We explain what personality is, its components, factors, types and other characteristics. Also, personality tests.
What is personality?
Personality means the set of psychic dynamics that are characteristic of the same person that is, to their internal mental organization, which determines the way in which said person will respond to a given situation.
In other words, personality It is a pattern of recurring attitudes, thoughts, and feelings which are more or less stable throughout the life of an individual and which allow a certain degree of predictability regarding their way of being.
This term, taken from psychology, is commonly used in everyday language, but its origin is found in the Latin term “persona”, which was the mask used by actors in ancient theater when representing characters. recognizable.
Thus, initially this word had to do with the roles played by the actors, and in some way it was later transferred to other areas of life, becoming “people” only full citizens (and not, for example, slaves). Eventually the term begat the adjective “personal” and from there came personality.
Today we understand that personality is a series of mental traits that allow us to distinguish ourselves from others, and that are also more or less faithful to themselves over time. However, personality can change gradually modifying itself based on time and experiences.
Personality characteristics
The personality is a self-consistent functional pattern (although not exempt from contradictions), generally consolidated and resistant to change. However, is able to operate differently in different situations since these are internalized psychic forms, which do not depend so much on the outside.
On the other hand, the elements of personality have to do not only with responses to specific stimuli and situations, but also with lifestyle, beliefs and motivations, and even conceptions of the world.
Components of personality
According to the school and model of thought of psychoanalysis, especially the studies of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the personality of individuals is made up of three important factors that operate together and separately:
- The Self Also known as the conscious or consciousness, it is the component of our mind of which we have the most perception, since it is constantly telling us where we are and doing what, or how we are. This involves both the perception of the external world, as well as thoughts and the internal world. Its function is to provide us with a Reality principle regarding existence.
- The SuperEgo Understood as the set of internalizations that define the “ought to be” about ourselves, that is, it is the instance where the existential, social, cultural laws, etc., that come from outside, and that serve to provide us with a Perfection principle regarding ourselves.
- The It Identified as Freud's unconscious (although they are not synonyms), it refers to the blocked or repressed content of our mind, which is linked to our primary and biological needs, such as food, reproduction, etc. It is in charge of providing us with the pleasure principle.
Personality factors
According to the Big Five model (Big Fivein English), all personalities are determined by a series of factors that occur in different proportions in each individual. These five factors are:
- O factor (of Openness or opening) It refers to the degree of openness that an individual presents to new experiences, change and variety, and even curiosity. Individuals gifted with great openness are restless, imaginative, original and eager for unconventional values. Their opposite pole is made up of more conservative individuals socially and in life, who prefer the family environment and more controlled experiences.
- E factor (of Extraversion or extroversion) Extroversion refers to a high degree of sociability and interest in social situations, the company of others, and the tendency to avoid loneliness. Extroverted individuals require constant social stimulation and are very focused on the external world, unlike their opposites, introverts, who shy away from social situations, feel comfortable in their internal world and tend to value solitude.
- Factor C (of Conscientiousness or responsibility) It refers to self-control, planning and commitment, both in the organization and the execution of tasks. It is also known as “will to achieve” and individuals who possess it in high doses are usually the so-called workaholics or workaholics, who show very high levels of commitment to the tasks undertaken. On the contrary, their opposites are unreliable people with little commitment, informal or lax with their moral principles.
- Factor A (for Agreeableness or kindness) It refers to interpersonal tendencies, specifically empathy and the ability to bond with others. People high in agreeableness tend to be considerate, altruistic, trusting, and supportive, while people low in agreeableness tend to relate in more hostile ways.
- N factor (of Neuroticism or neuroticity) This last trait has to do with emotional instability resulting from anxiety, worry and catastrophic perceptions of things, which are a consequence of the mind's inability to foresee and control everything. People with a high level of neuroticism tend to be anxious, stressed, unsociable, and can often become depressed, irritable or vulnerable. On the contrary, low levels of this trait tend towards more stable personalities, less concerned with control and more relaxed.
Personality types
There are many and very diverse ways of classifying personality, depending on the psychological or psychoanalytic approach and the specific method used to understand it. To cite an example, the psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) proposed a classification of 8 personality types, which are:
- Introverted thinking Those personalities who are more interested in ideas than in facts, that is, in their inner reality than in others. They are prone to reflections, abstract thoughts or theoretical challenges.
- Sentimental-introverted Personalities contained in their own emotional world, little inclined to deal with the outside world, but capable of doing so based on the emotional, instead of the reflective of the previous case. They are prone to attachment, but in an intimate and closed circle.
- Feeling-introverted Typical of artists and creators, this is the personality most concerned with the subjective experience of being, which can lead them to live in an unreal world, built to their own measure.
- Intuition-introvert The typical personality of dreamers, that is, those who are more aware of what will happen, what could happen or what they would like to happen, than with the real present. They are, in their own way, in touch with their unconscious content and can be talented creators.
- Extroverted thinking Those personalities more interested in facts and the outside, than their internal world, especially as a source of theories and reflections, since it is rationally linked to the world. Their emotions and sensations are, therefore, repressed, and they tend to neglect their socio-affective bonds.
- Feeling-extroverted It is the profile of the most empathetic, social and community-oriented people, typical of those who like to take care of others or who feel good protecting third parties. Their intellectual activity is necessarily framed in what they feel.
- Feeling-extroverted He connects with reality based on the sensations it evokes, that is, paying great interest to what the real environment and others make him feel. It is the typical personality of those who live in search of pleasure, and therefore tend to constantly seek new stimuli.
- Intuition-extrovert The personality of the adventurer, who changes perspectives once he achieves the desired objective, but never stops moving. They tend to be charismatic and enthuse others with their ideas, being faithful to their intuition more than their feelings and reasoning.
Personality disorders
Personality disorders are personality traits that appear inflexible, maladaptive instead of contributing to adaptation and vital performance. They sabotage individuals' social or emotional performance, and often lead to more serious complications.
do not usually have an easy cure or treatment since they are part of the subject's personality, that is, they are part of him.
Personality disorders can be very different from each other and always respond to extremely particular conditions of the patient, but broadly speaking they can be summarized into three groups:0
- Eccentric and strange personalities such as Paranoid Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder or Schizotypal Personality Disorder.
- Erratic, emotional and theatrical personalities such as Histrionic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Naricisistic Personality Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder.
- Personalities with marked anxiety such as Dependent Personality Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder.
personality tests
There are numerous personality tests that promise to guide us as to which of the possible classifications is the most suitable for our way of being. There are professional versions, applied by psychologists and scholars of the human mind, whose results are scientific.
There are also some informative ones whose results are not very reliable but can perhaps serve as guidance on the matter. Some of the latter can be consulted here and here.
Continue with: Identity
References
- “Personality” on Wikipedia.
- “Concept of personality” in Psychology-Online.
- “Personality” in Psychology and mind.
- “What is personality?” (video) at the Private Technical University of Loja.
- “What do we mean when we talk about personality?” in Psychoactive.
- “Personality” in American Psychological Association.
- “Personality” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.