Various theorists attempt to describe the development of the personality of human beings through different theories such as Adler’s theory that focused on self-drive as a source of motivation for development of personality. Different theories on personality focus on major themes such as whether or not childhood determines the personality of an individual, the importance of social connection in personality development, and the link that exists between self-awareness and mental health, which have been developed from the assumptions of the theorists with regards to humanity. A different theory can be established to incorporate these theories so as to cater for individuals whose personalities cannot be strategically placed divided into either of the themes presented in theories. An example is the theory of the nature of humans being either positive or negative since human beings all have an aspect of each. For this reason, a theory in support of behavioral theory incorporating these factors can be used to explain personality development and personality change and how to assess individuals with mental health issues and treat them appropriately.
The new theory on development of personality is in support of the behavioral theory and it explains that personality development is as a result of learned behaviors. This is in accordance with Skinner’s learning theory that suggests that consequences of a behavior after repeated reinforcements or punishments help an individual to perform more or less of the behavior. Skinner suggested that the differences in learning experiences ensured that different learning patterns were acquired and this gives rise to different personality types (Sincero, N.d.). Julian Rotter’s theory establishes the importance of social learning in personality development. Different environments influence the way an individual thinks and how they behave, and ultimately determine their personality. The theory being established focuses majorly on free will, causality and social connection as being the major determinants of personality development and change.
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When looking at various themes concerned with the development of personality, free will is important in the nurturing of behavior and personality since it allows an individual to decide whether to be morally responsible or irresponsible based on the knowledge they have acquired from their environment which may have occurred repeatedly. This is majorly because free will is compatible with moral responsibility (Norwitz, 1991). The presence of free will ensures that the conscious mind of the human being is capable of making free choices. A consistent look at the free choices made by an individual will help to determine their personality. According to philosophers, free will goes hand in hand with moral responsibility and ensures that an individual only makes choices which will uphold their dignity or which will show their value for any relationships they may have with people, be they work relations or friendships. Based on this understanding, this theory supports that free will and an understanding of one’s moral responsibility influences the development of one’s personality. With reference to Skinner’s theory, personality development is also influenced by how one chooses to react to a situation (Sincero, N.d.). This makes an individual responsible for their own traits and this shapes their personality. This also established the ease with which a person’s personality is likely to change when the moral principles they abide by change. For example, an individual who has been brought up believing that taking alcohol is bad may be a teetotaler up until they are made to believe otherwise and they choose to take alcohol. A change in beliefs is thus a cause for change of personality.
The theme of social connection helps to develop personality by influencing how they think and thus the choices they make. In the new theory, social connection influences personality development to a great degree. Adler’s theory of social interest helps to solidify the fact that social connection is efficient in developing one’s personality (Kronemyer, 2009). A useful life can only be established when one develops social interest in their surrounding environment and is able to shape their personality depending on how they cope with various situations provided by their social environment. This means that one’s personality is prone to change in the event that there is a change in their social environment. Dealing with aggressive people may make one to slowly adopt aggressive behaviors while being surrounded by calm people helps an individual to develop a calm personality. The idea of mental health is refuted by his claim when he poses that the incapability of an individual to deal with other people in the social environment cannot be regarded as mental illness, since this inability arises from the restraints and confines that they have developed from their self-absorption that has resulted in social dysfunctions and subjective mental distress (Kronemyer, 2009).
The theory being developed regards mental health as being an issue of lack of self-awareness and their inability to develop their personality in a way that can accommodate other individuals in their social environment. This inability may also arise from inferiority complex which may hinder development of one’s personality and may cause an individual to behave in a way that may be viewed as being socially inept and are thus be considered as being mentally ill. This is because their nature as humans is not necessarily as accommodative of other people and their personalities tend to shy away from conversations are act awkwardly when in a social setting. With reference to the theory under development, this poor development of individual’s personality may be as a result of their past experiences. Mental ill-health that occurs as a result of traumatic experiences may cause an individual to avoid any social interaction and this may be considered as poor mental health (Journal Psyche, N.d.). Therapy techniques that can be applied in treatment of mental disorders is psychoanalysis as suggested in the Freudian theory, where the subconscious mind of the individual can be studied to understand the thought process, related behaviors and effects of any previous events that may be responsible for the poor mental health of the individual (Journal Psyche, N.d.).
In conclusion, this theory develops the belief that personality development relies on past experiences of an individual and can thus be regarded as an extension of the behavioral theory which disregards determinism in support of free will and supports social connection.
References
Journal Psyche. (N.d.). The Freudian Theory of Personality. Retrieved from http://journalpsyche.org/the-freudian-theory-of-personality/
Journal Psyche. (N.d.). Psychoanalytic Theory: Is Freud’s Personality Theory Still Relevant? Retrieved from http://journalpsyche.org/tag/psychoanalytic-theory/
Kronemyer, D. (2009). Alfred Adler’s Concept of “Social Interest”. Phenomenological Psychology. Retrieved from http://phenomenologicalpsychology.com2009/10/alfred-adlers-concept-of-social-interest/
Norwitz, M. (1991). Free Will and Determinism. Philosophy Now. Cambridge University Press. Issue 120, Jun/Jul 2017. Retrieved from https://philosophynow.org/issues/1/Free_Will_and_Determinism
Sincero, S. M. (N.d.). Behaviorist Theories of Personality. Explorable. Retrieved from https://explorable.com/behaviorist-theories-of-personality
