personality defined in psychology - Mind Scape Today
Personality defined
Establishing a
definition for something as complex as human personality is difficult. The
authors of the first textbooks on personality-Gordon Allport (1937) and Henry
Murray (1938) - likewise struggle with definition. The problem is how to
establish a definition that is sufficiently comprehensive to include all of the
aspects mentioned in the introduction to this chapter, including inner
features, social effects, qualities of the mind, qualities of the body,
relations to others, and inner goals. Because of these complexities, some texts
of personality omit a formal definition entirely. Nonetheless, the following
definitions capture the essential elements of personality: Personality is the set of psychological traits and
mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and
that influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the
environment (including the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments).
Let’s examine the elements of this definition more closely.
Personality is the Set of Psychological Traits …
Psychological traits are characteristics that describe ways in which people are different from each other. Saying that someone is shy is to mention one way in which he or she differs from others who are more outgoing. Moreover, traits also define ways people are similar. For example, people who are shy are similar to each other in that they are anxious in social situations, particularly situations in which there is an audience and they are the center of attention.
Research on personality traits asks four kinds of questions. One primary question is how many fundamental traits there are. Are there dozens or hundreds of traits, or merely a few? The second research question pertains to the organization, or structure, of traits. For example, how is talkativeness related to other traits? Such as impulsivity and extraversion? A third research question concerns the origins of traits-where they come from and how they develop. Does heredity influence talkativeness? What sorts of child-rearing practices affect the development of traits such as talkativeness? A fourth key question pertains to the corrections and consequences of traits in terms of experience, behavior, and life outcomes. Do talkative people, for example, have many friends? Do they have a more extended social network to draw upon in times of trouble? What are the social consequences of being high or low on a particular personality trait?
Psychological traits include all sorts of aspects of persons that are psychologically meaningful and are consistent aspects of personality. Characteristics such as values, attitudes, motives, styles, sentiments, beliefs, goals, and desires all qualify as psychological traits. To the degree that these characteristics are enduring over time, they affect the ways in which we experience and live our lives and, so, are of interest to personality psychologists.
