Personality Theory, Research Paper Example

Abstract

This paper looks to answer the question of influence of the development of one’s personality. Many influences, both positive and negative, contribute to the end result of potential growth. The contributions of these influences are seen in all stages of life. Many influences are found in the early stages of life, but others can see contributions in the later stages of human development as well. Much like we see in socially motivated culture, a person can be assured of struggles in their development. Personal identity can be a long term struggle if a person is not set atop a strong foundation of faith.

The basis of this paper is to focus on the enormity of the theory of personality. Many psychologists conclude their own research, but are unable to conclude a comprehensive theory that includes all aspects. The human personality displays much ambiguity that one must rely on a combination of theories in order to address all aspects. This includes, but not limited to, Maslow’s Hierarchy, Erikson’s research that led to his Stages of Psychosocial Development, Allport and his theories of development of a healthy adult personality along with many others. Each one of these theories, along with a combination of some, shall be discussed throughout this paper with a solid foundation set from scholarly research.

Foundations of Personality

Nature versus Nurture

Differing opinions seem to still be at the forefront of the debate on what defines human personality. The answer lies within the confines of many different questions. There are four major perspectives that deal with the issue- behavior, genetics, environment, evolutionary psychology, and developmental systems theory (Goldhaber, 2012). A person’s influences in their developmental years result in an assistance of their adult personality. Common variables can be the environment that surrounds the child.

As human beings have primed their responses towards certain responses, they rely on information that they had obtained earlier to prime their reactions. In the case where an individual believes that their partner loves them, they would receive the gift of a heart-shaped snow sculpture with enthusiasm. They will focus on the fact that the gift is in the shape of a heart, a difficult task to accomplish with snow (Williams and Bargh). However, if one believes their partner does not love them, they would perceive the gift to be an indication of the cold state of their emotions and the lack of love and closeness.

The Unconscious

Freud could be labeled as the creator of the theory based on unconscious thought processing. Freud developed the theory of Id, Ego and Superego. The unconscious can be categorized as a thought process that tends to conclude the meaning of something based on previous knowledge. In an example used by William White (2013), he concludes that he has the ability to know of something that a group of his peers knows, but at this particular moment none of them recognize their knowledge of what he knows without him telling what it is based on the theory of the unconscious.

As human beings grow up, their brains absorb information and assigns certain meaning to given sensations. Each sensation is triggered by a given stimuli from the surrounding. Depending on one’s experience with a given stimuli at first, an individual will automatically prime their response to the given stimuli even before experiencing the given emotion (Fiske). This means that human beings react based on a template that they have created over time. When an individual is exposed to stimuli such as the picture of a heart in a warm mug of coffee, the stimuli of warm temperatures automatically activates the emotions and sensations of love, thus affecting how someone receives gestures of love and closeness.

View of Self

View of one’s self is important in the formation of an individual’s personality. Erik Erickson outlines this importance through his theories of development in the adolescent years. A healthy view of self would consist of a harmony in one’s portrayal of their identity. In order for one to fully comprehend one’s self, relative to the world, it is pertinent that self-examination and self-questioning of one’s life and its foundations. In the case that one chooses not to examine one’s life, they relinquish critical thinking and remain ignorant to their own though process, behaviors and emotions (Rudebusch). This creates a situation where individuals become merely a passive receiver of experience as opposed to an engage and active exegetist of experience.

Progression of Personality

Development

The personality development can be influenced by environment, genetics, and culture.  In a healthy human, development tends to change with age. Personality is a life-long developmental process and may change based on the changes of social roles, individual life experiences, and transitions in maturation (Kandler, 2014).

B.F. Skinner’s theory is quite effective and useful in explaining human behavior from an external point of view. This theory is a useful tool in developing and/or influencing behavior, but fails to consider the inward forces that trigger responses to stimuli or action. A human being is not only the sum of their actions and responses to stimuli. Cognition plays an important part to human behavior. Skinner fails to put this into consideration, making his theory useful, but uncomprehensive. Maslow’s cognitive theory bridges this gap, by providing an analysis of the inward causes of actions and responses to stimuli. There is generally partial agreement with Skinners theory, but would bridge the gap in this theory with Abraham Maslow’s cognitive theory.

Motivation

Abraham Maslow, a renowned humanistic psychologist, held the notion that human behavior is influenced by the manner in which an individual perceives their environment. This theory, a cognitive behavioral theory, focused on the inward forces that trigger a response to stimuli and/or instigate action by an individual. Motivation can be described through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. All though Maslow outlines a basic concept of motivational factors, the motivational influence itself differs from person to person. Motivation can be driven by basic needs, or in a broader since, can be attributed to goal orientation (Parks & Guay, 2009).

Maturation

Personality maturation can be influenced by several factors. Much like other aspects of personality development, maturation can be effected by genetics, environment and socially (Bleidorn et al, 2013). Assuming the person is healthy, maturation will evolve from a dependency of his/her parents to a more independency as the person ages (Klimstra et al, 2009). Since the beginning of human history the measurement of time has been used as marker of human consciousness, and as such the measurement of time in all its many forms is the most essential and truthful representation that human consciousness exists.

The very perception of time indicates an element of consciousness by a given being. However, the perception of time in itself influenced human consciousness. Human consciousness is founded on the chronological perception of the sequence of events in their construct of the world. The human construct of time is affected by the sequence of events through time that is discerned by a cause and effect on the quality of life. One’s life is a summation of the stories that they tell themselves (both consciously and sub-consciously). These stories are defined by a beginning, a middle and an end. In essence, one’s perceptions of life incarnate time.

Operant Behavior

The operant behavior and conditioning theory is founded on the notion that human behavior should be analyzed in terms of the overt responses that an individual makes and nothing more (Schultz and Schultz 380). This theory has faced considerable criticism owing to its omission of an inward force that can trigger response to stimuli (respondent behavior) and/or instigate an action by an individual (operant behavior). This theory focused on operant behavior, and the effect that it has on the environment as opposed to responsive behavior that is affected by the environment.

Biblical Integration

God chose us as His conclusive creation. The personalities that we have been given are our own. The influences of those personalities come with a choice given to us by God. All of the listed personality aspects can be molded through faith and study of the Word. The heart is the bases of our minds. We must choose to lead with our hearts, and with that our personality will grow healthy. The Lord tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT), “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”.

God creates human beings with different personalities, a depiction of the different functions and roles that each individual is to play within the body of Christ. Every person has a unique role to play within the body of Christ, and this is evident in the manner in which people have differing personalities. In 1^st Corinthians 12:14-18, the Bible says, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many… But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” Every personality has a purpose and function within the body. As such, it is the duty of a Christian to identify their given personality and seek God’s revelation on their place within the body of Christ.

Conclusion

The overall theory of personality is a totality of many great works of research. Many things are said to be right, and others are concluded to be off the mark. The main goal is that the works have been a contribution to meaning of psychoanalytical theory of personality. Although many theorists obtain their own conclusion, the only right explanation can come from God. The Lord knows us inside and out and for that we must look to Him for the answers. “So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female he created them (Gen. 1:27, NLT).”

References

Fiske, S. T. (2013). Social Cognition. London: SAGE.

Goldhaber, D. (2012). Nature-Nurture Debate : Bridging the Gap. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved June 29, 2015, from http://www.ebrary.com

Parks, L., & Guay, R. (2009). Personality, values, and motivation. Personality and Individual Differences, 47(7), 675-684.

Rudebusch, G. (2009). Socrates. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.

White, W. A. (2013). The unconscious. Psychoanalytic Review, 100(1), 57-72.

Williams, L. E., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth. Science, 322(5901), 606-607.