Sigmund Freud Life Work and Theories", 2006). Freud maintained that to understand personality, it is necessary to expose what is in the unconscious. According to Freud personality is determined by unconsciousness. For example according to the text “some of the unconscious is made up of the preconscious, which contains material that is not threading and is easily brought to mind, such as the knowledge that 2+2=4 ("Sigmund Freud Life Work and Theories", 2006). B.F. Skinner is learning from focus on learning approaches we are what we have learned. Learning approaches to personality focus on the “outer”...

Words: 774 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Theories of Personality

...Theories of Personality University of Phoenix Theories of Personality Over the centuries, humans have been trying to figure out what makes each individual different. From the physical signs like hair color, to the more subtle personality differences that each human has, what really makes each individual unique? There have been many theories over the decades that can give some insight into this very question. Two of these theories are known as the psychodynamic theory and the humanistic and existential theory. Both of these theories have different takes on what individuality and personality are. There have been many theorists’ ties to these ideas. Some of these theorists include Freud, Adler, and Klein. These and many other theorists have tried to come up with a complete explanation of what individuality is and how it differs from person to person. Psychodynamic Theory The father of most modern psychology is widely considered to be none other than Sigmund Freud. According to Feist and Feist (2009), Freud was also the theorist behind the psychodynamic theory with his theories collectively called psychoanalysis. But there are other theorists within the psychodynamic theory as well. These theorists are Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, and Harry Stack Sullivan. But, each of these based their ideas on those of Freud. The psychodynamic theory has two main parts that help to define it. According to Psychodynamic (2008), the first part of the psychodynamic...

Words: 1658 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Introduction to Personality

...Introduction to Personality Lori McClaskey December 2, 2013 PSY/405 University of Phoenix Stephen Brown In this paper I will examine personality theory, I will define personality and take a look at the theoretical approaches used to study personality. I will look at the factors of development in one’s personality and provide some input from my own life experiences. Defining Personality I was thinking of ways to define personality in my own words, so I thought I would compare what our test says against what common people thought it meant. I work in a 90 bed facility and I asked several nurses and other co-workers how they would define personality. Some of the nurses and co-workers started naming characteristics such as cheerful, nice, bubbly, moody, etc. I started thinking if the characteristics of personality it what people remember about a person then what causes people to have such characteristics? Defining personality, theorist have not come up with one agreeable definition but have many theories of what personality is. They agree that personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior. People have traits this is a consistent pattern of behavior over a period time. Traits can be individual or a group can also possess traits that are the same of similar (Feist & Feist, 2009). As I mentioned earlier when talking to my co-workers people have characteristics...

Words: 1143 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Paper

...Personality Theory Analysis: Dispositional and Existential Theories Personality Theory Analysis: Dispositional and Existential Theories Introduction The human temperament may be a complicated and complex aspect of human development and evolution. It’s the part of us that makes us who we are. Since the very start, people at large have been making an attempt to grasp each other, and it is with theoretical rationalization that we come virtually close to doing this. Personality theories, overall, are tries created by psychologists and philosophers throughout time to put understanding into something so superficially non-understandable as the huge expanse of the human temperament. Philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle presented this particular question “Who are we?” ; psychoanalyst Freud, Skinner, and Pavlov continued the seek the answers; and many more have additional their takes on- What is so unique about the human mind – what influences the event of the human personality? Here we are going to discuss Dispositional Personality Theories and Existential Personality Theories; we will also discuss their differences and similarities, and their views on situational behavior, temperament features, and social relationships. Existential temperament Theories After the war Angst, came the birth of Existential theory, with a loss of assurance reason and progress (Wyatt, 2010). This led to a craving to come back to reliance on the “inner self”; as a result of after all the sole...

Words: 1738 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Week 5 Psy/405

...Personality theory analysis Danielle williams psy/405 07/01/2014 Sharon Friedman Personality theory analysis Over a vast period of time many different phycologist have pondered the makings of the human personality. Not only did phycologist have to consider what makes up the human personality; these same brilliant minds came up with several various approaches to the human personality. Each one of the following positions or theories all touch basis on different developments of a person’s personality. Whether it is the dispositional approach that theorist state are key traits in development that make an individual unique to him or her, or the humanist/existential approach which focuses more on the evidence for the stability of genetically influenced personality, more specifically evolution and how it applies to the issues of ambition and leadership. Here we will describe the differences between dispositional personality and humanistic. In this essay we will discuss the role of personality in affecting situational behavior. Following this, examine the personality characteristics attributed to each theory in our approach. Finally, we will explain the interpersonal relational aspects associated with the theories selected. . A number of different theories have emerged to explain different aspects of personality. Some theories focus on explaining how personality develops while others are concerned with individual differences in personality. In the following we will review...

Words: 1446 - Pages: 6