Personality encompasses the combination of traits that define an individual’s character. Personality can be observed through the behavior of a person, after which an analysis is made to separate the dominant traits from the recessive character traits. Further information regarding personalities is explained through the various theories provided by philosophers and psychologists who, after further research and testing, have come up with theories that link behaviors to personality development such as humanistic, psychodynamic, existential, dispositional and learning theories. Personality is important and thus its role should be established, and the comparison between two of these personality approaches, psychodynamic and humanistic, drawn by focusing on their personality characteristics and the interpersonal relational aspects between the two theories.
The role of personality in affecting situational behavior comes about when an individual has to react to a certain situation that they find themselves in. A person’s reaction to a particular circumstance is governed by their personality, which is determined by a person’s reaction to situations such as fight or flight in times of danger. By studying personalities using the different theories provided by psychiatrists, factors such as traits, beliefs and culture can help to understand how a person will react in a given situation, depending on the setting of the situation. Personality also helps to differentiate people when they display different behaviors in a given situation.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The psychodynamic personality approach was developed by famous theorists Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler and Erik Erikson. Sigmund Freud explains that the psychodynamic theory is majorly characterized by the psychological processes such as fears and wishes which most people experience without necessarily being aware of (Bornstein, N.d.). One characteristic of this personality theory is that it explains that the experiences of childhood help to shape the behaviors of adulthood. This is because the memories of childhood are stored in the subconscious mind of an individual and can only be explored through psychoanalysis of these thoughts and memories in order to understand certain behaviors. Another characteristic is in its close relation with the psychoanalytic theory developed by Freud which suggests therapeutic techniques that can help to provide insight into the thoughts and actions of an individual. According to psychologists, behavior can be understood objectively, that is, it has to be observed by an impartial observer (Ryerson, N.d.). Personality characteristics of this theory are those that people are mostly unaware of, which are the id, the ego and the superego. According to Freud, a person is normally born with id which causes the personality to seek pleasure and get their needs satisfied. An example is when a child cries so that it can be fed, an indication that the id is usually inconsiderate of other circumstances. The ego develops when the concept of reality is established within the roots of the personality of an individual. This personality characteristic aims at balancing the needs of the id and those of the superego. Further advancement in age of an individual exposes them to moral and ethical values provided by other people around them such as parents and teachers and this helps the superego to develop. This is guided by the moral principle and recognition of what is right or wrong.
The humanistic approach approaches personality from a point of view different from that of the psychodynamic approach and can be regarded as a reaction to the psychodynamic approach. Unlike psychodynamic analysis, the humanistic approach does not dismiss human beings as being unable to understand their own thoughts. Carl Rogers, one of the theorists in support of the humanistic approach, explains that behavior is subjective and thus the study of the whole person is required in order to understand their behavior. According to this theoretical approach, emphasis is put on self-realization of the human being to grow both ethically, psychologically and intellectually. Humanists believe that human beings are completely aware of their own motivations. This consciousness makes them able to recall their past experiences and apply them to make decisions regarding their behavior. Personality characteristics of the humanistic approach include self-awareness and acceptance, good sense of humor and emotional satisfaction. These personality characteristics are relatively optimistic of an individual’s ability to self-actualize and is regarded by critics as being biased towards individualistic tendencies.
Interpersonal relational aspects arise from life situations while others can be inherited. The inherited traits explain why siblings who have grown up together have almost same personality traits. Interpersonal relational aspects try to establish the mental and emotional processes that exist between an individual and other people. The psychodynamic theory evaluates emotional patterns that have evolved over time and thus tend to predict their reactions, most of which are usually defense mechanisms to situations as a therapeutic mechanism. This is usually based on underlying painful memories or feelings, and is responsible for responses of denial and repression. In this case, the theory establishes how the individuals will interact with their friends and family by focusing on their vulnerability and feelings of pain and is responsible for predicting how they will express themselves (GoodTherapy.org, N.d.). Intimacy is derived from the dynamics and helps to establish the role of an individual in an intimate relationship. This theory helps to explain why some people are able to get into long-term relationships while others are afraid of the slightest commitments. Through understanding of an individual’s subconscious mind, the theory aims at strengthening relational bonds and ensuring that cases that may hinder interpersonal relational aspects such as social anxiety and fear are managed to ease communication.
The humanistic approach focuses on human evolvement as a way of promoting healthy social relationships. It brings about the innate need that all human beings crave as a reason for establishing social connections. Through understanding their own needs, human beings understand that they are social beings and thus despite modern times that ensure that people are busy, time is still created to ensure the aspect of socialization is still maintained. The need to belong ensures that they motivation to form social groups and to get into relationships. Since this approach explains the existence of ethical and moral values provides guidelines for formation of relationships and how people can socialize (Life and Psychology, 2013).
In conclusion, personality plays an important role in influencing the behaviors of people when faced with a given situation. Different personality theories attempt to explain the different character traits that result in the different people. Ultimately, these theories also try to create a link between the personalities of people and their interpersonal relationships through examining the different tenets that are contained in each theoretical approach. This thus gives an insight into the different aspects discussed in each theory.
References
Bornstein, R. (N.d.). The Psychodynamic Perspective. Noba Project. Retrieved from http://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychodynamic-perspective
GoodTherapy.org. (N.d.). Psychodynamic Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/psychodynamic
Life and Psychology. (2013). Interpersonal Relationships: An Integral Aspect of Human Beings. Retrieved from http://www.lifeandpsychology.com/2013/05/interpersonal-relationships-integral.html?m=1
Ryerson University. (N.d.) The Humanistic Approach. Retrieved from http://www.ryerson.ca/~glassman/humanist.html
