PERSONALITY

Personality is the sum total of the traits and characteristics and patterns of
adjustment of an individual that sets him apart or makes him different from other
individuals.

COMPONENTS OF PERSONALITY

A. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

Outstanding characteristics of individuals make them distinctly different from

other individuals and these are the by-products of heredity and environment.

Theories explain the development and emergences of these personality traits and
characteristics

1. Physique: Body Types

Bodily constitution, health and vigor associated with temperament

1. Physique: Body Types.

a) Kretschemer’s classification

1. Physique: Body Types.

2. Temperament Types

Physiology: types based on body chemistry and endocrine balance

2. Temperament Types

2. Temperament Types

3. Behavior: Psychological Types

These are Jung’s theories

B. TRAIT THEORIES

A trait theory describes a personality by its position on a number of scales, each

of which represents a trait.

A person may be placed on a scale of intelligence and he may be called an

intelligent personality.

1. Allport’s Personal Discipline

These are traits that are unique for a person called by Allport as personal
dispositions, and hence, cannot be used in an exact way in comparing one
person with another.

These traits are organized in some kind of hierarchy as follows:

1. Allport’s Personal Discipline cont’d

– 2. Cattell’s Theory of Surface and Source Traits

C. DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES

Developmental theories deal with continuities, that is, one can tell what a person
will do in a given situation by what he has done before in earlier situation’s that
resemble the present.

1. Psychoanalytic Theory of Development

undergo a maturational scheme of psychosexual stages and at each stage,

psychosocial crises over which if successfully met lead to maturity of
psychological development; if unsuccessfully met, they leave a neurotic residue.

1. Psychoanalytic Theory of Development

Compulsive personality

• Characterized by excessive cleanliness, orderliness, obstinacy,

stinginess, and punctuality.

• Excessive cleanliness may be the result of excessive cleanliness

training in early period of life.

• In extreme cases, behavior is repetitive and ritualistic.

Authoritarian personality

Characterized by “highly conventional behavior, superstition, destructiveness and

cynicism, desire for power, concern over sex.”

This is the result of parental rejection or domination in childhood resulting in

repressed hostility that finds expression in adult life.

2. Learning Theories

Personality is the result of learning through reward and punishment

 The things learned become habits and traits that make up the individual’s
personality distinct from those of others.

The reactions of an individual to present situations depend upon his experiences

in the past in similar situations.

3. Role Theories

describe personality according to the manner in which the individual meets the
various demands that society makes upon in his role as child, parent, man,
woman, worker, citizen.”

Role behavior depends on the role positions that society establishes.

5 Role Positions In A Society

D. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY DYNAMICS

D. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY DYNAMICS

D. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY DYNAMICS

Lewin’s Field Theory. According to this theory, the individual is embedded in a

field called his life space, which is actually his environment; there are external
forces which are acting on the individual such as things, situations, or conditions.

E. OVERCOMPENSATION THEORY

a theory by Alfred Adler

This is trying to excel in something to compensate a weakness or deficiency.

F. NEED THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

1. Karen Horney’s Theory of Personality

– According to Horney, a child may resolve conflicts in a harsh environment

in one of three ways:

a) Moving toward people

- is to satisfy the need for love, affection, and approval of other people

b) Moving against people

- to satisfy the need for power, dominance, prestige, admiration, financial and
sexual success.
c) Moving away from people

- to satisfy the need for independence and self- sufficiency

2. Erich Fromm’s Isolation Theory

According to his theory, man has been isolated from nature and from other men
and this has given rise to five basic needs which if not satisfied would result in
frustration and problems.

2. Erich Fromm’s Isolation Theory

Relatedness

– Man has lost his nearness to nature and so he has to relate himself to
others based on love and affection.

Transcendence

– Man has to submerge his animal nature of greed so that he becomes

cooperative and productive.

Rootedness

– Man has to satisfy his need for belongingness to a group by brotherly love
and affection and so he associates himself with other people.

2. Erich Fromm’s Isolation Theory

Identity

Man needs to feel that he is different from others and so he tries hard to do or
create something that would give an identity to him, or to identify himself with
another who is greater or better known than he.

Frame of orientation

– Man needs an environment that is stable and with consistent events to be

able to understand it.

3. Maslow’s Self-actualization Theory

– According to this theory, man is innately good and self-actualization or

achievement is his goal. Blocking this goal gives frustration and neurosis
to man.
– To Maslow, man’s needs are as follows: (The needs are arranged like a
pyramid)