Basically, there are inherent natural, genetic, and environmental factors that contribute to the development of our personality; however, in the pursuit of a more defined persona, many individuals enroll in courses offered in colleges to further or enhance the image they intend to project to others. These classes assist in identifying your conscious traits and contrasting them with what you intend to exhibit. According to process of socialization, personality also colors our values, beliefs, and expectations.
Moreover, hereditary factors that contribute to personality development do so as a result of interactions with the particular social environment in which people live. Apparently, there are several personality types as Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers illustrated in several personalities typology tests. These tests only provide enlightenment based on the preliminary insight scored according to the answers judged by the parameters of the test. Other theories on personality development are Jean Piaget stages of development, and personality development in Sigmund Freud "s theory being formed through the interaction of id, ego and superego.
Discussions
Basically, personality is the totality of an individual"s psychological and biological components that shape his characteristic patterns of actions, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behavior, and distinguishes him from other persons (Karackz, 2004). Many psychologists have studied and formulated their own perspectives and theories on personality. Boeree (2006) stated that a theory is a model that organizes the several aspects of a reality so that people can comprehend, discuss, predict and control this reality. Theories on personality emphasize the make up of a person, how do the different components function, and how do they malfunction. Theories on personality are categorized into three orientations: Psychoanalytic, Behavioristic, and Humanistic Personality Theories.
Sigmund Freud, a forerunner of the psychoanalytic theories, underscored the importance of the unconscious in determining a person's behaviors and actions. Freud claimed that the fundamental goal of all human behavior is to attain pleasure and avoid or counter displeasure and pain. He elaborated on this by introducing the three structures of personality: the id, ego and superego. The id operates on the pleasure principle and is inborn. Its function is to transform biological drives into wishes or tensions and demand immediate satisfaction. As the individual grows, he is forced to interact with reality and the ego develops. It is the sole structure of personality that interacts with the environment to control the demands of the id until a suitable or appropriate situation is found. The superego develops as the person learns about right and wrong. This mediates between the drives of the id and the actions of the ego in order to inject moral standards that would not hurt the individual (Ewen, 2003, pp. 28). Another psychoanalytic theorist is Erik Erikson. Erikson accepted Freud's three structures of personality but broadened his perspective to include the development of the ego and the child. He developed the eight stages of personality wherein each stage is characterized by a crisis that should be resolved by the ego to ensure continuous development. The eight stages of an individual's life are characterized by the following crises: Trust versus Mistrust, Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, Initiative versus Guilt, Industry versus Inferiority, Identity versus Role Confusion, Intimacy versus Isolation, Generativity versus Stagnation, and Ego Integrity versus Despair (Davis and Clifton, 1995).
Behaviorist theories emphasized the importance of observing the relations between personal attributes, behavior, and the social environment (Boeree, 2006). A prominent behaviorist was Albert Bandura who claimed that most human behavior is learned and the mind is a powerful force capable of constructing one's reality as the person makes use of personal factors and environmental stimuli to create an action or behavior (McCormack Brown, 1999). B.F. Skinner's behaviorist theory on personality is primarily founded on operant conditioning. He claimed that a person's life is a process of “operating” in the environment. As he continues to exists, he would encounter “reinforcers” from the environment that would drive him to continue the behavior being reinforced. An individual's behavior is therefore determined by the presence of stimuli that would either provide a positive or negative consequence to the individual (Boeree, 2006).
The last approach is humanistic which consists of people who believed that humans aspire to achieve a higher level of abilities and actualization. Abraham Maslow is a significant figure in this group of personality theorists. He developed the five hierarchy of human needs: Physiological needs (food, shelter, clothing), Safety needs (need to be secured), Belongingness needs (need to be affiliated with other people to overcome loneliness and alienation), Esteem needs (respect and acceptance from others), and Self-Actualization (the achievement of full potential). These needs have to be resolved from the most basic until the most serious in order to ensure normal development (Simons, Irwin & Drinnien, 1987).
