A personality inventory asks the same questions of each person, and the answers are usually given in the form that can be easily scored. A personality inventory may be designed to measure a single dimension of personality or it may measure several personality traits simultaneously. Gordon Allport was one of the first modem trait theorists. In , Allport and Henry Odbert worked through two of the most comprehensive dictionaries of the English language available and extracted around 18, personality-describing words which were reduced to around words.
Allport organized these traits into a hierarchy of three levels:. Genotypes are internal forces that relate to how a person retains information and uses it to interact with the world. Phenotypes are external forces that relate to the way an individual accepts his or her surroundings and how others influence his or her behavior.
Then, using a statistical technique known as factor analysis, he identified closely related terms and eventually reduced his list to just 16 key personality traits. Cattell collected data from a range of people through three different sources of data. Based on these 16 factors, he developed a personality assessment called the 16PF. Instead of a trait being present or absent, each dimension is scored over a continuum, from high to low.
For example, the level of warmth describes how warm, caring, and nice to others a person is. Hans Eysenck was a personality theorist who focused on temperament—innate, genetically based personality differences. He believed personality is largely governed by biology, and he viewed people as having two specific personality dimensions: extroversion vs. After collaborating with his wife and fellow personality theorist Sybil Eysenck, he added a third dimension to this model: psychoticism vs.
Through learning one can acquire knowledge, language, attitudes, values, manual skills, fears, personality traits, and self-insight. There are two ways of learning, one is reinforcement that is direct experience, and another is observing others.
The social learning theory focuses on behavior patterns and cognitive activities in relation to the specific conditions that evoke, maintain, or modify them. The emphasis is on what an individual does in a given situation. Some of the personal variables that determine what an individual will do in a particular situation include the following:. Even if individuals have similar expectancies, they may choose to behave differently because of differences in the subjective values of the outcomes they expect.
Individual differences in self-imposed goals, rules guiding behavior, self-imposed rewards for success or punishment for failure, and the ability to plan and execute steps leading to a goal will lead to differences in behavior. Though there were so many psychologists developed so many theories of personality, some psychologists felt that these theories ignored the qualities that make humans unique among animals, such as striving for self-determination and self-realization. In the s, some of these psychologists began a school of psychology called humanism.
They tend to have an optimistic perspective on human nature. They focus on the ability of human beings to think consciously and rationally, to control their biological urges, and to achieve their full potential.
In the humanistic view, people are responsible for their lives and actions. Abraham Maslow is regarded as the spiritual father of humanism in American psychology. Next to it is the safety and security needs for example-shelter, protection, etc.
For example, a child who is brought up in an abusive home may model bullying and aggressive behaviors himself. This child might also have an expectation of further abuse because that is all he has known. Bandura called this the principle of reciprocal determinism — the idea that traits, environment and behavior all interact and influence each other.
If there's a problem with the social cognition theory, it's the assumption that changing the environment will necessarily lead to changes in the person. Research tells us that this is not always true. Factors such as biology and hormones may also influence personality and behavior. By ignoring these factors, the social cognition approach falls short.
You may have interviewed someone and thought, "His personality is perfect for this job" or "I'm just not sure she will gel with the team.
This means that you can use the various personality theories to gain a richer understanding of your employees and what it is that makes them tick. The following are a handful of situations in which you might find it helpful to understand someone's personality. Personality tests can give clues about the things that people love to do that will motivate them to perform to their maximum ability.
Some workers are motivated by rank, power and leadership, for example, whereas others are motivated to do their best for the team. As you figure out how to motivate your staff, look at their personality factors to see what impresses or demoralizes them.
What is this person's communication style? How will she lead others? How does she resolve conflict? By understanding someone's personality, you can make the right hires for the right positions to ensure maximum productivity and quality of service delivery. We all know that some people hit it off, while others lock horns like rutting deer. Personality can help unlock the mystery of why some people get along while others argue and clash.
Are you experiencing too much conflict in the office? Is your team great at coming up with ideas but awful at implementing them? Personality assessment can help ensure that you have the right mix of people on your teams. There's evidence to suggest that staff who continuously work outside their personality comfort zones experience burnout and stress. For instance, someone with a high degree of agreeableness who does everything he can to avoid conflict will become extremely anxious if you give him the task of disciplining and firing staff.
Personality can start an important conversation about how to create a healthier workplace. Employees tend to be happier and more motivated when they are built for the job they're in and have the potential to be successful. A happy staff makes for greater productivity and less turnover.
The most basic premise of personality is that it causes behaviors to happen because we react to situations based on our personality. This has huge repercussions in consumer buying behavior, and marketers frequently try to appeal to consumers in terms of their personality characteristics. Knowing how your people are likely to react in different situations will allow you to use their strengths, minimize their weaknesses and put them in positions where they are primed to succeed.
Jayne Thompson earned an LL. Her articles have appeared on numerous business sites including Typefinder, Women in Business, Startwire and Indeed. Posted by Cher Zevala Aug 13, How is it, when their DNA is more than Even siblings, who develop in identical environments — or seemingly close to it — can become people with polar-opposite personalities.
Even within individuals, personality is difficult to understand; most of us compulsively take personality quizzes to gain greater insight into who we are and why. Psychologists are just as fascinated by personality as the rest of us, and they strive to answer our personality-related questions with science.
However, the science of personality is much more complex than a personality quiz you might find in a magazine. Here are three leading theories of personality, their implications, and their applications in everyday life. It should be little surprise that he has a well-established and thorough theory of personality.
For example, if a child in the oral stage is overfed, they will become aggressive and dominating, but if they are underfed, they will become passive and codependent. If a child in the anal stage receives lax toilet training, they will become untidy and generous, but if their training is too harsh, they will become obsessive and stubborn.
During this yearly developmental period, children establish the three parts of their personality, as envisioned by Freud: the id, ego, and psyche.
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