LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY

I. What is Personality?
 The word personality is derived from Greek word ‘Persona.’ At first this word was used for the mask worn
by the actors in Roman and Greek drama.
 Personality is the total quality of an individual’s behavior as it shown on his habits of thinking, in his
attitude, interests, his manner of acting and his personal philosophy of life.
 Personality is more than the sum total of an individual’s traits and characteristics.

II. Determinants of Personality

1. Constitutional Determinants
 These are inborn traits which the individual inherits. Heredity endowment and genetic structures influence
behavior, learning and motivation. Age, brain, biofeedback and physical stature act as potentials for a
variety of different personality characteristics.

2. Group Membership Determinants

 These factors make a more significant contribution to personality than biological factors. Each culture
expects and trains, its members to behave in the ways that are acceptable to the group. People are also
influenced by the beliefs and values of family education, religion within any culture. Affinitive groups
influence our attitudes, values and other personality characteristics. Social learning has a lasting influence
on their ways of viewing life.
Example:
Independence- Australia
Aggression- North Korea
Competition- India
Cooperation- Japan
THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III
3. Role Determinants
 Each person has to play a number of different roles at different times. The roles that an individual plays to
fulfill a given position are determined by the group within which the position exists. Thus, social roles of
people influence their personality.

4. Situational Determinants
 The environment has a strong effect on personality formation. Learned modifications in behavior are not
passed on to children, they must be acquired by them through their own personal experience through
interaction with their environment.

III. Classification of Personality

a. The Four Temperament Types of Hippocrates

 Sanguine personality type is described primarily as being highly talkative, enthusiastic, active, and social.
Sanguine tend to be more extroverted and enjoy being part of a crowd; they find that being social,
outgoing, and charismatic is easy to accomplish. Individuals with this personality have a hard time doing
nothing and engage in more risk seeking behavior.
 Choleric individuals tend to be more extroverted. They are described as independent, decisive, goal-
oriented, and ambitious. These combined with their dominant, result-oriented outlook make them natural
leaders. In Greek, Medieval, and Renaissance thought, they were also violent, vengeful, and short-
tempered.
 Melancholic individuals tend to be analytical and detail-oriented, and they are deep thinkers and feelers.
They are introverted and try to avoid being singled out in a crowd. A melancholic personality leads to self-

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
reliant individuals who are thoughtful, reserved, and often anxious. They often strive for perfection within
themselves and their surroundings, which leads to tidy and detail-oriented behavior.
 Phlegmatic individuals tend to be relaxed, peaceful, quiet, and easy-going. They are sympathetic and care
about others, yet they try to hide their emotions. Phlegmatic individuals are also good at generalizing ideas
or problems to the world and making compromises.

THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III

b. Sheldon’s Types
William Sheldon divided people into three types according to body built.
 Endomorph - soft, fat and round, sociable and relaxed.
 Mesomorph - Heavy and muscular, physically active and noisy.

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
 Ectomorph - Tall, thin and flat chested, self-conscious, shy and reserved.

THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III

c. Kretschmer’s Types

 Pyknic Type - Fat body, large head, chest and abdomen, sociable, jolly, easygoing and good-natured.
 Athletic Type- Strong body, firm muscles, wide chest and shoulders, energetic, optimistic, challenging,
sportive.
 Asthenic Type - Lean and tall body, reserved, shy sensitive, pessimistic.
 Dysplastic Type - Undeveloped and disproportionate body personality also undeveloped and imbalanced.

d. Carl Jung’s Types

 The first criterion, Extraversion – Introversion, signifies the source and direction of a person’s energy
expression. An extravert’s source and direction of energy expression is mainly in the external world, while
an introvert has a source of energy mainly in their own internal world.
 The second criterion, Sensing – Intuition, represents the method by which someone perceives information.
Sensing means that a person mainly believes information he or she receives directly from the external
world. Intuition means that a person believes mainly information he or she receives from the internal or
imaginative world.
 The third criterion, Thinking – Feeling, represents how a person processes information. Thinking means
that a person makes a decision mainly through logic. Feeling means that, as a rule, he or she makes a
decision based on emotion, i.e. based on what they feel they should do.
 The fourth criterion, Judging – Perceiving, reflects how a person implements the information he or she has
processed. Judging means that a person organizes all of his life events and, as a rule, sticks to his plans.
Perceiving means that he or she is inclined to improvise and explore alternative options.
 The 16 personality types

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
o ESTJ
o ISTJ
o ENTJ
o INTJ
o ESTP
o ISTP
o ENTP
o INTP
o ESFJ
o ISFJ
o ENFJ
o INFJ
o ESFP
o ISFP
o ENFP
o INFP
 The first letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the first letter of the preference of general
attitude - “E” for extraversion and “I” for introversion.
 The second letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the preference within the sensing-intuition
dimension: “S” stands for sensing and “N” stands for intuition.
 The third letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to preference within the thinking-feeling pair:
“T” stands for thinking and “F” stands for feeling.
 The fourth letter in the personality type acronym corresponds a person’s preference within the judging-
perceiving pair: “J” for judging and “P” for perception.
 For example:
ISTJ stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
THC6: PROFESSIONAL ENFPDEVELOPMENTstands forAND APPLIED
Extraverted, ETHICSintuitive, Feeling, Perceiving
BSHM-III

IV. Dimension of Theories of Freud and Erickson

1. Psychosexual Theory of Development

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) believed that personality develops during early childhood. For Freud,
childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior as adults. Freud viewed development as
discontinuous; he believed that each of us must pass through a serious of stages during childhood, and that
if we lack proper nurturance and parenting during a stage, we may become stuck, or fixated, in that stage.
Freud’s stages are called the stages of psychosexual development. According to Freud, children’s pleasure-
seeking urges are focused on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five
stages of development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

1. Oral Stage (From Birth to One Year)

2. Anal Stage (1-3 Years)
3. Phalic Stage (3-6 Years)
4. Latency Period (6-12 Years)
5. The Genital Period (During Adolescence)

 Oral Stage- The infants obtain sexual pleasure, first by sucking and later by biting. Feeding and contact
with mother will help to make the mouth the focus of pleasure during first year.
 Anal Stage- The anal stage occurs when parents are training the child in toileting. Psychoanalytic theory
holds that the first part of the anal stage involves pleasure from expulsion of faces.

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
 Phalic Stage- The pleasure is obtained by funding the gentiles. The child develops sexual feelings towards
parent of opposite sex Freud called these thought and feelings as oedipus complex and electra complex in
boys and girls respectively. The boys try to identify themselves with father and try to become father. In this
process, the boys take on their father’s behavior pattern, irrespective of whether it is right or wrong. Thus
the boys develop super -ego. In the same way the girls through identification with mother develop super-
ego.
 Latency Period- Sexual interests are repressed and lie dormant till puberty. Period of gang formation and
fierce gang Loyalties. Boys cling together and shun girls. Girls despise boys.
 Genital Period- Young people begin experiencing romantic infatuation and emotional upheavals.

2. Psychosocial Theory of Development

Erik Erikson (1902–1994) (Figure 1), another stage theorist, took Freud’s theory and modified it as
psychosocial theory. Erikson’s psychosocial development theory emphasizes the social nature of our
development rather than its sexual nature. While Freud believed that personality is shaped only in
childhood, Erikson proposed that personality development takes place all through the lifespan. Erikson
suggested that how we interact with others is what affects our sense of self, or what he called the ego
identity.

 Trust vs. Mistrust

From birth to 12 months of age, infants must learn that adults can be trusted. This occurs when adults meet
a child’s basic needs for survival. Infants are dependent upon their caregivers, so caregivers who are
responsive and sensitive to their infant’s needs help their baby to develop a sense of trust; their baby will
see the world as a safe, predictable place. Unresponsive caregivers who do not meet their baby’s needs can
engender feelings of anxiety, fear, and mistrust; their baby may see the world as unpredictable. If infants
are treated cruelly or their needs are not met appropriately, they will likely grow up with a sense of mistrust
for people in the world.
THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III
 Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
As toddlers (ages 1–3 years) begin to explore their world, they learn that they can control their actions and
act on their environment to get results. They begin to show clear preferences for certain elements of the
environment, such as food, toys, and clothing. A toddler’s main task is to resolve the issue of autonomy vs.
shame and doubt by working to establish independence. This is the “me do it” stage. For example, we
might observe a budding sense of autonomy in a 2-year-old child who wants to choose her clothes and
dress herself. Although her outfits might not be appropriate for the situation, her input in such basic
decisions has an effect on her sense of independence. If denied the opportunity to act on her environment,
she may begin to doubt her abilities, which could lead to low self-esteem and feelings of shame.

 Initiative vs. Guilt

Once children reach the preschool stage (ages 3–6 years), they are capable of initiating activities and
asserting control over their world through social interactions and play. According to Erikson, preschool
children must resolve the task of initiative vs. guilt.By learning to plan and achieve goals while interacting
with others, preschool children can master this task. Initiative, a sense of ambition and responsibility,
occurs when parents allow a child to explore within limits and then support the child’s choice. These
children will develop self-confidence and feel a sense of purpose. Those who are unsuccessful at this stage
—with their initiative misfiring or stifled by over-controlling parents—may develop feelings of guilt.

 Industry vs. Inferiority

During the elementary school stage (ages 6–12), children face the task of industry vs. inferiority. Children
begin to compare themselves with their peers to see how they measure up. They either develop a sense of
pride and accomplishment in their schoolwork, sports, social activities, and family life, or they feel inferior
and inadequate because they feel that they don’t measure up. If children do not learn to get along with
others or have negative experiences at home or with peers, an inferiority complex might develop into
adolescence and adulthood.

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
 Identity vs. Role Confusion
In adolescence (ages 12–18), children face the task of identity vs. role confusion. According to Erikson, an
adolescent’s main task is developing a sense of self. Adolescents struggle with questions such as “Who am
I?” and “What do I want to do with my life?” Along the way, most adolescents try on many different selves
to see which ones fit; they explore various roles and ideas, set goals, and attempt to discover their “adult”
selves. Adolescents who are successful at this stage have a strong sense of identity and are able to remain
true to their beliefs and values in the face of problems and other people’s perspectives. When adolescents
are apathetic, do not make a conscious search for identity, or are pressured to conform to their parents’
ideas for the future, they may develop a weak sense of self and experience role confusion. They will be
unsure of their identity and confused about the future. Teenagers who struggle to adopt a positive role will
likely struggle to “find” themselves as adults.

 Intimacy vs. Isolation

People in early adulthood (20s through early 40s) are concerned with intimacy vs. isolation. After we have
developed a sense of self in adolescence, we are ready to share our life with others. However, if other
stages have not been successfully resolved, young adults may have trouble developing and maintaining
successful relationships with others. Erikson said that we must have a strong sense of self before we can
develop successful intimate relationships. Adults who do not develop a positive self-concept in adolescence
may experience feelings of loneliness and emotional isolation.


Generativity vs. Stagnation
When people reach their 40s, they enter the time known as middle adulthood, which extends to the mid-
60s. The social task of middle adulthood is generativity vs. stagnation. Generativity involves finding your
life’s work and contributing to the development of others through activities such as volunteering,
mentoring, and raising children. During this stage, middle-aged adults begin contributing to the next
generation, often through childbirth and caring for others; they also engage in meaningful and productive
THC6: work which contributes
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTpositively to AND
society.APPLIED
Those who do not master this task may experienceBSHM-III
ETHICS stagnation
and feel as though they are not leaving a mark on the world in a meaningful way; they may have little
connection with others and little interest in productivity and self-improvement.

 Integrity vs. Despair

From the mid-60s to the end of life, we are in the period of development known as late adulthood.
Erikson’s task at this stage is called integrity vs. despair. He said that people in late adulthood reflect on
their lives and feel either a sense of satisfaction or a sense of failure. People who feel proud of their
accomplishments feel a sense of integrity, and they can look back on their lives with few regrets. However,
people who are not successful at this stage may feel as if their life has been wasted. They focus on what
“would have,” “should have,” and “could have” been. They face the end of their lives with feelings of
bitterness, depression, and despair.

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THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III
V. Significance of Personality Development

 Gives confidence
 Improves communication skills
 Helps to develop positive attitude
 Makes you credible
 Improves your personality
o Gains knowledge
o Healthy body
o Dress smartly
o Speaks with style

VI. Aspects of Personality

 Mental Aspect
This refers to his intellectual capacity. How a person talks, the range of ideas he express, and the things he
talks about, as well as his mental alertness give evidence of his mental capacity.

 Emotional Aspect
How he responds to certain situations. A person’s emotional makeup is shown in his likes and dislikes,
whether he is aggressive or docile.

 Social Aspect

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CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
This is seen in how well a person conducts himself with other people and how well he observes the rules of
etiquette that govern society.

 Physical Aspect
Heredity and environment determine the entire physiological system of an individual. Posture, body build
and size, complexion and facial expressions, as well as the appropriateness and condition of clothes,
compromise the physical appearance of a person.

 Moral Aspect
This aspect of personality has to do with a person’s awareness of the difference between what is wrong or
right.

 Spiritual Aspect
This aspect is the conscientiousness of the higher values in life. Religion expresses spiritual value.

THC6: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLIED ETHICS BSHM-III

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PREPARED BY: SHEENA HARRIEN D. MANSIBANG
CHM, PROGRAM COORDINATOR