What Is Personality?

[webishqiptar 0]

Ego-development theories view personality as an organization of needs, motives, dispositions, habits and abilities that are used to reach higher goals. Author "Jung" pioneered the field of adult ego development. He argued that there is an age related increase in introversion and an increase in the manifestation of behaviours that are associated with the opposite text. Erikson describes eight stagesof ego development based on the idea that every stage involves the resolution of a struggle between competing forces. Three of these these stages relate directly to adulthood: intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus dispair. Recent additions and modifications of Erikson's theory have addressed problems such as the cyclic nature of stages and how transitions between stages occur. Loevinger describes an alternative view of ego development that relates it to cognitive development and social development; six of these stages are observed across adulthood(conformist, conscientious-conformist, conscientious, individualistic, autonomous and integrated). Research on the ego development in the Kansas city studies, Ryff's research and Lowenthal and her colleages' work document age related changes in ego.Other stage theories of personality base development on personal myths and alternating periods of stability and transition. Gould argues that development consists of breaking childhood bonds and giving up a series of personal myths. Levinson contends that life structure undergo change by alternating between periods of stability and transition. Neither theory has much empirical support, and they should be viewed as interesting hypotheses rather than explanations of development. Moreover there is little evidence, to support a belief in a mid life crisis.Trait theory assumes that personality consists of many stable, enduring characteristics(traits) that can be grouped into a few dimensions. Costa and McCrae postulate five dimensions of adult personality: neuroticism, extraversion, opennes to experience, agreeableness-antagonism, and conscientiousness-undirectedness. Longitudinal research examining the traits that make up their model shows that the underlying trait dimensions do not change significantly during adulthood. However additional research on combinations of personality and life style as well as other traits reveal some evidence for change. A major explanatory variable for this discrepancy may be stressful life events. Cognitive theories of personality emphasize the role of subjective perceptions in understanding developmental changes. Thomae argues that these subjective impressions are more important than objective reality, since it is the subjective perception that is related to changes in personality. That is, only if the person believes that change is needed, than change will be observed. Whitbourne examined poeple's conceptions of how their lives were organised. She found that people developed scenarious(life plans) and life stories(autobiographies).Kegan proposes that self concept develops in a stagelike manner that parallels cognitive development. Howerver research evidence points to stability unless one experiences life events that push for change. Age related changes in sense of personal control remain unclear; apparently personal control is a complex, multidimensional aspect of personality that is situationally determined. Life satisfaction seems to remain fairly constant across adulthood. A few individual difference variables have been identified, including neuroticism and several demographic variables. Adults tent to develop more androgynous sex roles with age; a sex-role reversal has little support.

[Strikee 1]

As a short version personality must be the one thing that makes every individual different. Except fingerprints of course

[jonnytracker 0]

personality is the very person inside us, as much as our name is different our personality is different

Edited December 16, 2009 by jonnytracker (see edit history)

[nolan 0]

I tend to rely on Shakespeare for my definition of personality. I believe that everyone has one or two "fatal flaws" that tend to govern a lot of things about them. For example, a child that was born to a large family and never had the chance to be heard might have a fatal flaw in their desire for attention. This desire could later translate into a constant need for social reinforcement or overcompensation of the flaw through being more vocal than before. (In this context, personality is a series of learned or adopted responses to different social stimuli.)

[rob86 2]

What is personality? It's that word you use when you don't want to sound like a chauvinist pig. It's definition is abstract, and only understandable at the quantum level. For example, a man will often say to a beautiful woman, "Sure, you're beautiful, but looks aren't important to me like they are with other men, it's your personality I'm really attracted to". By some unexplainable phenomenon, the woman's personality will 99.9% of the time apparently match the man's idea of a perfect woman almost exactly; loving, faithful, hates ballet, etc. The complexity lies in the fact that the woman's personality is in reality about as amiable and pleasant to be around as a dog turd in the middle of a sidewalk.

Edited December 18, 2009 by rob86 (see edit history)