Personality Development Theories an overview

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Anupama Nair

www.mediaeyenews.com

A good personality is needed for success in every-day life. It is said the psychology of personality development indicates that our personality emerges right from childhood and continues to develop till one takes his last breath. However, adult personality traits are believed to have a basis of temperament, right from infancy i.e., meaning that individual differences in character and behavior appear early in life, potentially before a language of conscious self-representation develop. The ‘Five Factor Model’ of personality talks about the dimensions of childhood temperament. This suggests that individual differences in levels of the corresponding personality traits  i.e., “neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are present from young age itself”. What are the ‘Five Factor Theory’?

 

The Psychoanalytic Theory of personality was discovered by the great Sigmund Freud. His theory consists of three main ideas that make up personality, the ‘id’, the ‘ego’, and the ‘super-ego’. By ‘id’ I mean  the inner need to meet the basic needs of a human being. It also represents our most animalistic urges, like the desire for food and sex. The id seeks instant gratification for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not met, a person can become tense, anxious, or angry.  The ‘ego’ according to Freud operates based on the ‘reality principle’, which works to satisfy the id's desires in a manner that is realistic and socially appropriate. In simple terms, the superego is the “ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates”. The superego's “criticisms, prohibitions, and inhibitions form a person's conscience, and its positive aspirations and ideals represent one's idealized self-image, or ego-ideal.”

The ‘Trait Theory’ of personality is one of the most important theory in the study of personality. According to this theory, traits make up personality. Traits can be described as ‘patterns of behavior, thought, or emotion’. In simple terms, a ‘trait’ is what we call  for example, a characteristic way in which an “individual perceives, feels, believes, or acts”.  When  you casually describe someone, you are likely to use trait terms normally used in your every-day life like, “I am, for example, an introvert, a pretty nervous person, strongly attached to my family, sometimes depressed, and intelligent.  I have a good sense of humor, or fond of languages, very fond of good food and not at all fond of exercise. 

According to the ‘Social Cognitive Theory’ personality development in terms of reciprocal interactionism, that is, a perspective that considers the relationship of person–society as an interactive system that defines and molds personal development. “Personal interaction with other individuals, society, and nature create experiences in which self-identification is organized in relation to social environment”. In other words, according to the theory “personality traits are a function of complex cognitive strategies used to effectively maneuver through social situations and according to social-cognitive perspective, cognitive processes are central to an individual’s unique expression of personality traits and affective processes”.

The evolutionary theory of personality development is primarily based on the evolutionary process of natural selection. “From the evolutionary perspective, evolution created variations of the human mind. Natural selection refined these variations based on their benevolence to humans. Due to human complexity, many opposing personality traits proved to be beneficial in a variety of ways. For example, Early Men were collectivists due to tribe culture. The personalities of individuals within a tribe were very alike. It was the division of labor that resulted in differentiation in personality traits in order to achieve a higher efficiency. “Differentiation in personality traits increased functionality, therefore becoming adaptive through natural selection. Humans continued to develop personality and individuality through evolution”.

The Classic theories of personality include Freud's tripartite theory and those theories that evolved after Freud’s theory  i.e., developmental stage theories and type theories specify that most personality development occurs in childhood, stabilizes by the end of adolescence. However, current perspectives of Life Span Theory that integrate theory and empirical findings dominate the research literature. For example, the lifespan perspectives of personality are based on the ‘plasticity principle’, the principle that personality traits are open systems that can be influenced by the environment at any age. Large-scale longitudinal studies have demonstrated that the most active period of personality development are between the ages of 20-40. 

The humanistic psychology underlines individual choices as ‘voluntary actions’ that ultimately determine personal development. Individual personality traits, although essential to the integrated self, are only parts that make up the whole of observable human experiences. Hence, personality development is articulated in terms of purposeful action geared towards experiencing command of free choice. Consequently, personality development is subjected to shifts in personal meaning and individual goals of achieving an ideal self.

For example, personality traits prove moderate levels of continuity, smaller but still significant normative or mean-level changes, and individual differences in change, often later into the course of life. The pattern is influenced by genetic, environmental, transactional, and stochastic factors.

 

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