Your distinct personality defines you and impacts everything from your relationships to your way of life. You may be able to define someone’s personality, but do you know what the scientific study of personality entails?
Personality psychology is one of the most extensive and well-known disciplines of psychology.
Personality psychologists strive to understand how personality develops as well as how it impacts how we think and behave. Psychologists investigate how people’s personalities differ and overlap. In addition, they examine, diagnose, and treat personality problems.
What is the definition of personality? How might knowing your personality help you comprehend your emotional well-being?
What Exactly Is Personality?
What is it that makes you unique? Many variables influence who you are now, including genetics, environment, and life events.
Many people believe that what distinguishes you is the distinctive patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that comprise your personality. While there is no universally accepted definition of personality, it is commonly understood to be something that develops within an individual and is generally consistent throughout life.
Understanding personality enables psychologists to anticipate how individuals will react to different situations and what they enjoy and value. It will be beneficial to learn more about some of the most prominent personality theories in order to have a better understanding of how researchers examine personality psychology.
Concepts
Several ideas have evolved to explain various characteristics of personality. Some are concerned with describing how personality develops, while others are concerned with personality variations between individuals.
Personality Trait Theories
Personality trait theories are based on the assumption that personality is made up of broad qualities or dispositions. Various hypotheses have been offered to define which personality qualities are important, as well as attempts to ascertain the overall number of personality traits.
Gordon Allport, a psychologist, was among the first to explain personality in terms of distinct features. Allport proposed three types of features in his dispositional perspective: common, central, and cardinal.
Many people within a culture have common characteristics. The core qualities are those that make up a person’s personality. Cardinal attributes are those that are so dominating that a person becomes recognized largely for them.
Mother Teresa is an example of a cardinal trait. She was so well-known for her charity endeavors that her name virtually became associated with helping people in need.
According to Allport, there might be up to 4,000 distinct unique characteristics. A psychologist, Raymond Cattell, argued that there were 16. Cattell also believed that these attributes exist on a scale and that everyone had varying degrees of them.
A psychologist, Hans Eysenck, would narrow the list even more, believing there were only three: extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
Today, the “Big Five” idea is likely the most famous and widely recognized personality feature theory. According to the idea, personality is made up of five main personality dimensions:
- Emotional stability
- Self — control
- Self — confidence
- Neurotic tendencies
- Flexibility
According to the Big Five paradigm, each feature exists on a broad spectrum. For each attribute, an individual’s personality will lie somewhere on the spectrum.
For example, you may be strong in extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness but low in openness and neuroticism.
Personality Development and Change Throughout Life
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development is one of the most well-known, but also one of the most contentious, personality theories. According to Freud, children go through a succession of personality development phases. Libidinal energy (the power that drives all human activities) becomes concentrated on certain erogenous zones at each level.
The completion of a stage permits a person to go to the next stage of growth. Failure at any level might result in fixations that affect a person’s adult personality.
Another psychologist, Erik Erikson, identified eight psychosocial phases of life. According to Erikson’s theory, each stage is important in the development of a person’s personality and psychological skills.
During each psychological stage, an individual will experience a developmental crisis that will act as a watershed moment in their growth. Completing each step successfully contributes to the formation of a healthy personality.
Erikson was more concerned in how social interactions effected personality development. He was especially concerned with the formation of what he referred to as ego identity.
While Freud’s theory proposed that personality is largely established and fixed in stone at a young age, Erikson argued that personality developed throughout life.
How Is Personality Assessed?
Personality tests, evaluations, and inventories have been developed by psychologists to investigate and quantify personality. The exams are frequently utilized in a wide range of contexts. The well-known Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), for example, is commonly utilized as a pre-employment screening evaluation.
Other tests can be utilized to assist people learn more about various parts of their personality. Some tests are used to help identify personality disorders as screening and assessment tools.
Learning more about your personality may benefit you in many areas of your life. Relationships with friends, family, and coworkers, for example, may improve if you recognize that you work well with people or that you require time alone.
You’ve definitely come across a variety of personality tests online (for example, an online quiz that tells you whether you are extroverted or introverted). Some of these tests claim to uncover the “true you,” while others are plainly designed for fun purposes only.
Online personality evaluations should be taken with a grain of salt. Although informal tools can be entertaining and provide some insight into your preferences and qualities, only personality tests performed by skilled and competent specialists should be used as official evaluations or to determine a diagnosis.
Personality Illnesses
Personality psychologists are also interested in examining potential personality issues. Personality disorders are chronic and widespread mental problems that can have a significant influence on a person’s thoughts, actions, and interpersonal functioning.
Antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are among the ten personality disorders included in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), around 9.1 percent of adults in the United States have signs of at least one personality disorder each year.
Being diagnosed with a personality disorder can be upsetting, but there are therapies available. You can learn to recognize the challenges that these diseases might bring and explore new coping techniques by working with a mental health expert.
It’s normal to be scared and apprehensive about what the future holds, but remember that you don’t have to face it alone. There are people who have been trained, are skilled, and are ready to assist you in taking the next stages in your therapy.
Depending on your unique condition, your doctor may advise you to pursue psychotherapy, skill training, medication, or a mix of the three.
Collaborate with your healthcare team to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific requirements and objectives.
A Word from Verywell
Personality is a wide topic that encompasses practically every facet of what makes individuals who they are. There are several approaches of thinking about personality. Some theories concentrate on particular features, while others address the many developmental stages that occur as personality forms (and occasionally changes) throughout time.
Psychologists are interested not only in understanding normal human personality but also in identifying possible personality abnormalities that may cause unhappiness or trouble in important life domains. Psychologists are more equipped to help patients if they can detect difficulties at home, school, job, or in their relationships.
