Understanding Human
Nature and Behaviour
Presented by
Muhammad Iqbal Malik
© 2007-2008 LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.
Today’s Objectives
• To develop an understanding about human
nature and its influence on behaviour
• Becoming more self-aware and have a
deeper understanding about others
• To develop an appreciation for diversity
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We will cover:
• What is personality?
• What makes us what we are?
• What are the key elements of personality?
• Are there generic types or classes?
• Is this personality “good” or “bad”?
• Is diversity a “curse” or a blessing?
• Application of what we have learnt
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Why Bother?
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Know thyself
The unexamined life is
not worth living!
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• Self-awareness
• People are the most important
organizational resource
• Improving predictability and selfconfidence
• Building relationships
• Effective utilization of human resources
• Avoiding or managing conflicts
• Improving the quality of life and work
environment
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Reflection
• Have you ever faced a person whom you
failed to understand?
• Have you ever been misunderstood (as a
person)?
• Have you ever been frustrated by people
who looked, behaved, thought or felt very
different than you?
• Have you ever looked down on someone
who behaved, thought or felt differently?
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What is Personality?
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Personality
• “Every man is in certain respects like all
other men, like some other men, like no
other man”
Kluckhohn & Murray
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Personality
• Personality describes the character of
emotion, thought, and behavior patterns
unique to a person
• It is a particular pattern of behaviour and
thinking prevailing across time and
situations that differentiates one person
from another
• Personality is the sum total of ways in
which an individual react and interacts
with others
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Personality
• Personality is that which permits a
prediction of what a person will do in a
given situation
• It explains how each individual is unique
• Personality is one of the key determinants
of human behaviour – but there are also
other factors of behaviour e.g. situation,
attitude, cognition, motivation, belief etc.
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What makes us what we are?
How do we become “us”?
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The Development of Personality
• Nature vs. Nurture
 Heredity and biology - genes, nervous
system, endocrine system and other systems
 Environment and life experiences
• Identical twins share the same template
but have different “states”
• Twins raised in different families have
often demonstrated similar tastes,
choosing the same profession and even
using the same brands of products
© 2007-2008 LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.
The Development of Personality
• Some traits may be more strongly linked
to heredity than others
• The initial few years are critical in the
formation of personality
• Plaster vs. Plasticity hypothesis
 Set like plaster
 Changes throughout adulthood
© 2007-2008 LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.
Views on Personality
• Trait Theories – personality is a set of mental
structures/systems, different for each individual,
resulting in characteristic responses to situations
• Humanist Theories – difficult to predict
behaviour – lives are not scripted – personalities
are defined by their own different perceptions and
experiences
• Behavioural Theories – Personality is the
constantly changing set of learned behaviour,
influenced by reinforcements
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Interactionism
• Human behaviour is influenced by:
 Personality traits
 The situation
 The interaction between personality
and situation
• How one perceives or defines a situation is
a critical factor of behaviour
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CASE
• Doctors report that the child would never
be able to play any physically exerting
sport… the child grows to be the fittest
athlete in the world
• How did the parents define the situation?
• How did the child define the situation?
• How did it influence their behaviour?
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Other Attributes
• Locus of Control (internal/external)
The degree to which people believe they are in
control of their own fate
• Self-Esteem - Feelings of self-worth stemming
from the individual's positive or negative beliefs
about being valuable and capable
• Self-awareness - being aware of oneself,
including one's traits, feelings, behaviours and
limitations
• Risk Taking - a person’s willingness to take
chances or risks
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Personality Models
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Is this Personality Good or Bad?
• Before we examine various types of
personalities we should remember:
 There is no “right”, “wrong”, “good” or “bad”
type
 Each type has “strengths” and “weaknesses”
 A personality may however be more “suitable”
for a given role or situation
 Personality traits may shift over time
 Behaviour/performance is not dependent on
personality alone
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Personality Models
• The Big Five
• Cattell’s 16 Primary Factors
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
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The Big Five
Neuroticism
 Anxiety
 Angry hostility
 Depression
 Self-consciousness
 Impulsiveness
 Vulnerability
Extraversion
 Warmth & Sociability
 Assertiveness
 Activity
 Positive emotions
 Talkativeness
 Boldness
 Spontaneity
 Adventure & Enthusiasm
Agreeableness
 Trust
 Straightforwardness
 Altruism
 Compliance
 Modesty
 Tender-mindedness
Conscientiousness
 Competence
 Order
 Dutifulness
 Achievement striving
 Self-discipline
 Deliberation (reflection)







Openness
Fantasy
Aesthetics
Feelings
Actions
Ideas
Values
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Cattells’ 16 Primary Factors
Factor
Low
High
Warmth
Reserved, impersonal,
cool, detached, formal
Warm, outgoing, kindly,
easygoing, participating,
likes people
Reasoning
Concrete-thinking, less
intelligent
Abstract-thinking, more
intelligent, bright, fast
learner
Emotional
Stability
Emotionally stable,
Reactive, emotionally less
adaptive, mature, faces
stable, easily upset
reality, calm
Dominance
Respectful, humble,
cooperative, avoids
conflict, obedient
Dominant, assertive,
aggressive, competitive,
stubborn, bossy
Liveliness
Serious, restrained,
prudent, thoughtful,
silent
Lively, spontaneous,
enthusiastic, cheerful,
expressive, impulsive
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Cattells’ 16 Primary Factors
Factor
Low
High
RuleConsciousness
Expedient,
nonconforming,
disregards rules
Rule-conscious, dutiful,
conscientious, moralistic,
rule-bound
Social Boldness
Shy, threat-sensitive,
timid, hesitant,
intimidated
Socially bold,
venturesome, thickskinned, uninhibited
Sensitivity
Utilitarian, objective,
unsentimental, toughminded, rough
Sensitive, aesthetic,
sentimental, tenderminded, intuitive, refined
Vigilance
Trusting, accepting,
unconditional, easy
Vigilant, suspicious,
skeptical, distrustful,
oppositional
Abstractedness
Grounded, practical,
solution-oriented,
steady, conventional
Abstracted, imaginative,
absent-minded, absorbed
in ideas, impractical,
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Cattells’ 16 Primary Factors
Factor
Low
High
Privateness
Straightforward,
genuine, open, naive
Private, tactful, nondisclosing, shrewd, worldly,
diplomatic
Apprehension
unworried, secure,
complacent, free of
guilt, confident
Apprehensive, selfdoubting, worried, guiltprone, insecure, selfblaming
Openness to
Change
Traditional, attached to
familiar, conservative
Open to change,
experimenting, liberal,
analytical, flexible
Self-Reliance
Group-oriented,
affiliative, follower,
dependent
Self-reliant, solitary,
individualistic, self-sufficient
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Cattells’ 16 Primary Factors
Factor
Low
High
Perfectionism
Tolerates disorder,
flexible, careless,
impulsive
Perfectionist, organized,
compulsive, self-disciplined
Tension
Relaxed, easy going,
calm, lazy, patient, low
drive
Tense, high energy,
impatient, frustrated, high
drive, time-driven
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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• 4 Scales
 Extraversion - Introversion
 Sensing – Intuition
 Thinking – Feeling
 Judging - Perceiving
• 16 Types
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MBTI Scales
Extraversion
 Outer world
 People/Things
 Active
 Breadth of Interest
 Live, then understand
 Interaction
 Outgoing
Introversion
 Inner World
 Thoughts/Concepts
 Reflective
 Depth of Interest
 Understand, then live
 Concentration
 Inwardly directed
Sensing
 Facts
 Data
 Details
 Reality based
 Actuality
 Here and now
 Utility/Purpose
Intuition
 Meanings
 Associations
 Possibilities
 Hunches/Speculations
 Theoretical
 Future
 Fantasy
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MBTI Scales
Thinking
 Analysis
 Objective
 Logic
 Impersonal
 Critique
 Reason
 Criteria
Feeling
 Sympathy
 Subjective
 Humane
 Personal
 Appreciate
 Values
 Circumstances
Judging
 Organized
 Settled
 Planned
 Decisive
 Control own life
 Set goals
 Systematic
Perceiving
 Pending
 Flexible
 Spontaneous
 Tentative
 Let life happen
 Undaunted by surprise
 Open to change
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MBTI – 16 Personality Types
ISTJ
ISTP
ISFJ
ISFP
Serious and quiet, interested in security
and peaceful living. Extremely thorough,
responsible, and dependable. Welldeveloped powers of concentration.
Usually interested in supporting and
promoting traditions and establishments.
Well-organized and hard working, they
work steadily towards identified goals.
They can usually accomplish any task
once they have set their mind to it.
Quiet, kind, and conscientious. Can be
depended on to follow through. Usually
puts the needs of others above their own
needs. Stable and practical, they value
security and traditions. Well-developed
sense of space and function. Rich inner
world of observations about people.
Extremely perceptive of other's feelings.
Interested in serving others.
Quiet and reserved, interested in how and
why things work. Excellent skills with
mechanical things. Risk-takers who they live
for the moment. Usually interested in and
talented at extreme sports. Uncomplicated in
their desires. Loyal to their peers and to their
internal value systems, but not overly
concerned with respecting laws and rules if
they get in the way of getting something
done. Detached and analytical, they excel at
finding solutions to practical problems.
Quiet, serious, sensitive and kind. Do not like
conflict, and not likely to do things which may
generate conflict. Loyal and faithful.
Extremely well-developed senses, and
aesthetic appreciation for beauty. Not
interested in leading or controlling others.
Flexible and open-minded. Likely to be
original and creative. Enjoy the present
moment.
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MBTI – 16 Personality Types
INFJ
INFP
INTJ
INTP
Quietly forceful, original, and sensitive.
Tend to stick to things until they are
done. Extremely intuitive about people,
and concerned for their feelings. Welldeveloped value systems which they
strictly adhere to. Well-respected for their
perserverence in doing the right thing.
Likely to be individualistic, rather than
leading or following.
Independent, original, analytical, and
determined. Have an exceptional ability
to turn theories into solid plans of action.
Highly value knowledge, competence,
and structure. Driven to derive meaning
from their visions. Long-range thinkers.
Have very high standards for their
performance, and the performance of
others. Natural leaders, but will follow if
they trust existing leaders.
Quiet, reflective, and idealistic. Interested in
serving humanity. Well-developed value
system, which they strive to live in
accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable
and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is
threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally
quick, and able to see possibilities. Interested
in understanding and helping people.
Logical, original, creative thinkers. Can
become very excited about theories and
ideas. Exceptionally capable and driven to
turn theories into clear understandings.
Highly value knowledge, competence and
logic. Quiet and reserved, hard to get to know
well. Individualistic, having no interest in
leading or following others.
© 2007-2008 LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.
MBTI – 16 Personality Types
ESTP
ESTJ
ESFP
ESFJ
Friendly, adaptable, action-oriented.
"Doers" who are focused on immediate
results. Living in the here-and-now,
they're risk-takers who live fast-paced
lifestyles. Impatient with long
explanations. Extremely loyal to their
peers, but not usually respectful of laws
and rules if they get in the way of getting
things done. Great people skills.
People-oriented and fun-loving, they
make things more fun for others by their
enjoyment. Living for the moment, they
love new experiences. They dislike theory
and impersonal analysis. Interested in
serving others. Likely to be the center of
attention in social situations. Welldeveloped common sense and practical
ability.
Practical, traditional, and organized. Likely to
be athletic. Not interested in theory or
abstraction unless they see the practical
application. Have clear visions of the way
things should be. Loyal and hard-working.
Like to be in charge. Exceptionally capable in
organizing and running activities. "Good
citizens" who value security and peaceful
living.
Warm-hearted, popular, and conscientious.
Tend to put the needs of others over their
own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility
and duty. Value traditions and security.
Interested in serving others. Need positive
reinforcement to feel good about themselves.
Well-developed sense of space and function.
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MBTI – 16 Personality Types
ENFP
ENFJ
ENTP
ENTJ
Enthusiastic, idealistic, and creative. Able
to do almost anything that interests
them. Great people skills. Need to live life
in accordance with their inner values.
Excited by new ideas, but bored with
details. Open-minded and flexible, with a
broad range of interests and abilities.
Creative, resourceful, and intellectually
quick. Good at a broad range of things.
Enjoy debating issues, and may be into
"one-up-manship". They get very excited
about new ideas and projects, but may
neglect the more routine aspects of life.
Generally outspoken and assertive. They
enjoy people and are stimulating
company. Excellent ability to understand
concepts and apply logic to find solutions.
Popular and sensitive, with outstanding
people skills. Externally focused, with real
concern for how others think and feel. Usually
dislike being alone. They see everything from
the human angle, and dislike impersonal
analysis. Very effective at managing people
issues, and leading group discussions.
Interested in serving others, and probably
place the needs of others over their own
needs.
Assertive and outspoken - they are driven to
lead. Excellent ability to understand difficult
organizational problems and create solid
solutions. Intelligent and well-informed, they
usually excel at public speaking. They value
knowledge and competence, and usually have
little patience with inefficiency or
disorganization.
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Application
• Self-management
 Understand strengths, weaknesses and
preferences
 Predict, plan and avoid failures
 Self-optimize, excel and adapt
• Managing relationships
 Understand strengths, weaknesses and
preferences
 Predict, plan and avoid conflict and failures
 Adapt and support
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Application
• Try to accommodate type mismatch
 Remember, type mismatch is unavoidable
 Remember, 50% of the mismatch is caused by
you 
 Do not blame the person for something s/he
hasn’t done 
 Do not forget that the perceived weakness
could be a real advantage in a different
situation
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Application
• Diversity
 Recognizing differences as natural
 Appreciating diversity
 Developing complementary work teams
 Expertise and task assignment
Caution: other components of behaviour +
development of others
• Synergy
 n1 + n2 = k x (n1 + n2)
where k > 1
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Application: Other Considerations
• For those traits that are not dominant
 Avoid over exposure and over commitment
 Understand the consequences
 Cognition (thinking)
 Self-monitoring
 Positive attitude
 Learning and practice
 Changes in socio-technical environment
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Exercise: Trait Recognition
Can you visualize someone who:
• would panic under stress, is a frequent worrier or
would be intensely tense on slightest criticism
• is very open to change, new idea or suggestion
• would do all it takes to get the job done, on time,
even if it involves taking on enormous stress
• Enjoys parties and gatherings, is talkative even
with strangers, is adventurous and is action
oriented
• Is very considerate and sympathetic, and works
hard to ensure that others feelings are not hurt
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Exercise: “Undesirable” Traits
• Identify a trait that you perceive as a
“weakness”, then think of a situation
where it could be utilized as a strength
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Afterthoughts
• Awareness and recognition is the first step
towards change
• After self-evaluating your personality,
observe other available templates and see
how that may help you in adapting into a
“new” person or adopting a different
response set
• If no traits are absolutely bad, then
recognize that differences, perspectives
and conflicts are actually opportunities to
broaden our thinking and prospects
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Final Word
• While dealing with people, lose your
spectacle and put on their glasses – try to
understand first before being understood
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Thank you
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Q&A
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Further Reading
• http://www.personalitypathways.com/MBTI_intro.html
• http://www.personalitypathways.com/MBTI_geyer-2.html
• http://www.jungtype.com/types/infp.htm
• http://changingminds.org/explanations/personality/personality.htm
• http://www.apa.org/releases/personality.html
• http://www.centacs.com/quickstart.htm
• What Color is Your Personality, by Carol Ritberger
© 2007-2008 LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.