Blair Hornstein

¶ … Blair Hornstein's personality through the Five Factor theory and Psychoanalytic theory. It has 3 sources. Personality theories vary in their concepts, definition and usage. Due to this variability one, as an analyst can identify and associate with personality thereby understands people's characteristics, behaviors and the way interact within their environment. In this paper the researcher has chosen the McCrae and Costa's Five Factor Theory and Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory to analyze a media personality Blair Hornstein.

Blair Hornstein, a student of New Jersey is an 18-year-old girl who successfully caught the attention of the media, U.S. Courts and the U.S. President with her legal suit against her school Moorestown High School earlier this year. Her suit has been based on the fact that she wants to be the sole valedictorian of her class as she has A plus grades while the school wanted her to share the title with two other students with A minus grades.

She refused and sued the School on the basis that she should have the sole title. The School objected her refusal on the basis that she suffers from immune deficiency for the past two years and as a result received home tutoring whereas the other two students could not compete with her grades due to extracurricular activities at school which often lower grade points.

She has been rescinded admission at Harvard University on account of plagiarism and currently awaiting decision at the State Court for a $2.7 million suit as punitive damages (NBC 2003). From accounts of her pursuit, one can wield information regarding her personality that she is an academically talented individual with more than average grades acquired in her senior years. She is also ambitious whose aim in life is to be part of the Ivy League and to become a lawyer.

What makes this "disabled" and yet ambitious individual to sue her school for a mere title; why did she sue and not attend her high school graduation ceremony; but most of all what are some of the factors that motivated her to engage in a battle against the world? These are some of the questions that plague her friends, fellow students, teachers and the readers alike and which perhaps could be explained by the following theories.

McCrae and Costa's Five Factor Theory According to the Five Factor theory," extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience (or culture) have been correlated with many other personality traits and some behavioral and social outcomes." (McCrae & Costa 1999) At the heart of this theory is neuroticism or emotional stability which combines all of the five traits. Neuroticism is desirable in individuals and has been observed to be characteristics in the American social culture.

Individuals need to be emotionally associated with the external environment and their characters are the result of the interaction between the environment and the inner self. For example an individual who is high on self-monitoring, then s/he is also agreeable, open and often demonstrates low conscientiousness. On the other hand one who is high on conscientiousness might be low in agreeableness or low in openness to experience (Funder 2001). Furthermore, the theory also identify with the fact that individuals usually associate with external activities that match their interests and conscientiousness.

In Hornstein's case one observe that her ambitious nature had been at the core of her personality. Despite her disability, she continues to achieve high grades and the title of valedictorian had been the pinnacle of this ambition. This is further enumerated in her endeavors to get into Harvard to become part of an Ivy League. She is indifferent to the public's ridicule and remains disagreeable to classmates, media and the school because she is high in neuroticism.

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory claims that all humans are born with certain instincts and these are directly related to the biological need of food, shelter and warmth. These instincts are sex and aggression. Everyone according to Freud has a tendency to depend on their sex drive to attract mate and to reproduce to conserve the bloodline. Furthermore, Freud is also of the opinion that people often demonstrate aggressive tendencies to preserve themselves. Aggression therefore is an act of self-defense and for the purpose of survival.

Hornstein can clearly be understood by this theory. Being a disabled individual she has an even more aggressive sense for survival in an American society and culture where money, career and ambitions are considered to be the essence of social acceptance. Through her near perfect grades she endeavors to be accepted by her school mates and peers but when she has been refused of this chance she turns.