12 ISC TH

PSYCHOLOGY
PERSONALITY INTRODUCTION
CONCEPT OF PERSONALITY

The term ‘personality’ often appears in our day-to-day

discussion. The literal meaning of personality is
derived from the Latin word persona, the mask
used by actors in the Roman theatre for changing
their facial make-up. After putting on the mask,
audience expected the person to perform a role
in a particular manner. It -did not, however, mean
that the person enacting the given role
necessarily possessed those qualities.
For a layperson, personality generally
refers to the physical or external
appearance of an individual. For example,
when we find someone ‘good-looking’, we
often assume that the person also has a
charming personality. This notion of
personality is based on superficial
impressions, which may not be correct.
In psychological terms, personality refers to
our characteristic ways of responding to
individuals and situations. People can easily
describe the way in which they respond to
various situations. Certain catchwords (e.g.,
shy, sensitive, quiet, concerned, warm, etc.)
are often used to describe personalities.
These words refer to different components of
personality. In this sense, personality refers
to unique and relatively stable qualities that
characterise an individual’s behaviour across
different situations over a period of time.
If you watch closely, you will find that people do show
variations in their behaviour. One is not always cautious
or impulsive, shy or friendly. Personality characterises
individuals as they appear in most circumstances.
Consistency in behaviour, thought and emotion of an
individual across situations and across time periods
characterises her/his personality. For example, an
honest person is more likely to remain honest
irrespective of time or situation. However, situational
variations in behaviour do occur as they help individuals
in adapting to their environmental circumstances.
In brief, personality is characterised by the
following features:
1. It has both physical and psychological
components.
2. Its expression in terms of behaviour is fairly
unique in a given individual.
3. Its main features do not easily change with
time.
4. It is dynamic in the sense that some of its
features may change due to internal or external
situational demands. Thus, personality is adaptive
Once we are able to characterise someone’s
personality, we can predict how that person will
probably behave in a variety of circumstances. An
understanding of personality allows us to deal with
people in realistic and acceptable ways. For
example, if you find a child who does not like
orders, the most effective way to deal with that
child will be not to give orders, but to present a set
of acceptable alternatives from which the child
may choose. Similarly, a child who has feelings of
inferiority needs to be treated differently from a
child who is self-confident.
Personality-related Terms

Temperament: Biologically based characteristic way of

reacting.
Trait: Stable, persistent and specific way of behaving.
Disposition: Tendency of a person to react to a given
situation in a particular way.
Character: The overall pattern of regularly occurring
behaviour.
Habit: Over learned modes of behaving.
Values: Goals and ideals that are considered important
and worthwhile to achieve
different, but they also behave differently in different
These observations often generate curiosity
and force us to ask: “Why is it that some
people react differently in a given situation
than others do? Why is it that some people
enjoy adventurous activities, while others like
reading, watching television or playing cards?
Are these differences stable all through one’s
life, or are they just short- lived and situation-
specific?”
A number of approaches and theories
have been developed to understand and
explain behavioural differences among
individuals, and behavioural
consistencies within an individual. These
theories are based on different models of
human behaviour. Each throws light on
some, but not all, aspects of personality.
According to Allport “Personality is the Dynamic
organization within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determine his unique
adjustment to the environment”

According to Raymond Cattell (1970),” Personality is

that which permits a prediction of what a person will do
in a given situation”

According to Eysenck (1971),” Personality is the more or

less stable and enduring organization of a person’s
character, temperament, intellect and physique, which
determine his unique adjustment to the environment.”
A number of approaches and theories have
been developed to understand and explain
behavioural differences among individuals,
and behavioural consistencies within an
individual. These theories are based on
different models of human behaviour. Each
throws light on some, but not all, aspects of
personality.
Psychologists distinguish between type and
trait approaches to personality.
The type approaches attempt to
comprehend human personality by
examining certain broad patterns in the
observed behavioural characteristics of
individuals.
Each behavioural pattern refers to one
type in which individuals are placed in
terms of the similarity of their
behavioural characteristics with that
In contrast, the trait approach focuses on the
specific psychological attributes along which
individuals tend to differ in consistent and
stable ways. For example, one person may be
less shy, whereas another may be more; or
one person may be less friendly, whereas
another may be more. Here “shyness” and
“friendliness” represent traits along which
individuals can be rated in terms of the
degree of presence or absence of the
The interactional approach holds that situational
characteristics play an important r ole in deter
mining our behaviour. People may behave as
dependent or independent not because of their
internal personality trait, but because of external
rewards or threats available in a particular
situation. The cross- situational consistency of
traits is found to be quite low. The compelling
influence of situations can be noted by observing
people’s behaviour in places like a market, a
courtroom, or a place of worship.
Trait approach psychologists explain personality on the
basis of specific psychological characteristics.
Type approach psychologists believe that personality can
be classified into broad categories.
Traits are relatively stable, persistent and characteristic
patterns of behaviour which makes the individual
different from others. (i)These are overlapping, i.e.,
inclusive in nature. (ii)Traits are specific psychological
characteristics, e.g., shy or timid.
Types are cluster of similar traits. (i)These are broad
categories. . (ii)These do not overlap, i.e., exclusive in
nature, e.g., extrovert or introvert.
Type Approaches
As we explained above, personality types are used to
represent and communicate a set of expected behaviours
based on similarities.
Efforts to categorise people into personality types have been
made since ancient times. The Greek physician Hippocrates
had proposed a typology of personality based on fluid or humour.
He classified people into four types (i.e., sanguine, phlegmatic,
melancholic and choleric); each characterised by specific
behavioural features.
Assignment -Personality-Introduction 16th July
2021-
1.Note the derivation of the term Personality.
2.What is personality?
3.List the features of personality
4.Explain personality related terminologies.
5.Name 2approaches of personality.
6.State Allport’s definition of personality
7.What is type approach?
8.What is trait approach?
9.Note the difference between trait and type