Personality: Definition, concept, theories, application in education and profession.

Typical example: pathology

Personality is unique and relatively stable ways in which individual think feel and behave.
Character and temperament are vital parts of personality. Character is a value judgment made about a person's moral
or ethical behavior. It is moderately influenced by socio-cultural learning and mature in progressive steps throughout
life. Temperament is enduring characteristics, the automatic inclination and responses which is moderately heritable.
Content of personality: experience, S-R bonds, needs, drives, motives, appraisal, traits, infantile fixation,
developmental failures.
Theories: structure theories: Freud, Jung, Trait theory: big five, Humanistic
Process theories: Freud, Erikson, Behaviorism
Freud's structure theory: Id, Ego, Superego
Jung's theory:
1. self: feeling of oneness within, our identity
2. persona: artificial, what we show to others
3. anima: feminine side of men
4. animus: masculine side of women
5. shadow: dark and cruel side which contain animal urges
Trait theory: big five theory: Costa and McCrae


Humanistic theory: Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers. This school believed in positivity in human nature and
gave importance to the environment also.

Carl Rogers:




Process Theories:
Freud Psychosexual stages of development


Erikson Psychosocial stages of development

Behaviorism: John B Watson, BF Skinner. Based on Thorndiek's laws: law of effect, law of readiness, law of exercise.
Behavirism explain personality in terms of observable behaviorwhich is dependent on experience in the environment.
Personality is sum of behaviors in a situation. Personality develops through learning of behaviors and through
observation and reinforcement.