Personality
Personality Defined
• Personality consists of the behaviors , attitudes, feelings,
and the ways of thinking that makes you an individual.
• Your personality is unique to you, it’s the one thing that
completely sets you apart from everyone else.
• A psychologist studies how people think, feel, and
behave (personality)
• There are many models that are used to understand how
individuals’ personalities develop.
• Personality tests help you to determine what type of
personality you have.
• How can we benefit by knowing what our personality
type is and how it may have developed?
5 Central Traits
(used to describe how people behave, relate to others, and
react to change)
1. Extroversion: describes how much you
like being with people. Extroverts like to
be with people, are outgoing and social.
An introvert would be the opposite.
2. Agreeableness: describes your tendency
to relate to others in a friendly way.
3. Conscientiousness: describes how
responsible and self disciplined you are.
4. Emotional Stability: describes relaxed,
secure, and calm you are even during
difficult situations.
5. Openness to Experiences: describes how
curious, imaginative, creative, and
unpredictable you are.
How Personality Forms
Nature vs Nurture
• There is evidence that we inherit some
personality traits such as cheerfulness and
shyness. You can see these early on in
infancy.
• There is also evidence that certain talents
are inherited such as musical or artistic
abilities.
• There are studies conducted on identicle
twins that support inheriting personality
traits.
• There’s also evidence that our
environment influences are personality.
• Just because you inherit certain traits
doesn’t mean they are set for life.
• Family, friends, and culture are all things
that can help shape personality as well as
situational experiences.
• Think how much your personality has
changed through the years.
Stages of Development
• Personality changes throughout life
• Many psychologists believe that we go
through stages marked by our ages
• In each stage we are presented a new
challenge to work on.
• How we tackle that challenge and whether
or not we are successful at it will add to
our personality and will affect the next
stage and challenge.
Erikson’s 8 stages of Development
1. Develop Trust (birth – 18 mo.)
“Infancy”
trust vs. mistrust
•
•
•
an infant depends on others to meet it’s
basic needs (food, affection, diapers)
If needs are met, the child learns trust
If needs aren’t met, child learns mistrust
and may withdraw from others.
2. Learn to Be Independent (18 mo. - 3 yrs.)
“Early Childhood”
autonomy vs. shame
• Child learns to do things on their own. They gain
control over their bodies - they learn to walk and
use the toilet.
• If they fail to master these traits, they may
develop self-doubt.
• If they are ridiculed, they may feel ashamed.
3. Take Initiative (3 – 6 yrs.) “Play Age”
initiative vs. guilt
• Children start to plan their own activities.
They begin to develop a sense of right and
wrong through imitating others and
through fantasy play
• If they are harshly scolded for poor
initiatives, they may feel unworthy, guilty,
or resentful.
4. Develop Skills (6 – 12 yrs.) “School
Age”
industry vs. inferiority
• They learn skills they will need as an adult.
They learn how to do chores, be
successful in school, and how to get along
with others.
• These skills help them to feel competent.
• Without skills, they may feel like a failure.
5. Search for Identity (12 – 19 yrs.)
“Adolescence”
identity vs. role confusion
• Teens main challenge is to search for their
sense of self. They question who they are and
what they want to do with their life.
• Some will shape their identities to go along with
their family or culture.
• Others will try new experiences and behave in
ways that differ from family teachings.
6. Establish Intimacy (20-40 yrs.) “Young
Adult”
intimacy and solidarity vs. isolation
• As a young adult, your challenge is to
establish close bonds with others.
• If you learn to make commitments to other
people, you will have their support as you
face other challenges.
7. Create and Nurture (40 – 65 yrs.)
“Middle Adult”
generativity vs. self absorption and stagnation
• This stage is based on the need for adults to be
productive and creative in all parts of their life.
• During this stage, adults get satisfaction from
helping younger people to learn and grow.
• When our children mature and move away we
may struggle with our new roles.
8. Look Back With Acceptance (age 65+)
“Late Adult”
integrity vs. despair
• The stage where we reflect on our lives.
• Some accept the choices they made.
• Others may regret the opportunities they
missed.