Verified Document

Personality Theories Of Personality This Paper Analyses Research Paper

¶ … Personality Theories of Personality

This paper analyses the process of personality development in detail. It discusses how various genetic, environmental, cognitive, unconscious and socioculture factors affect the process of personality development in different individuals.

Theory of Personality

Personality can be defined as the sum total of all the characteristics that make an individual unique and different from other individuals. In order to analyze one's personality you do not necessarily need a psychologist to speculate and observe it. In our day-to-day dealings we refer to a large number of personality traits that various individuals possess. Different authors and playwrights usually use key figures and role models in their novels and plays to attract people. The word 'personality' is frequently used in day-to-day conversations nowadays. All of us develop our own theories of personality, each and every time we answer the question ' how is he or she like?'. There are five major dimensions of personality development, namely; 1) The genetic perspective, 2) The environmental perspective, 3) The unconscious perspective, 4) The cognitive perspective and 5) The sociocultural perspective. (Houston, 2005)

Impact of Genes on Personaity

Recent studies have shown the impact of genes and heredity on personality development. It has been reported by a number of studies that the unique combination of genes that is being inherited by all the siblings, has some influence on their personality and as some elements of these genes are similar, therefore, siblings are reported to have a similar personality. An evidence supporting the impact of genes on the personality development is the 'Twin Study'. Loehlin and Nicholls, in the year 1976, examined and analyzed the personality traits of 800 pairs of twins. This analysis was done on the basis of self report personality questionnaires. It was being determined that all the personality traits showed a moderate influence of genes on personality traits. It was also being observed that monozygotic, or identical twins, had more identical personality traits as compared to the dizygotic or non-identical twins. In addition to that, a study of non-genetically related family members, the adopted...

This shows that the family members do not instill personality traits in each other instead it is the genes, that they inherit, which influence their personality. (Houston, 2005)
It can, therefore, be concluded from the above discussions that, different people, depending on the types of their genes, may react differently while facing various environmental, cultural and emotional issues. It is also evident that the genes play a moderate role in determining the level of temperament, introversion and extroversion in an individual and it may also have an influence on the preferences, likes and dislikes of an individual. (Keltikangas-Jarvinen & Jokela, 2010)

Impact of Environment on Personality

The word environment has been derived from a French word 'environn', which means to encircle or to surround. Environment, therefore, can be defined as the circumstances that surrounds an individual. In other words, we can say all the physical, biological, chemical, social and cultural consequences that may have an impact on the individual and his community can be defined as an environment. The environmental factors also have an influential impact on the personality of the individual. These factors include, the family, peers, education, occupation, religion and community. ("Your environment, " 2006)

The family is the primary factor that can have an influential impact on the personality development of an individual. It can mould the personality traits of an individual by bringing him up according to some rules and regulations. Different families have different values and these values are deeply rooted and reflected in the personality of an individual. In addition to that, peers or friends also influence the personality of an individual as the individual learns some new and perceived ways of handling emotions and situations from his peers. Education, occupation and community are also some important environmental factors as they shape the behavior and personality of an individual. They instill in him, self-discipline, norms, courtesy, social responsibility and politeness, and these factors in return shape his personality. Religion also…

Sources used in this document:
References

Houston, D. Islamic Azad University, (2005). Personality. Retrieved from Islamic Azad University website: http://dralizadeh.iauq.ac.ir/imagesMasterPage/Files/dralizadeh/file/chapter14.pdf

Keltikangas-Jarvinen, L., & Jokela, M. (2010). Nature and nurture in personality. The Journal Of Lifelong Learning In Psychiatry, 8(2), 180-184. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/FOCUS/1842/foc00210000180.pdf

Pearson Education, (2002). Personality theories. Retrieved from Pearson Education website: http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/1530/1567154/278-316_CH08_61939.pdf

Personality: social learning, humanistic, and socio-cultural perspectives. (2010). Unpublished manuscript, Psychology, Weber State University, Retrieved from http://faculty.weber.edu/eamsel/Classes/Introduction 1010/Lectures/8. Personality/Lectures/Lecture 26-27 Personality - Social Learning others.pdf
The Goodheart-Willcox Co. Inc., (2006). Your environment affects who you are. Retrieved from The Goodheart-Willcox Co. Inc. website: http://www.g-w.com/pdf/sampchap/9781605251318_ch02.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Personality Analysis of J. Edgar Hoover J.
Words: 985 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Personality Analysis of J. Edgar Hoover J. There are numerous sources that confirm the fact that J. Edgar Hoover, founder and the most notorious head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was a closet homosexual. While this fact in and of itself is not the main defining trait of this man, it certainly was one of them and produced a profound influence on other traits of this American leader. The most important

Personality Theory Describe and Discuss the Basic
Words: 2389 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Personality Theory Describe and discuss the basic characteristics, tenets and methods of investigation/research for psychodynamic and cognitive perspectives regarding personality psychology, and the benefits/strengths and limitations/weaknesses of each approach. The challenge that the researchers and personality theorists will face is to parsimoniously capture the process-oriented and dynamic nature of personality. Dweck (1996) in an earlier study asserts that "trait theorists have addressed some of the more static, descriptive aspects of personality-how people

Personality Theory Analysis the Trait Theory and
Words: 1179 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Personality Theory Analysis The trait theory and the psychoanalytic theory are two theories that attempt to explain personality and behavior, but are two entirely different approaches. The trait theory approaches personality with combinations of personality traits and measurements of individual traits in attempting to explain personality and behavior. On the other hand, the psychoanalytic theory explores the unconscious through behavior, feelings, self-esteem, and social contexts in attempting to explain personality and

Personality Analysis Through 2 Domains Perspectives of Knowledge...
Words: 1019 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Personality Psychology A Personality Profile of Charlie Sheen History/Biography Charlie Sheen, born Carlos Irwin Estevez, is an American movie and television actor who has been acting for almost 30 years in some capacity (A & E. Networks, 2012). He is the son of Ramon Estevez (aka Martin Sheen) and Janet Templeton an artist. His early was typical of a youth growing up in California, but he quickly joined the family business. At the

Personality Theories Personality Is a
Words: 798 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

R Harris "believes that parent do not shape their child's personality or character" (Lee, 2003) rather, it is the child's peers who hold more influence on the child. According to Harris, children do not use all the information they have learned from their parents. In general, children behave in the manner which they have learned from people in their social group. According to Haimowitz, family environment does not contribute much to

Personality & Prejudice Theories of
Words: 1384 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Proposal

The two approaches employed and explored also provided richer understanding of personality and prejudice as well as comparative analyses between these two approaches. The study was also able to keenly account for certain nuances such as differences in results when certain variables where entered first in multiple regression technique. I also appreciate the fact that the researchers took time to discuss the varying degrees of freedom between person- and

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now