In a previous article I touched on personality and gave a broad definition of it. So, what is personality theory and can it be learned?
Personality is something that interests most of us and for good reason. We all want to know more about ourselves and understand the rest better. So let’s get into it.
This article will answer the following:
- Why are personality theories important?
- How many personality theories are there? And
- Can personality be learned?
Why Are Personality Theories Important?
Personality theories in psychology has its aims on understanding human personality. We try to explain the causes and motivations for thoughts, social interactions and thoughts.
Theories of personality have changed and evolved over time. That’s because personality is dynamic and we are all different from each other. Think of personality like a fingerprint: no two prints are the same. So, we’re all different and unique.
I’m a strong believer in positive psychology and thus I believe that knowing and understanding your own personality can help you thrive. Knowing where you fall short can also point out where your strong suits are.
This can lead you to make use of those positive parts of your personality to thrive in a way that others can’t. It’s basically making the best of what you have.
I know that some of you are thinking, “well not me, there’s nothing good about me and I suffer from (this or that) mental disorder/illness”. Let me tell you, no matter what you’re going through your mental illness is not a bad part of your personality.
How Many Personalities Theories Are there?
To be exact, there are 8 basic aspects of personality. The list of personality theories include:
- Psychoanalytic
- Neo-Analytic
- Biological
- Behaviorist
- Cognitive
- Trait
- Humanistic
- Interactionist
Some, like on PsychCentral believe that Evolutionary Theories should also be added to the list, however they only included 6 main frameworks.
Others, like Verywell Mind claim that there are only 4 personality perspectives. They only include psychoanalytic, humanistic, trait and social cognitive perspectives to their arsenal of personality theories.
Below are the 8 basic aspects of personality theories and what their main ideas are. See if you can spot what personality theory you most find interesting.
Psychoanalytic
The key concepts of the psychoanalytic perspective includes:
- Psychosexual stages
- Oedipus complex
- Defense mechanisms
The leading theorist on these concepts was Sigmund Freud. He was remarkable in everything that he brought to the table at the time. However, some of his theories today are seen as sexist. Which it is.
Even Simone de Beauvoir, at her time, did not agree with the theories of Freud. In her book The Second Sex she explains:
Freud never showed much concern with the destiny of woman; it is clear that he simply adapted his account from that of the destiny of man, with slight modifications.
She quotes Freud, “The libido is constantly and regularly male in essence, whether it appears in man or in woman.”
What exactly can we learn about psychoanalytic personality theories? The emphasis is placed on the importance of early childhood experiences and the unconscious mind.
Things may be hidden in the unconscious mind and could be revealed in different ways. They include:
- Dreams
- Free association
- Slip of the tongue (Freudian Slip)
Some of the most prominent theorists of this perspectives are:
Erik Erikson
His main theory was on the identity crisis. It explains how personality is shaped over the course of the entire lifespan. He believed that personality continued to develop past the age of 5.
Erikson believed that the development of personality was dependent on the resolution of an existential crisis.
Carl Jung
Jung’s focus was on the collective unconscious and believed that humans are connected to each other and their ancestors through shared experiences. We use the collective consciousness to make sense of the world and everything around us.
He also identified 4 main archetypes while believing that there was no limit to the number of archetypes that may exist. Each of these can tell us something about our personalities.
These are only some of the more prominent figures in psychoanalytic theory. Some of the others include, but is not limited to Alfred Adler and Karen Horney.
Neo-Analytic
The neo-analytic perspective to personality is concerned with the individual’s sense of self as the core of personality.
Jung, Adler, Horney and Erikson pulled away from the theories of Freud and created the neo-analytic and ego aspects of personality. They rejected Freud’s significant emphasis on the role that sexuality plays on personality.
However, they still held the belief that childhood experiences play a major role in the development of personality. They also believe that the personality is still in a developing stage well after childhood.
Biological
From the term it can be understood that our biological make-up also plays a role in our personality formation or development. They believe the following:
- Genetics play a major role in our personality development
- Personality can be affected through environmental toxins, physical illness, legal or illegal drugs
- Our somatotypes (body types) can have an influence our personalities
Some examples of this theory would include:
- Some cultural diets are high in fish. Fish contain a lot of mercury which might cause changes in our personalities.
- Alzheimer’s disease causes a marked change in our personalities and gets worse over time.
- Having an ectomorph body type might mean that you’re a shy, introverted person. Perhaps having this type of nervous system (one that is shy and introverted) also keeps one thin.
Behaviorist
This theory focuses on the study of human behavior and how it connects the personality to the environment.
Behaviorists sees people as controlled by their environments. They make use of theories like:
- Conditioning
- Internal drives
- Patterns of child-rearing
Cognitive and Social-Cognitive Theories
The importance is placed on observational learning, situational influences, cognitive processes and self-efficacy.
This means that personality is shaped by observing others and modelling their behavior. Cognitive factors such as attention, motivation, attitudes and emotion all play a fundamental role.
The interaction between these (environment, individual and their thoughts) all contribute to personality and behavior.
Gestalt theory emphasizes the integrative and active nature of perception and thought suggesting that the whole may be greater than the sum of its parts. The main tenets of Gestalt theory are:
- People seek meaning in their environments
- Individuals organize sensations they receive from the world around them into meaningful perceptions and
- Complex stimuli are not reducible to the sum of their parts.
Behaviorists also believe that people learn behavior through punishment and reward. People’s behavioral development is rooted in the external forces in the environment.
Trait
Trait theory of personality is centered on identifying, describing and measuring the specific traits that make up personality.
It gives the proposal that each individual’s personality varies according to which basic trait is dominant. Thus, traits can be seen to be a continuum.
Trait theory includes the famous Big 5 personality test by Donald W. Fiske. It states that personality is made up of 5 distinct traits with the acronym OCEAN:
- Openness to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Each of these traits range from one extreme to another and each individual falls somewhere along that range.
Humanistic
Humanists believe that personality involves understanding behavior, thought patterns as well as that which gives life meaning. They believe that the individual’s personality is heavily dependent on what they think of themselves and who they believe they are.
Two of the most prominent figures in humanism is Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs; and Carl Rogers who explored the concept of self-actualization.
Positive psychology also falls under the umbrella of that which is humanism. People want to feel self-fulfilled and happy, but most never reach this goal.
According to research, those that claim to be happy do not own fast cars, large houses or other materialistic furnishings. This is testament that working on the self is much more important in achieving happiness than the acquirement of expensive materials.
Interactionist
In basic terms this approach relates to our social interactions and how these shape our personalities. Harry Stack Sullivan came up with the idea that chums (chumship: the important role played by peers in the formation of identity) serve as a social mirror for forming identities.
Sullivan claimed that personality is, “the relatively enduring pattern of recurrent interpersonal situations” the characterizes a person’s life. It proposes that the social self (who we are and what we thing of ourselves) is determined by our interactions with those around us.
Can Personality Be Learned?
Well, that depends. It depends on which of the 8 perspectives you find most relevant to you. I also believe that culture plays a major role in which perspectives we believe more than others.
Our culture includes a whole range of things: our familial culture, the culture of those we spend most of our time with and that of our society. Each are different (rarely the same) and from each we learn new things.
However, I don’t necessarily believe that personality is a learnt behavior. I believe that learnt behavior can shape our personalities. Habits or learnt behavior does not necessarily make up or change our personalities.
What personality theory do you most find interesting and would like to know more about? Let me know in the comments below.
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