What Is Personality?: Emotion

What Is Personality?
The word personality itself stems from the Latin word persona, which refers
to a theatrical mask worn by performers in order to either project different
roles or disguise their identities.
At its most basic, personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts,

feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is believed that
personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent
throughout life.
While there are many different definitions of personality, most focus on the
pattern of behaviors and characteristics that can help predict and explain a
person's behavior.
Explanations for personality can focus on a variety of influences, ranging

from genetic explanations for personality traits to the role of the
environment and experience in shaping an individual's personality.
Characteristics of Personality
So what exactly makes up a personality? Traits and patterns of thought
and emotion play important roles as well as the following fundamental
characteristics of personality:
 Consistency: There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to

behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways or similar ways in
a variety of situations.
 Psychological and physiological: Personality is a psychological
construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by biological
processes and needs.
 Behaviors and actions: Personality not only influences how we move
and respond in our environment, but it also causes us to act in certain
ways.
 Multiple expressions: Personality is displayed in more than just
behavior. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close
relationships, and other social interactions.
The "Big Five" Personality Traits
How Personality Develops

There are a number of theories about how personality develops, and
different schools of thought in psychology influence many of these theories.
Some of these major perspectives on personality include the following.
Type Theories
Type theories are the early perspectives on personality. These theories
suggested that there are a limited number of "personality types" that are
related to biological influences, including:
 Type A: perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed,

achievement-oriented, aggressive, stressed
 Type B: low stress, even-tempered, flexible, creative, adaptable to
change, patient, tendency to procrastinate
 Type C: highly conscientious, perfectionists, struggle to reveal
emotions (positive and negative)
 Type D: feelings of worry, sadness, irritability, pessimistic outlook,
negative self-talk, avoidance of social situations, lack of self-
confidence, fear of rejection, appearing gloomy, hopelessness
Trait Theories
Trait theories tend to view personality as the result of internal characteristics
that are genetically based and include:
 Agreeable: cares about others, feels empathy, enjoys helping others

 Conscientiousness: high levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse
control, goal-directed behaviors
 Eager-to-please: accommodating, passive, and conforming
 Extraversion: excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness,
and high amounts of emotional expressiveness
 Introversion: quiet, reserved
 Neuroticism: experiences stress and dramatic shifts in mood, feels
anxious, worries about different things, gets upset easily, struggles to
bounce back after stressful events
 Openness: very creative, open to trying new things, focuses on
tackling new challenges
The Trait Theory of Personality
Psychodynamic Theories
Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of
Sigmund Freud and emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind on
personality. Psychodynamic theories include Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual
stage theory and Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
Behavioral Theories
Behavioral theories suggest that personality is a result of interaction
between the individual and the environment. Behavioral theorists study
observable and measurable behaviors, often ignoring the role of internal
thoughts and feelings. Behavioral theorists include B.F. Skinner and John B.
Watson.
Humanist
Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual
experience in developing a personality. Humanist theorists include Carl
Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Applications in Psychology
Research on personality can yield fascinating insights into how personality
develops and changes over the course of a lifetime. This research can also
have important practical applications in the real world.
For example, personality assessments are often used to help people learn

more about themselves and their unique strengths, weaknesses, and
preferences. Some assessments might look at how people rank on specific
traits, such as whether they are high in extroversion, conscientiousness, or
openness.
Other assessments might measure how specific aspects of personality

change over the course of development. Such personality assessments can
also be used to help people determine what careers they might enjoy, how
well they might perform in certain job roles, or how effective a form
of psychotherapy has been.1

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What Is Personality?

At its most basic, personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts,

Explanations for personality can focus on a variety of influences, ranging

 Consistency: There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to

The "Big Five" Personality Traits

How Personality Develops

 Type A: perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed,

 Agreeable: cares about others, feels empathy, enjoys helping others

The Trait Theory of Personality

For example, personality assessments are often used to help people learn

Other assessments might measure how specific aspects of personality

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