PERSONALITY

Define Personality and explain Determinants of personality            

Personality is a complex, multi-dimensional construct and there is no simple definition of what personality is. Maddi defines personality as, “A stable set of characteristics and tendencies that determine those commonalities and differences in the psychological behavior and that may not be easily understood as the sole result of the social and biological pressures of the moment. "

The term personality has been derived from Latin word “personnare” which means to speak through. Personality is traditionally refers to how people influence others through their external appearances.                       

Determinants of personality

Peoples are very complex. They have different ability and interest. Personality is influenced by four major factors as:

Social factor

Socialization is a process by which an infant acquires from the enormously wide range of behavioral potentialities that are open to him at birth or customarily acceptable to the family and social groups. The contribution of family and social group in combination with the culture is known as socialization. It initially starts with the contact with the mother and later on the other members of the family, schoolmates, friends, and then colleagues at workspace and so on. An individual has to accept the norms of the society in which he exists.

Cultural factors 

Culture largely determines what a person is and what a person will learn. Culture is the complex of the believes, values and techniques for dealing with the environment which are shared with the contemporaries and transmitted by one generation to the next. Norms, attitude, moral values, introducing and accepting changes etc will influence the personality.

Family

Family is an important factor in shaping personality of an individual. The impact of these factors on the personality can be understood identification process. Identification starts when a person begins to identify himself with some other members of the family. Normally child tries to behave like father or mother. Home environment, family background, social class, parent education level, race, family relationship, geographical location, birth order, number of members in family etc will determine the personality development of an individual. 

Situational factors 

Situation extends an important press on individual. Every  Individual goes through different types of experience and events in his life. Some will influence his behaviour and  will change and modify his behaviour.