Almost everyday we find ourselves describing and assessing the personalities of those around us. Whether we realize it or not, these daily musings on how and why people behave as they do are similar to what personality psychologists do. While our informal assessments of personality tend to focus more on individuals, personality psychologists instead use conceptions of personality that can apply to everyone. Personality research has led to the development of a number of theories that help explain how and why certain personality traits develop.
Theories of Personality
There are a number of different theories about how personality develops. Different schools of thought in psychology influence many of these theories. Three of these major influences are:
* Behavioral theories suggest that personality is a result of interaction between the individual and the environment.
* Behavioral theorists study observable and measurable behaviors, rejecting theories that take internal thoughts and feelings into account. Behavioral theorists include B. F. Skinner and John Watson.
* Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, and emphasize the influence of the unconscious on personality. Psychodynamic theories include Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stage theory and Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
* Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual experience in the development of personality. Humanist theorists include Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Components of Personality
Before we can understand these theories, however, we need to understand what is meant by the term personality. A brief definition would be that personality is made up the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that make a person unique. In addition to this, personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life.
Some of the fundamental characteristics of personality include:
* Organization and consistency - Different parts of our personality are often linked together, guiding our behavior in an organized and consistent way.
* Psychological and physiological – Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by physiological processes and needs.
* Influence behavior – Personality not only influences how we react to our environment, it also causes us to behave in certain ways.
* Displayed in many ways – Our personalities are demonstrated through our behavior, thoughts, feelings, and interactions with others.
