Arguably, each individual has a particular set of unique characteristics in behaving, thinking or feeling. It is attributed to the prevailing biological and environmental conditions within which a person lives. The study of the psychology of personality has undergone some remarkable changes from the past. Meanwhile, no matter the changes experienced, some significant features are still dominant in understanding personality development.
Personality has been defined in various ways by different scholars. However, most of the theories developed mainly focus on motivation and psychological interactions with one's environment. Behaviorally-based approaches define personality as an aspect of learning and habits displayed by a person. On the contrary, trait-based theories define character as those characteristics that can be used to predict one's behaviour. Generally, personality refers to a set of individual acts, emotions or cognitions emanating from biological and environmental factors (Borghans et al., 2011). Biological and environmental conditions influence the character of a person. For instance, some traits are passed from parents to their offspring’s. The environment nurtures one to become who he/she is. Generally, a successful evaluation of a personality theory encompasses six core criteria. The aspects of Comprehensiveness, precision, parsimony, empirical validity, heuristic value and applied value are used. The evaluation at each standard is essential in determining the strengths and weaknesses, which in turn identifies the relative importance. The scientific method is useful as it provides a broader range of the specific variables to be measured and evaluated.
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Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality development suggests that personality is based on three fundamental structures of the human mind. These elements are the id, ego and the superego. He stipulated that the brain is responsible for the decisions one undertake based on the motives and drives. According to Freud, psychological development that determines personality takes place during the five psychosexual stages, namely oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital (Freud, 2014). Consequently, a caregiver plays a significant role in shaping the personality of the child. Freud argued that figure emerges during childhood. During development from childhood to adulthood, there is a consistency of the behaviours, cognitions and feelings exhibited before. However, some modern seem to disagree with Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality development in some aspects. His argument was criticized on the bases of narrow focus, lack of scientific foundation and misogyny. Neo-Freudian Approaches concurs with Freud on the impact of childhood experiences on personality development.
Nevertheless, they disagree on sex and sexuality. Neo-Freudians suggest that rather than the biological approach playing a significant role in the development of an individual, social environment and culture influence are somewhat responsible (Sarker et al., 2013). Despite, the criticism laid against Sigmund Freud theory, his approach is still applicable today. His emphasis on the importance of the unconscious mind is vital in evaluating the behaviours and cognitions.
Adolf Hitler, a German politician and a leader of the Nazi Party, is known for his dictatorship regime. He is the initiator of the World War Ⅱ by invading Poland. However, despite his criticisms, Hitler could have suffered a mental illness which developed over time. Not only did his show signs of paranoia but also he was anti-social, cruel and narcissistic. Possibly Hitler's action was as a result of his initial efforts. For instance, in implementing his political goals, he chose to assume the risk and unlimited power. Alternatively, due to the social conditions existing at that time, his followers could also have been mentally disturbed.
The various approaches from Freud's era to Neo-Freudian have impacted me positively. Childhood encounters have a significant influence on an individual at the adult stage. Personality may be inherited or may be acquired through the situations one undergoes in a particular environment.
In summary, personality is that unique aspect of a person's behaviour or feelings. The main determinants of personality are biological and environmental factors. Although the different views held about a character by both past and modern approaches, they both agree that childhood experiences impact one's development. One should be careful not to acquire undesired characteristics from the various social, political or cultural contexts.
References
Borghans, L., Golsteyn, B. H., Heckman, J., & Humphries, J. E. (2011). Identification problems in personality psychology. Personality and individual differences , 51 (3), 315-320.
Freud, S. (2014). On the sexual theories of children . Read Books Ltd.
Sarker, S., Bose, T. K., Palit, M., & Haque, M. E. (2013). Influence of personality in buying consumer goods-a comparative study between neo-Freudian theories and trait theory based on Khulna region. International Journal of Business and Economics Research , 2 (3), 41-58.
