Psychology · Ch 2 — Self and Personality
Introduction
Introduction
Understanding Self and Personality
When you observe your own behaviour or that of others, you are engaging in a natural human activity — trying to understand why people act the way they do. You might notice that you react differently from your friends in the same situation, or wonder about the nature of your relationships. Psychologists use the concept of self to explore these questions about individual experience and identity.
The concept of personality comes into play when we ask why people differ from each other, how they interpret events differently, and why they feel and react in varied ways even in similar circumstances. These two ideas — self and personality — are deeply connected. In fact, the self lies at the core of personality.
Self and personality together help us understand not only who we are, but also our uniqueness as well as our similarities with others. By studying them, we can make sense of our own behaviour and that of others across different settings.
What Self and Personality Mean
Self and personality refer to the characteristic ways in which we define our existence. They also refer to how our experiences are organised and how they show up in our behaviour.
From everyday observation, we know that different people hold different ideas about themselves. These ideas represent the self of a person. We also know that different people behave differently in a given situation, yet the behaviour of a particular person from one situation to another generally remains fairly stable. This relatively stable pattern of behaviour represents the personality of that person.
Thus, different persons possess different personalities, and these personalities are reflected in the diversity of human behaviour.
What This Chapter Covers
Several thinkers have analysed the structure and function of self and personality, giving rise to different theoretical perspectives. This chapter introduces you to basic aspects of self and personality, important theoretical approaches, and certain methods of personality assessment.
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe the concept of self and learn some ways for self-regulation of behaviour
- Explain the concept of personality
- Differentiate between various approaches to the study of personality
- Develop insight into the development of a healthy personality
- Describe some techniques for personality assessment
Chapter Outline
The chapter covers the following topics in sequence:
- Self and Personality — the foundational concepts
- Concept of Self — including cognitive and behavioural aspects
- Self-esteem, Self-efficacy and Self-regulation
- Culture and Self
- Concept of Personality — including personality-related terms
- Major Approaches to the Study of Personality:
- Type Approaches
- Trait Approaches (including the Five-Factor Model of Personality)
- Psychodynamic Approach
- Behavioural Approach
- Cultural Approach
- Humanistic Approach
- Who is a Healthy Person?
- Assessment of Personality:
- Self-report Measures
- Projective Techniques
- Behavioural Analysis
The chapter also includes key terms, a summary, review questions, project ideas, and weblinks for further exploration.