Personality Essay Examples and Papers

The foundations of personality development and the theories behind it

We will explore through numerous scholarly peer reviewed journals the nature versus nurture problem and its effect on a person’s personality. We will explore the human mind and how our non-linear thought patterns directly impact our personality and how the self is established. I will discuss both the physiological aspects as well as the emotional building blocks that create who we are as individuals. I will make sure to include how the maturation process also affects an individual’s personality at certain points in their lifetime.

Foundations of Personality

Nature Versus Nurture and Personality

Initially the way that one was raised regardless of their genetic make up was deemed as most important for optimal development An increase in the understanding of one’s brain development led to a shift in now valuing that nature held a more critical role in one’s development. As time went on it became clear that both one’s genetic makeup/physiological development and their experiences both play a vital importance (Rettew, 2018).

The Unconscious and Personality

The human mind does not develop a personality based upon logic, but instead on an undetermined pathway. Personality is always evolving and changing because the factors that influence us are constantly evolving and changing (Bargh, Morsella, 2008). Our emotional experiences often shape us as individuals and they are not predictable but rather fleeting and expressive in the moment. It has been recognized for over two decades now that an individual processes thoughts, feelings, beliefs in their unconscious mind just as much as when they are awake and present in their thought formations (Bargh, Morsella, 2008). These types of thoughts that shape our personality are not always of our own fruition and are at times out of our control, but yet our mind processes them and it ultimately has an impact on us (Bargh, Morsella, 2008).

The most common way that our unconscious mind has an influence on us is through our dreams. However, dreams are not always considered out of our control as issues that are relevant in our daily lives that we have great issue with or concern can often appear in our dreams as a way of mental processing (Bargh, Morsella, 2008).

Adler said that “We cannot oppose consciousness to unconsciousness as if they were antagonistic halves of an individual’s existence. The conscious life becomes unconscious as soon as we fail to understand it and as soon as we understand an unconscious tendency it has already become conscious” (Adler, 1929). I think that this quote exemplifies that the conscious and the unconscious mind are not conflicting with one another but are both two parts of the same whole in that both shape our personality and behavior.

View of Self and Personality

A person’s personality is directly impacted by the struggles they face in life (Bergstein, 2018). Religious struggles directly impact a person and their personality based upon moral beliefs as well as a belief system. A person’s view of one’s self is determined through the conscious and unconscious mind as well as a balance of belief regarding who the person believes that they are (Bergstein, 2018). However, the persona is tested when what a person believes about themselves is contradicted (Turner, Onorato, 2010). This contradiction and testing of one’s person is associated with the self categorization theory. When a person consciously believes that their identity is one thing and then their actions and unconscious mind begin to influence their mind and contradict everything a person thought about themselves they find themselves in an identity crisis which alters their personality and ego (Turner, Onorato, 2010).

Progression of Personality

Development of Personality

Personality is influenced through a series of developmental stages that ultimately establish who a person ends up being (Gartstein, et al., 2016). In order to understand how personality is developed you have to research how physiological differences create different emotional responses and what triggers those responses (Gartstein, et al., 2016).

For example, it is often discussed in the field of psychology that the attachment an infant develops with their mother plays a vital role in that child’s personality given whether they have formed a secure attachment or not (Gartstein, et al., 2016). An infant that does not appropriately have a secure bond with their mother develops coping strategies and it alters their personality. The individual’s entire temperament would be altered depending on the bond with the mother (Gartstein, et al., 2016). The attachment theory has a profound effect on a child that ends up translating to adulthood. The birth order also plays a vital role and interrupting it has consequences (Gartstein, et al., 2016). Another process that has to be identified in order to understand behavior is observing how a person handles changes and they way that they adapt to those changes. These biological and environmental factors play a vital role in personality development (Gartstein, et al., 2016).

Motivation and Personality

Identify how self-actualizers are different from ordinary people. Explain how motivation factors are tied to cognitive, social, and physiological components. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs determines what motivates an individual and why (Acevedo, 2018).

Maturation and Personality

The maturity level has a direct impact on the personality of both an individual and of group dynamics. The individual’s physiological development as well as their nurturing environment influence the maturity level. Negative ramifications of maturity level based upon influencing others in their environment to fulfill needs.

Conclusion

Overall, one’s personality is directly impacted by both their biological make-up as well as the experiences that a person endures throughout their lifetime. Our subconscious thoughts and the non-linear view of our thoughts and processes dictate more than we can imagine. Maslow has taught us how what motivates us is our need for essentials.