Unit -3 : Personality

Definition of personality

Personality means how a person affects others and how he understands and
views himself as well as the pattern of inner and outer measurable traits and the
person-situation interactions (Fred Luthans). According to Stephen P. Robbins,
personality is the sum total ways in which an individual reacts and interacts
with others. It may be defined as those inner psychological characteristics that
both determine and reflect how a person responds to his environment.

Personality can be defined as those inner psychological characteristics that

both determine and reflect how a person responds to the environment.

Determinants

1. Heredity : Human behaviour is partly affected by heredity. The parent’s

qualities are passed on to the children through the molecular structure of genes
located in the chromosomes. In our day to day life, so many times we use the
term “Like father like son” as “Like Mother like daughter”.

2. Environment : All personality traits are not determined by heredity.

Environment also plays a very important role in the development of personality
of a person. Environment comprises of culture, family, social and situational
factors.

(a) Culture : Culture is sum total of learned believes, values and customs.
Cultural factors determine now a person acts whether independently or
dependently. Culture establishes norms, attitudes and values that are passed
along from generation to generation.

(b) Family : Families influence the behaviour of a person especially in the early
stages. Thenature of such influence will depend upon the following factors :

(i) Socio-economic level of the family

(ii) Family size

(iii) Birth order

(iv) Race

(v) Religion

(vi) Parent’s educational level and Geographic location.

(c) Social: Socialization is a process by which an infant acquires customary and

acceptable

behaviour. Social life has a considerable impact on the individual’s behaviour.

A man is known by the company he keeps. Social groups influence the
behaviour of the individuals.

(d) Situational: Situational factors also play a very important role in

determining the personality of a person. Life is a collection of experiences.
Some of the events and experiences can serve as important determinants of his
personality.

The Nature of Personality

Three distinct properties are of central importance in the study of the nature of
personality:

1. Personality reflects individual differences: For instance, some people can

be described as “high” in venturesomeness, e.g., willing to accept the risk of
doing something new or different, such as skydiving or mountain climbing,
whereas others can be described as “low” in venturesomeness , e.g., afraid to
buy a really new product.

2. Personality is consistent and enduring: Even though consumers’

personalities may be consistent, their consumption behaviour often varies
considerably because of the various psychological, socio-cultural,
environmental and situational factors that affect behaviour. For instance,
although an individual’s personality may be relatively stable, specific needs or
motives, attitudes, reactions to group pressures and even responses to newly
available brands may cause a change in the person’s behaviour. Personality is
only one of a combination of factors that influence how a consumer behaves.
3. Personality can change: For instance, an individual’s personality may be
altered by major life events, such as the birth of a child, the death of a loved
one, a divorce, or a significant career promotion. An individual’s personality
changes not only in response to abrupt events but also part of a gradual
maturing process.

Occupational Personality Types

R = Realistic (Physical activities that require skill, strength and cooperation)

I = Investigative (Activities that involve thinking, organizing and

understanding)

A = Artistic (Ambiguous and unsystematic activities that allow creative

expression)

S = Social (Activities that involve helping and developing others)

E = Enterprising (Verbal activities in which there are opportunities to influence

and attain power

C = Conventional.
 How to measure Personality

The Big 5 Personality Model

The Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI)

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Thematic arc Apperception Test

Big Five personality traits

The big five personality traits

The Big Five personality traits, also known as the five-factor model (FFM)
and the OCEAN model, is a taxonomy, or grouping, for Personality traits.

The five factors are:

 Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)

 Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless)
 Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
 Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/detached)
 Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident)

The five factors are represented by the acronym OCEAN or CANOE. Beneath
each proposed global factor, there are a number of correlated and more specific
primary factors. For example, extraversion is said to include such related
qualities as gregariousness, assertiveness, excitement seeking, warmth, activity,
and positive emotions.[4]

Family life and the way someone was raised will also affect these traits. Twin
studies and other research have shown that about half of the variation between
individuals results from their genetics and half from their environments.
Researchers have found conscientiousness, extraversion, openness to
experience, and neuroticism to be relatively stable from childhood through
adulthood.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Developed by two Americans, Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel
Briggs Myers, inspired from the theory of Carl Jung's book Psychological types.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework is a theory of

personality types that helps managers with job placement, conflict management,
team building and career development.

What Is the MBTI

Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, felt that the population was based on two
personality types: extraverted and introverted types. Extraversion is a
preference indicating an individual is energized by interaction with other
people. Introversion is a preference indicating an individual is energized by time
alone.

Jung also discovered two types of perceiving (sensing and intuition) and two
types of judgment (thinking and feeling). Perceiving is how we accumulate
information, and judgment is how we make decisions.

His theory is the main idea of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument
(MBTI), which is used in the business world for career counselling,
developing management’s style, team building and conflict management. The
MBTI helps explain individual differences and can aid businesses in developing
and shaping their employees.

4 Categories of MBTI

Extrovert or Introvert (E or I)

E: Extrovert are talkative, social & open to establishing new relationship, I:

Introvert are quiet or Shy.

Sensing or Intuitive (S or N)

S: Sensing are believe in what they sense, practical, prefer routine sequence and
order, in details. N: Intuitive rely on gut feeling, inner voice, unconscious at
bigger picture.

Thinking or Feeling (T or F)

T: Thinking rely on reasoning and logic, F: Feeling rely on emotions and

personal feeling for any problem faced.

Judging or Perceiving (J or P)

J: Judging want control and prefer things to be structured, planned systematic.

P: Perceiving are flexible. follow deadline, spontaneous.
Meaning of Locus of control

Locus of control refers to one’s assumption about responsibility for good and
bad events. Every person during his lifetime comes across some good and some
had outcomes. While he acts to maximise the possibility of good outcomes and
enjoys the success of his life, he tries to minimise the possibility of bad
outcomes.

Types of Locus of Control:

Locus of control is of two types:

(1) Internal Locus of control,

(2) External Locus of control.

1. Internal Locus of Control:

When a person believes that he or she is able to act so as to maximise the

possibility of good outcomes and to minimise the possibility of bad outcomes he
is said to have internal locus of control.

These people think in a way that they can manage Situation themselves, these
people consider themselves as responsible for events taking place in their life,
more active in decision making and also more socially active.

2. External Locus of Control:

Those who are always at the mercy of luck, fate and unforeseen uncontrollable
outside force and feel helpless all the time and never like to take the
responsibility for their bad outcomes and miserable performances in life are said
to have external locus of control.

These people think that they cannot manage situation themselves, they do not
consider themselves responsible for events happening in their life, they feel
everything as luck/fate, not satisfied with their jobs, Involve less in work and
not socially active.

Assumptions of Locus of Control:

People try to maximize highly valued rewards and minimise extremely

distasteful punishments. From the learning experience of the childhood some
people develop an internal belief system that by sincerity, hard work and efforts
and intelligent understanding of the situation, one can prosper.

Type A Type B

Characteristics Competitive, Relaxed, flexible, and

ambitious, impatient, easygoing
and organized

Stress More likely to Less likely to

 experience high stress experience stress-related
and anxiety health issues

Approach to Goal-oriented, hard- Focus on the present

work working, and self- situation, and prefer to
motivated enjoy the experience

Relationships Focused on people Prefer strong

vital to their job relationships with
coworkers

Decision- Meticulous with Prefer to develop

making planning and try to innovative ideas when
avoid all possible risks problems arise