Personality and Its Determinants
Personality does not mean that a person has charm, a smiling face, or a positive attitude towards life. Gordon Allport defined personality as the dynamic organization within an individual of those psycho-physical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment. Personality, in essence, refers to the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. This is most often described in terms of measurable personality traits that a person exhibits.
Personality is the result of both heredity and environmental factors and is moderated by the situational conditions.
i) Heredity: Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. Factors such as physical appearance, temperament, energy level, and biological rhythms are the characteristics, which are generally influenced by one’s parents, i.e. one’s biological, physiological, and inherent psychological make up. The Heredity Approach believes that personality of an individual is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.
ii) Environment: Among the various factors, culture plays an important role in the formation of personality, i.e. the early conditioning, and the norms among the family, friends, and social groups. With the socialization process experienced in groups, personality does get altered over time.
iii) Situation: Though an individual’s personality is generally stable and consistent, it does change in different situations. Different demands in different situations bring forth different aspects of one’s personality. Personality patterns should, therefore, be not looked at in isolation.
The relationship of all these three factors affects the formation and development of personality. Physiological inheritance is entirely an internal contribution. Group and the culture are the early environmental factors that affect the formation of our behavior at later stages. Family atmosphere and social setting encountered during early stages of life and also the education are the important factors that influence the formation of personality at the initial stages. Whatever a child learns at this stage invariably lasts throughout one’s life. Peer groups or primary affiliations at work and social activities normally shape our personality in the later part of our life.
The relationship of all these three factors affects the formation and development of personality. Physiological inheritance is entirely an internal contribution. Group and the culture are the early environmental factors that affect the formation of our behavior at later stages. Family atmosphere and social setting encountered during early stages of life and also the education are the important factors that influence the formation of personality at the initial stages. Whatever a child learns at this stage invariably lasts throughout one’s life. Peer groups or primary affiliations at work and social activities normally shape our personality in the later part of our life.
Personality typing is a tool with many uses. It is especially notable for its use in the areas of growth and self-development. It is used as a tool for discovery, rather than as a method for putting people into boxes, or as an excuse for behavior. The sixteen personality types that are used are based on the well-known research of Carl Jung, Katharine C. Briggs, and Isabel Briggs Myers.
The theory of personality types, as it stands to-day, contends that
i) An individual is either primarily Extroverted or Introverted
ii) An individual is either primarily Sensing or Intuitive
iii) An individual is either primarily Thinking or Feeling
iv) An individual is either primarily Judging or Perceiving
The possible combination of these preferences form 16 different personality types. This does not mean that all (or even most) individuals will fall strictly into one category or another.
The theory of personality types contends that each of us has a natural preference which falls into one category or the other in each of the four areas indicated above, and that our native personality type indicates how we are likely to deal with different situations that life presents, and in which environments we are most comfortable.
The Four Preferences
The four preferences or the four pairs of dimensions, viz. Extroversion and introversion, Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling, and Judging and Perceiving are present to some degree in all people.
i) Extroversion and Introversion: There is a world inside ourselves, and a world outside ourselves. When we are dealing with the world outside of our self, we are “extroverting”. When we are inside our own minds, we are “introverting”. Persons more introverted than extroverted tend to make decisions somewhat independently of constraints and prodding from the situation, culture, people, or things around them. They may dislike being interrupted while working and may tend to forget names and faces.
Extroverted persons are attuned to the culture, people, and things around them, endeavoring to make decisions congruent with demands and expectations. The extrovert is outgoing, socially free, interested in variety and in working with people. The extrovert may become impatient with long, slow tasks and does not mind being interrupted by people.
ii) Sensing and Intuition: This preference refers to how we gather information. There are two distinct ways of perceiving the data that we gather. The “Sensing” preference absorbs data in a literal, concrete fashion. The “Intuitive” preference generates abstract possibilities from information that is gathered. We all use both Sensing and Intuition in our lives, but to different degrees of effectiveness and with different levels of comfort.
The intuitive person prefers possibilities, theories, gestalts, the overall, invention, and the new, and becomes bored with nitty-gritty details, the concrete and actual, and facts unrelated to concepts. The intuitive person thinks and discusses in spontaneous leaps of intuition that may leave out or neglect details. Problem solving comes easily for this individual although there may be a tendency to make errors of fact.
The sensing type person prefers the concrete, real, factual, structured, tangible, here and now, becoming impatient with theory and the abstract, mistrusting intuition. The sensing type person thinks in careful, detail-by-detail accuracy, remembering real facts, making few errors of fact, but possibly missing a conception of the overall.
iii) Thinking and Feeling: People have the capability to make decisions based on two very different sets of criteria – Thinking and Feeling. When someone makes a decision that is based on logic and reason, they are operating in Thinking mode. When someone makes a decision that is based on their value system, or what he or she believes to be right, they are operating in Feeling mode. We all use both modes for making decisions, but we put more trust into one mode or the other.
The feeler makes judgments about life, people, occurrences, and things based on empathy, warmth, and personal values. As a consequence, feelers are more interested in people and feelings than in impersonal logic, analysis, and things, and in conciliation and harmony more than in being on top or achieving impersonal goals. The feeler gets along well with people in general.
The thinker makes judgments about life, people, occurrences, and things based on logic, analysis, and evidence, avoiding the irrationality of making decisions based on feelings and values. As a result, the thinker is more interested in logic, analysis, and verifiable conclusions than in empathy, values, and personal warmth. The thinker may step on others’ feelings and needs without realizing it, neglecting to take into consideration the value of others.
iv) Judging and Perceiving: Judging and Perceiving preferences, within the context of personality types, refer to our attitude towards the external world, and how we live our lives on a day-to-day basis.
The perceiver is a gatherer, always wanting to know more before deciding, holding off decisions and judgments. As a consequence, the perceiver is open, flexible, adaptive, non-judgmental, able to see and appreciate all sides of issues, always welcoming new perspectives and new information about issues. However, perceivers are also difficult to pin down and may be indecisive and noncommittal, becoming involved in so many tasks that do not reach closure that they may become frustrated at times. Even when they finish tasks, perceivers will tend to look back at them and wonder whether they are satisfactory or could have been done another way. The perceiver wishes to roll with life rather than change it.
The judger is decisive, firm, and sure, setting goals and sticking to them. The judger wants to close books, make decisions, and get on to the next project. When a project does not yet have closure, judgers will leave it behind and go on to new tasks and not look back.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Personal Styles| Possible Strengths | Possible Weaknesses |
| Introvert | |
| Independent | Misunderstands the external |
| Works alone | Avoids others |
| Reflects | Loses opportunities to act |
| Works with ideas | Is misunderstood by others |
| Is careful of generalizations | Needs quiet to work |
| Is careful before acting | Dislikes being interrupted |
| Extrovert | |
| Understands the external | Has less independence |
| Interacts with others | Does not work without people |
| Is open | Needs change, variety |
| Acts, does | Is impulsive |
| Well understood | Is impatient with routine |
| Intuitor | |
| Sees possibilities | Is inattentive to detail, precision |
| Sees gestalts | Is inattentive to the actual and practical |
| Imagines, intuits | Is impatient with the tedious |
| Works out new ideas | Leaves things out in leaps of logic |
| Works with the complicated | Loses sight of the here- and – now |
| Solves novel problems | Jumps to conclusions |
| Senser | |
| Attends to detail | Does not see possibilities |
| Is practical | Loses the overall in details |
| Has memory of detail, fact | Mistrusts intuition |
| Works with tedious detail | Does not work out the new |
| Is patient | Is frustrated with the complicated |
| Is careful, systematic | Prefers not to imagine future |
| Feeler | |
| Considers others’ feelings | Is not guided by logic |
| Understands needs, values | Is not objective |
| Is interested in conciliation | Is less organized |
| Demonstrates feeling | Is uncritical, overly accepting |
| Persuades, arouses | Bases justice on feelings |
| Thinker | |
| Is logical, analytical | Does not notice people’s feelings |
| Is objective | Misunderstands others’ values |
| Is organized | Is uninterested in conciliation |
| Has critical ability | Does not show feelings |
| Is just | Shows less mercy |
| Stands firm | Is uninterested in persuading |
| Perceiver | |
| Compromises | Is indecisive |
| Sees all sides of issues | Does not plan |
| Is flexible, adaptable | Has no order |
| Remains open for changes | Does not control circumstances |
| Decides based on all data | Is easily distracted from tasks |
| Is not judgmental | Does not finish projects |
| Judger | |
| Decides | Is unyielding, stubborn |
| Plans | Is inflexible, inadaptable |
| Orders | Decides with insufficient data |
| Controls | Is judgmental |
| Makes quick decisions | Is controlled by task or plans |
| Remains with a task | Wishes not to interrupt work |
Learning about our personality type helps us to understand why certain areas in life come easily to us, and others are more of a struggle. Generally, people who have the same strengths in the dimensions will seem to “click”, whereas who have different strengths in the dimensions will not see eye-to-eye on many things. People will normally gravitate toward others who have similar strengths and weaknesses. People’s values, beliefs, decisions, and actions will be greatly influenced by all four of the stronger dimensions in their typology. Although a person’s typology cannot be changed to its opposite, each person can learn to strengthen the weaker dimensions to some extent and to develop personal life strategies to overcome problems that result from the weaknesses.
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