The Effects of Personality on Our Everyday Lives

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13 Mar 2024

A person's distinctive thoughts, mood, and behaviour patterns that set them apart from others are referred to as their personality. Being a byproduct of environment and biology, it doesn't change much over life.

Our descriptions of the characteristics of other individuals are examples of personality. For example, "She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist," and "They are loyal and protective of their friends."

The Latin term persona, which describes a theatrical mask actors wear to assume roles or conceal their identities, is where the word "personality" originates.

While personality can be defined in a variety of ways, the majority of them centre on the traits and patterns of behaviour that assist explain and anticipating an individual's actions.

Numerous factors might be emphasized in personality explanations, from

Personality Characteristics

What precisely is a personality composed of? These core aspects of personality, together with traits and emotional and cognitive processes, are significant:

Consistency: There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviours. Essentially, people act in the same way or similar ways in a variety of situations.
Both psychological and physiological: Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by biological processes and needs.
Affects behaviours and actions: Personality not only influences how we move and respond in our environment, but it also causes us to act in certain ways.
Multiple expressions: Personality is displayed in more than just behaviour. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close relationships, and other social interactions.

How Personality Develops

There are several ideas concerning personality, and many of these theories are influenced by various psychological schools of thought. While some theories concentrate more on how personality develops, others explain how personalities are displayed.

Personality Types

According to type theories, the number of personality types that are influenced by biology is small.

There are four possible personality types, according to one theory. They are as follows:

Type A: Perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed, achievement-oriented, aggressive, stressed
Type B: Low stress, even-tempered, flexible, creative, adaptable to change, patient, tendency to procrastinate
Type C: Highly conscientious, perfectionist, struggles to reveal emotions (positive and negative)
Type D: Worrying, sad, irritable, pessimistic, negative self-talk, avoidance of social situations, lack of self-confidence, fear of rejection, appearance gloomy, hopeless.

Additional widely accepted ideas about personality types include the Myers-Briggs theory. The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator uses four continuums—introversion-extraversion, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving—to determine a person's personality.

One of sixteen personality types is allocated to you following a Myers-Briggs personality test. These personality types include, for example:

ISTJ: Introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging. People with this personality type are logical and organized; they also tend to be judgmental.
INFP: Introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving. They tend to be idealists and sensitive to their feelings.
ESTJ: Extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judging. They tend to be assertive and concerned with following the rules.
ENFJ: Extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging. They are known as "givers" for being warm and loyal; they may also be overprotective.

Personality Tests

Apart from the MBTI, a few of the most popular personality assessments are:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
HEXACO Personality Inventory
Caddell's 16PF Personality Questionnaire
Enneagram Typology

Personality Traits

Genetically based internal traits, such as the following, are the main sources of personality according to trait theories:

Agreeable: Cares about others, feels empathy, enjoys helping others
Conscientiousness: High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, goal-directed behaviours
Eager-to-please: Accommodating, passive, and conforming
Extraversion: Excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness
Introversion: Quiet, reserved
Neuroticism: Experiences stress and dramatic shifts in mood, feels anxious, worries about different things, gets upset easily, struggles to bounce back after stressful events
Openness: very creative, open to trying new things, focused on tackling new challenges.

Psychodynamic Theories

Psychodynamic theories of personality are significantly influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and highlight the role of the unconscious mind on personality. Psychodynamic theories include Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stage theory and Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.

Behavioural Theories

According to behavioural theories, interactions between an individual and their surroundings shape their personality. Behavioural theorists frequently overlook the significance of internal thoughts and feelings in favour of studying observable and quantifiable behaviours. Among the behavioural theorists are John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.

Humanist

Humanist theories place a strong emphasis on how experiences and free will play a role in shaping a person's personality. Among the humanist theorists are Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Impact of Personality

Fascinating insights into how personality evolves and changes throughout a lifetime can be gained from personality research. Additionally, there may be significant real-world applications for this research.

For instance, people can learn more about themselves and their particular talents, shortcomings, and preferences by using a personality assessment, which is also known as a personality test or personality quiz. Certain examinations may examine an individual's score on measures of conscientiousness, openness, or extroversion, for example. Some tests may gauge how particular facets of personality evolve. Certain tests help people understand how their personality impacts a variety of aspects of their lives, such as relationships, work, personal development, and more. Knowing your personality type might help you decide what kind of work you love, how well you might function in a particular role at work, or how beneficial a style of psychotherapy might be for you.

Your personality type may also affect your health, including how you handle stress and how frequently you visit the doctor. Certain personality traits have been connected by researchers to health-related activities and sickness.

Personality Disorders

Thoughts and behaviours that are disruptive and disturbing in daily life are indicative of personality disorders, even though personality controls what you think and how you behave. Because the symptoms of a personality disorder are deeply embedded in the person, they may be difficult to identify.

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), Antisocial personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder are examples of personality disorders.

Although personality disorders can present with a variety of symptoms, some typical indications are as follows:

Aggressive behaviour
Delusional thinking
Distrust of others
Flat emotions (no emotional range)
Lack of interest in relationships
Violating others' boundaries

Suicidal thoughts or actions are experienced by some BPD sufferers as well.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and guidance from a qualified counsellor if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts. Dial 911 if you or a loved one is in immediate danger.

Visit our National Helpline Database for additional resources on mental health. It's crucial to speak with a physician or mental health specialist if you believe that aspects of your personality are causing stress, anxiety, bewilderment, or sadness. They can assist you in understanding any potential underlying medical concerns. Although living with a personality disorder can be difficult, there are helpful treatment options, including counselling and medication.

Summary

Comprehending personality psychology is far more than just a theoretical endeavour. Applications of personality study discoveries can be significant in a variety of fields, including business, economics, technology, health, and medicine. Gaining a deeper comprehension of personality functions will help us explore novel approaches to enhance individual and societal health.