Personality

We all have liked someone's personality and have said things like “She's got a very good personality" or “His personality is just like his father's". We all have used the term “personality", but what exactly is a personality?

The brief definition of personality is that it is made of the characteristic patterns of thought, feelings and behaviours that make a person unique. Personality mainly focuses on the behaviours and characteristics that help predict an individual's behaviour.

In layman's language, how we behave day to day reflects our personality. The behaviour of an individual depends on how the individual is brought up, social status and family background.

For example, if an individual had a fairly easy life, with no major problems, he / she would have no problem in socializing and interacting with others. The individual would develop an extrovert personality. Whereas, an individual who would have a problem with socializing and interacting with individuals would develop a shy, introvert personality.

The determinants of shaping an individual's personality are :

1. Heredity - they are the factors that determine when an individual is born. They are the parent's biological makeup, i.e., the physique, weight, complexion, height, etc.

2. Environment - it refers to the individual's surroundings during his growing years. For example, the culture the individual is brought up in or the family background play an important role in shaping one's personality.

3. Situation - a person's personality would change with the circumstances or the situation. For example, situation could change a person's attitude towards others when he/she is facing a difficult time.

4. Cultural factors - the culture an individual is brought up in, i.e., the tradition and customs, rules, values, regulations and predicaments are important determinants in shaping an individual's personality.

There has been a lot of research done on personality and the types of personality, that has led to interesting insights on how an individual's personality develops and changes due to the circumstances.

The research has also led to various personality disorders.
Personality disorders are the abnormalitites in the behaviour of an individual. These disorders are conditions when an individual fails to behave in a certain manner and their thought process are not in lines with the societal norms and expectations.

There are several approaches in understanding a personality, one such approach is known as the "Big 5" or OCEAN. This approach has the following five traits :

1. Openness : People who are high in this trait are usually more adventurous, very creative and open to trying new things. Whereas, people who are low in this trait are less creative, they dislike change, they resist ideas and do not enjoy trying new things.

2. Conscientiousness : People who are high in this trait usually spend time preparing, pay attention to details and focus on finishing tasks on time. Whereas, people low on this trait procrastinate and make a mess, they also do not take care of things.

3. Extraversion : People with high extraversion trait usually like being the center of attention, they also enjoy talking to new people, have a wide circle of friends and are people who are high in energy. Whereas, people low on this trait prefer solitude and dislike being the center of attention, they also do not like socializing.

4. Agreeableness : People high on this trait usually feel empathy and concern for other people, they assist others who are in need of help. Whereas, people who are low on this trait insult and belittle other people, they also have a tendency to manipulate others.

5. Neuroticism : People with high neuroticism trait experience a lot of stress and worry about different things, they also get upset very easily. Whereas, people with low level of this trait are emotionally stable and deal with stress very well.

Every Individual's personality is unique in itself. No two people can have the same personality. People can have similar personalities but not the same because we humans are very similar yet so different and that is what makes us humans so unique.