PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION : Personality does not mean physical charm of a person. When one talks about the personality of a person , it is not about how he looks ot smiles or works . Personality is a psychological concept that deals with growth and development of a person as a whole . It does not focus on parts of a person ; physical or mental but focuses on the aggregate whole. The aggregate is more than the sum of the parts. Describing personality is thus , a dynamic concept that adds synergy. 

MEANING : The term 'personality' is derived from the Latin word 'persona' which means 'to speak through' . It describes the person as a whole. It includes : 

     1. External appearance through which a person influences others. These are the observable traits of a person , for example , his sociability, physical appearance (height, looks etc. )  and behaviour (friendly , courteous etc).

   2. Internal factors represented by this thoughts and values. These are not directly observable but are inferred through the observable behaviour.

           Personality is thus, a combination of physical and mental traits of a person that describes how he looks , thinks and acts. It is a set of traits or behaviours through which a person is characterised. It is built over a period of time and remains relatively stable till it changes subject to circumstances . Personality indicates patterns of behaviour of a person and his internal and external traits.

FEATURES OF PERSONALITY : 

1. It represents traits of a person and is distinct and unique for each person.

 2. It represents stable patterns of behaviour which change only in extreme situations.

3. It has both internal and external elements. While external elements can be observed , internal elements (emotions , thoughts , feelings etc.) cannot be directly observed. They can , however , be inferred from the external elements . (As it said - face is the index of mind. External and internal elements and related).

4. It is genetic (inherent from parents ) as well as acquired from the environment ( through one's experience in life ).

FACTORS AFFECTING PERSONALITY :

   1. HEREDITY : Heredity is transmission of qualities through ancestors. Physical attributes , energy level , facial composition , temperament etc. are usually transmitted in a person through his parents. Attributes like being an introvert , extrovert etc. are also inherited through heredity. 

   2. BRAIN : Brain affects the personality of an individual through its parts - left and right. Left side of the brain hemisphere processes information sequentially and is analytical because it helps in recognizing parts which make a whole. Right side parts help a person frame his personality through electrical stimulation of the brain.

  3. Age :  If reference of personality is to be made to satisfaction , absence and productivity on job , age affects personality in the following ways :

      (a) People older in age usually have low turnover while younger population have a higher rate of turnover. They look for new jobs with higher responsibility and challenge.

      (b) People performing professional jobs usually find more satisfaction with advancing age while non-professionals experience uptrends and downtrends in satisfaction with age. While initially , their satisfaction goes up , it further moves up with advancing age.

4. ABILITY : Physical and intellectual abilities of a person affect the personality of a person in terms of defining his stamina and skills to work and also the aptitude , perception , conceptualization and analytical abilities at work.

5. FAMILY AND GROUP FACTORS : Family and group factors have important beating on personality of a person . People are strongly influenced by the values of their group members. People belong to different groups for satisfying their social needs. The group members interact with each other and are influenced by each other's habits and preferences. 

BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS : 

1. Conscientiousness

2. Emotional stability

3. Extroversion

4. Agreeableness

5. Openness.

OTHER PERSONALITY TRAITS : 

1. Authoritarianism

2. Locus of control

3. Type A and Type B behaviour

4. Machiavellianism

5. Self - monitoring

6. Self - esteem

 7. Risk- taking .

Thanking you..