INTERNATIONAL ISLMIC UNIVERSITY

ISLAMABAD

PRESENTATION

TOPIC: PERSONALITY

COURSE CODE: GEN 402

SUBMITTED TO: SIR INAM-UL-HAQ

SUBMITTED BY:
KHIZAR HUSSAIN KHAN: 2509
SULEMAN JAVED: 2526
M. AFTAB AKHTAR: 2527
ATIF JAMEEL: 2530

DATED: 16TH OCTOBER-09

 INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY

Personality can be defined as a dynamic and

organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely
influences his or her cognitions, motivations, and behaviors in various
situations. The word "personality" originates from the Latin persona,
which means mask. Significantly, in the theatre of the ancient Latin-
speaking world, the mask was not used as a plot device to disguise the
identity of a character, but rather was a convention employed to
represent or typify that character.

Almost everyday we describe and assess the personalities of the

people around us. Whether we realize it or not, these daily musings on
how and why people behave as they do are similar to what personality
psychologists do.

While our informal assessments of personality tend to focus more on

individuals, personality psychologists instead use conceptions of
personality that can apply to everyone. Personality research has led to
the development of a number of theories that help explain how and
why certain personality traits develop.

Components of Personality

While there are many different theories of personality, the first step is
to understand exactly what is meant by the term personality. A brief
definition would be that personality is made up of the characteristic
patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person
unique. In addition to this, personality arises from within the individual
and remains fairly consistent throughout life.

Some of the fundamental characteristics of personality include:

• Consistency - There is generally a recognizable order and

regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways
or similar ways in a variety of situations.
 • Psychological and physiological - Personality is a
psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also
influenced by biological processes and needs.

• Impact behaviors and actions - Personality does not just

influence how we move and respond in our environment; it also
causes us to act in certain ways.

• Multiple expressions - Personality is displayed in more than

just behavior. It can also be seen in out thoughts, feelings, close
relationships, and other social interactions.

PERSONALITY THEORIES

Behavioral Theories

Behavioral theories suggest that personality is a result of interaction

between the individual and the environment. Behavioral theorists
study observable and measurable behaviors, rejecting theories that
take internal thoughts and feelings into account. Behavioral theorists
include B. F. Skinner and Albert Bandura.

Psychodynamic Theories

Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the

work of Sigmund Freud, and emphasize the influence of the
unconscious mind and childhood experiences on personality.
Psychodynamic theories include Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stage
theory and Erik Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development.

Freud believed the three components of personality were the id, the
ego, and the superego. The id is responsible for all needs and urges,
while the superego for ideals and moral. The ego moderates between
the demands of the id, the superego, and reality.
Erickson believed that personality progressed through a series of
stages, with certain conflicts arising at each stage. Success in any
stage depended upon successfully overcoming these conflicts.

Humanist Theories

Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual

experience in the development of personality. Humanist theorists
emphasized the concept of self-actualization, which is an innate need
for personal growth that motivates behavior. Humanist theorists
include Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

PERSONLAITY TYPES
People can be either Extroverts or Introverts, depending on the
direction of their activity; Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, Intuitive,
according to their own information pathways; Judging or Perceiving,
depending on the method in which they process received information.

Extroverts vs. Introverts

Extroverts are directed towards the objective world whereas Introverts

are directed towards the subjective world. The most common
differences between Extroverts and Introverts are shown below:

Extroverts Introverts

• are interested in what is • are interested in their own

happening around them
• are open and often talkative
• compare their own opinions
with the opinions of others
• like action and initiative
• easily make new friends or
adapt to a new group
• say what they think
• are interested in new people
• easily break unwanted
relations
thoughts and feelings
• need to have own territory
• often appear reserved, quiet
and thoughtful
• usually do not have many
friends
• have difficulties in making
new contacts
• like concentration and quiet
• do not like unexpected visits
and therefore do not make
them

• work well alone

Sensing vs. Intuition

Sensing is an ability to deal with information on the basis of its

physical qualities and its affection by other information. Intuition is an
ability to deal with the information on the basis of its hidden potential
and its possible existence. The most common differences between
Sensing and Intuitive types are shown below:

Sensing types Intuitive types

• see everyone and sense • are mostly in the past or in

everything
• live in the here and now
• quickly adapt to any situation
• like pleasures based on
physical sensation
• are practical and active
• are realistic and self-
confident
the future
• worry about the future more
than the present
• are interested in everything
new and unusual
• do not like routine
• are attracted more to the
theory than the practice
• often have doubts

Thinking vs. Feeling

Thinking is an ability to deal with information on the basis of its

structure and its function. Feeling is an ability to deal with information
on the basis of its initial energetic condition and its interactions. The
most common differences between Thinking and Feeling type are
shown below:

Thinking types Feeling types

• are interested in systems, • are interested in people and

structures, patterns their feelings
• expose everything to logical • easily pass their own moods
analysis to others
• are relatively cold and • pay great attention to love
unemotional and passion
• evaluate things by intellect • evaluate things by ethics and
and right or wrong good or bad
 • have difficulties talking about • can be touchy or use
feelings emotional manipulation

• do not like to clear up • often give compliments to

arguments or quarrels please people

Perceiving vs. Judging

Perceiving types are motivated into activity by the changes in a

situation. Judging types are motivated into activity by their decisions
resulting from the changes in a situation. The most common
differences between Perceiving and Judging types are shown below:

Perceiving types Judging types

• act impulsively following the • do not like to leave

situation
• can start many things at
once without finishing them
properly
• prefer to have freedom from
obligations
• are curious and like a fresh
look at things
• work productivity depends on
their mood
unanswered questions
• plan work ahead and tend to
finish it
• do not like to change their
decisions
• have relatively stable
workability
• easily follow rules and
discipline

• often act without any

preparation

PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Personality disorders are pervasive chronic psychological disorders,

which can greatly affect a person's life. Having a personality disorder
can negatively affect one's work, one's family, and one's social life.
Personality disorders exists on a continuum so they can be mild to
more severe in terms of how pervasive and to what extent a person
exhibits the features of a particular personality disorder. While most
people can live pretty normal lives with mild personality disorders (or
more simply, personality traits), during times of increased stress or
external pressures (work, family, a new relationship, etc.), the
symptoms of the personality disorder will gain strength and begin to
seriously interfere with their emotional and psychological functioning.

Those with a personality disorder possess several distinct psychological

features including disturbances in self-image; ability to have successful
interpersonal relationships; appropriateness of range of emotion, ways
of perceiving themselves, others, and the world; and difficulty
possessing proper impulse control. These disturbances come together
to create a pervasive pattern of behavior and inner experience that is
quite different from the norms of the individual's culture and that often
tend to be expressed in behaviors that appear more dramatic than
what society considers usual. Therefore, those with a personality
disorder often experience conflicts with other people and vice-versa.
There are ten different types of personality disorders that exist, which
all have various emphases

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality is defined as the enduring personal characteristics of
individuals.

Although some psychologists frown on the premise, a commonly used

explanation for personality development is the psychodynamic
approach. The term psychodynamic describes any theory that
emphasizes the constant change and development of the individual.
Perhaps the best known of the psychodynamic theories is Freudian
psychoanalysis.