Change Theory and Human Personality

Personality Theories: How I Made a Change

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines personality as distinct, individual patterns of thinking and feeling (“Personality,” 2021). Although there are certain traits which all human beings share to varying degrees, spanning from positive traits like empathy to negative ones like irritability, not all persons possess these traits in the same degree, and exhibit those traits in the same manner. The latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that is currently used to diagnose clinical mental disorders even includes a category of personality disorders, as distinct from general mental illnesses. These are personalities which are significantly maladaptive in the ways that they interact with the world (Robitz, 2018). This suggests that an individual’s personality is distinct from an individual’s mental state.

Change in Personality

Although personality is often represented as something fixed and unchanging, even in some psychological literature, this does not mean that the human personality is static. Aging, experience, and changes in the environment can foster profound personality changes. In my case, over the past five years, I have noted a considerable shift in my mental health, particularly in the ways I experience anxiety and stress. Growing up, I had a very reactive personality. I was shy and afraid of speaking in front of people, as well as meeting new peers and teachers. I often worried about things other children were not concerned about, spanning from going to school, to getting good grades, to making my chosen sports team. For a long time, these worries possessed me. But over the past five years, I have acquired new coping mechanisms to deal with my stress, including meditation and yoga. I have also accomplished more things. As I see myself as capable in one area of my life, that spills over into other areas. The more I have forced myself to do more social things, the more social I have become

Explanations

Big Five

I find the Big Five personality theory to be particularly persuasive in explaining psychological changes in my behavior. The Big Five is considered to be one of the most reliable, empirically-validated personality tests, suggesting that all individuals have, to varying degrees traits such as openness (a willingness to embrace new experiences), conscientiousness (an attention to detail), extroversion (outgoingness and the ability to be energized by the presence of others), agreeableness, and neuroticism (anxiety) (“Big 5,” 2021). The test suggests that these characteristics are relatively stable in the short run, but less so in the long run. It suggests that my anxiety and neuroticism is not entirely abnormal.

Although the traits are found to be fairly consistent cross-culturally, it is also important to note that these traits are not the same as the static personality types of the non-empirically validated enneagram or Myers-Brigg (“Big 5,” 2021). In other words, someone can be agreeable but not extroverted, or anxious but not conscientious, even if these traits may seem to be related. In my case, by trying to change habitual personality patterns and thoughts, I was able to change my ways of thinking and behaving for these specific features of my personality, without changing my entire character.

Personal Construct Theory

However, the Big 5 theory does not entirely explain why I felt so motivated to change my thought patterns. A more useful theory might be that of Personal Construct Theory, as developed by George Kelly. Kelly’s theory is based upon the idea of constructive alternativism (Cherry, 2020). This suggests that all individuals have a specific way of constructing their reality that is particular to that individual. For example, when I was younger and was meeting new people or speaking in front of a crowd, my perception of reality was that all eyes were upon me and everyone was hyper-concerned about my behavior. Whenever I began something new, whether it was a new school year, or taking a standardized test, I would always engage in worst case scenario thinking.

Personal construct theory views all human beings as scientists, constantly engaged in making a hypothesis about the environment, gathering data, and coming to a conclusion (Cherry, 2020). Although this can seem to be a very technical way of analyzing the world on one hand, on the other hand it is very empowering, because individuals can always reevaluate their data or ask a different hypothesis. Kelly noted that it was possible for people to overcome paralyzing threats by changing their perceptions (Cherry, 2020). In short, many thoughts and conceptions are simply products of the mind, rather than have objective reality.

By creating a visual picture in my mind of a positive rather than a negative outcome when speaking in front of people, I have been able to overcome my social anxiety. Instead of creating worst case scenarios, I strive to create best case scenarios. Finally, this theory is useful because it does not force me to reject my past, more anxious self in an effort to become a new and better person. Kelly suggested that every interpretation of reality has value, and no perception is completely accurate (Cherry, 2020). But taking a more optimistic and less anxious view of the world is more productive and useful than being hyper-aware of negative reactions and what can go wrong.

Personal construct theory has been taken up by cognitive behavioral theorists. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered to be one of the most useful approaches to treating anxiety, depression, and other hard-to-treat psychological disorders (Cherry, 2020). It emphasizes being consciously aware of negative thoughts and behaviors, and by becoming aware of them, the individual can become more empowered to change them.

Personal construct theory is also more useful than Big 5 personality theory to explain and interpret personality change from an individual perspective because it does not construe any specific traits as negative. Big 5 personality theory largely focuses on positive traits, but regards neuroticism as a negative trait (“Big 5,” 2021). In contrast, Kelly’s theory views all experiences as potentially instructive, even though it also stresses the importance of constantly reevaluating one’s perspective, and the need to change with the pressures of the environment, and for the mental health of the individual.

Phenomenological

The phenomenological theory of personality is most associated with Karl Rogers. Like personal construct theory, Karl Roger’s phenomenological, humanistic approach stresses that human beings create their experiences through their perceptions (McLeod, 2014). Rogers stressed that there were five essential functions of a fully functioning person. The person should first be open to experience, an idea also echoed in Big 5 personality theory (McLeod, 2014). Another component is the idea of existentialism, or being fully in touch with one’s feelings (McLeod, 2014). This is reminiscent of the self-consciousness of Kelly’s theory that is critical in establishing control over one’s own behaviors and having greater agency in creating a realistic, healthy interpretation of the world.

Rogers also stressed the reality of feelings. Feelings were not subservient to facts. They were very important in creating the person’s perception of the world. A critical part of Rogerian theory is unconditional positive regard for the client, and the client’s feelings. For example, phenomenological theory would not tell me that I simply needed to get over my anxiety, and tell me that it should be easy for me to abandon my anxiety because it had no basis in fact. Instead, my feelings would be validated, as well as my frustrations and fears of not being able to make friends more easily, or to embrace new experiences like going to school (McLeod, 2014).

Fourthly, Rogers stressed the importance of creativity and risk-taking (McLeod, 2014). This is also tied to his stress on being open to new experiences. Taking risks resonates with how I was able to overcome my anxiety. Instead of beating myself up every time I felt anxiety, getting angry at myself, and becoming more anxious, I set small goals for myself, such as speaking in class once or twice, or thinking up one or two positive thoughts about new situations, rather than smothering all of my negative thoughts. Creative responses like downloading a meditation app on my phone, and doing gentle yoga were useful, as they were methods I would not have thought to have tried until I did research on overcoming anxiety.