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Personality and Behavior: Changing for the Better
Hundreds of thousands of years of instinctive programming influence the behavior of modern humans in ways they do not fully understand, and in many cases, people may not even be aware of these influences on their behavior. This is not to say, of course, that modern humans are incapable of thoughtful and purposeful action, but it is to say that such unconscious influences on behavior can cause problems if they are not recognized and dealt with in a meaningful fashion. To gain additional insights in this area, this paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning personality and behavior, followed by a discussion concerning how behavior can be influenced by personality in ways that can cause individual problems such as risky behaviors that lead to substance abuse or unprotected premarital sex. Finally, an examination concerning how the interactionism view of personality can be used to help people overcome this problem....
A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
The specific determinants of behavior that influence humans have been of interest to personality theorists for some time, but there remains some debate over which are most salient and how these determinants operate (Livesley, 2001). Despite this controversy, the powerful effect of personality on behavior is well documented and most psychologists and laypersons alike attribute human behavior to "stable underlying dispositions" (Aizen, 2005, p. 1). One personality attribute in particular that may lead to problems is fixation. According to Carver and Sheier, for instance, "An adult who is fixated at the oral stage might smoke more or eat or drink more when stressed at work. . . . The stronger the fixation, the more likely is the person to regress under stress to the mode of functioning that characterizes that stage" (p. 182). Consequently, even when people recognize that…
References
Aizen, I. (2005). Attitudes, personality and behavior. Maidenhead, England: Open University
Press.
Carver, C.S. & Sheier, M. (2004). Perspectives on personality, 6th ed.
Livesley, W.J. (2001). Handbook of personality disorders: Theory, research, and treatment.
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Behavior Modify Development of a behavior is a gradual process through which it eventually becomes an automatic response. Such a process develops through frequent repetition and reinforcements. Good habits enable liberation, whereas bad habits are a cause of sufferings. Understanding how certain behavioral patterns are formed enables us to be aware of what we may be prone to acquiring as a behavior. (Jager, 2003) According to behavioral theorists, learning experiences through time
Behaviorist and Cognitive Theory Psychology took a center stage and significant change in the early 20th Century when the behaviorism school of thought became dominant. This was a major change from other theoretical perspectives that existed before hence rejecting emphasis on unconscious and conscious mind. Behaviorism strove to see that psychology becomes a more scientific discipline in that focus will be mainly on observable behavior. This approach to psychology whereby the
Abstract Dozens of research studies have supported the hypothesis that personality traits change as one becomes older. However, what triggers these changes in personality traits? How do these changes take place? This paper investigates some of the answers to these complex questions. It does so by comparing six theories on personality development. All the theories are backed by evidences which will also be discussed. The paper ends by providing a conclusion
Employee satisfaction might be one of the most difficult measures in management to quantify. There are so many ways to judge this factor, from self-evaluation to independent evaluation to more concrete numbers like productivity, which has been linked to job satisfaction. There is no industry-wide standard for assessing employee satisfaction, and yet it is one of the most important factors in a successful work environment. This paper will explore the influence
Personality Theories Psychologists have described personality as specific way of feeling, thinking and self-conduct (Mcleod, 2014) of an individual. Personality is the constantly changing system in the minds of individuals and made up of specific psychological traits that influence their specific self-conduct and thinking. Personality is the combination of behavior that distinguishes a person. The personality of a person is affected by genetic and biological factors as well as factors such