Personality is a blend of the characteristics that make a person unique. It is a dynamic organization of traits within an individual that determine his or her behavior. Traits are the relatively more stable characteristics of an individual, which can only be possessed by one person in a group of multiple others. These characteristics uniquely influences a person’s motivations, cognitions and behaviors in various situations. Over time, psychologists have developed a number of personality theories to help us gain a better understanding of personality and how it develops.
The psychoanalytic theory of personality formation is based on the views originated by an Australian physician and psychologist called Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). In his argument, Freud proposed that personality originates from a series of stages; characterized by certain internal psychological conflicts. The theory places emphasis on the argument; conflicts shape our behaviors and personality. He further explains that a child is normally faced with two conflicts: biological drive and social expectation. If a child successfully navigate through these conflict, he or she is considered to have a mature personality.
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The trait theory, on the other hand, focuses on the difference between individuals. It explains that traits cause individuals to behave in a certain way. Traits can be looked at as building blocks of personality. Allport classifies traits into cardinal, central and secondary traits. Cardinal class explains traits around which a person organizes life, central class stands for major characteristics of a person while secondary class represents general behavior patterns seen under certain situations.
According to the social cognitive theory, people learn by watching others. The theory explains how a person responds to social environment. Pioneered by Albert Bandura (1960), the theory explains that when people see others being awarded for certain behaviors, they tend to act in the same way in order to attain an award. Behavioral theory which dates back in 1910s studies observable behaviors. It states that our behaviors reflect our personality.
In conclusion, understanding the origin and explanation of personality theories is important in that it helps us gain more understanding on what we are made of. Personality drives our thoughts, our thinking and our activity. Therefore understanding personality and personality theories help us become better informed of the impact each decision we make has on us and people around us.
