INTRODUCTION

THE MEANING OF PERSONALITY

Through the year there has not been universal agreement on the exact meaning of personality.Much of the controversy can be attributed to the fact that people in general and those in the behavioural sciences define personality from different perspective. Most people tend to equate personality with social success being good or popularor having a lot of personality and to describe personality by a single dominant characteristics strong polite or weak.when it is realized that thousands of words can be used to describe personality this way the definitional problem becomes staggering. Psychologists on the other hand take a different perspective In other way personality will mean how people affect other and how they understand and view themselves as well as their pattern of inner and outer measurables traits and the person- situation interaction. How people affect others depends primarily on their external appearance height weight facial features color and other physical aspects and traits. DEFINATION OF PERSONALITY Personality refers to the attributes of an individual which make him or her different from others.

NATURE OF PERSONALITY
Generally personality refers to the set of traits anf behaviour that characterise an individual . a more comprehensive meaning of personality is that it refers to the relatively stable pattern of behaviour and consistent internal size and explains a persons behavioural tendencies. The following element should from the meaning of personality 1. Personality has both internal and external elements. The external traits are the observable behaviours that we notice in an individuals personality. The internal states represents the thoughts values and genetic characteristics that we infer from the observable behaviours. 2. an individuals personality is relatively stable. If it changes at all it is only after a very long time or as the result of traumatic events. 3. an individuals personality is both inherited as well as shaped by the environment. Our personality is partly inherited genetically from our parents. However these genetic personality characteristics are altered some-what by life experience. 4. each individual is unique in behaviour. These are striking difference among individual. Thus personality refers to the sum total of internal and external traits of an individual which are relatively stable and which make the individual different from other.

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
More light on the nature of the personality has been thrown by theories on personality. There are several theories but the more prominent among them are;

1. TYPE THEORIES
According to type theories people are grouped into identifiable categories. One basis for classifying personality is the structure of the body . kretschmer and Sheldon are credited with this

classification. In type theories a relationship was sought to be established between features of face or body and personality. Thus a short plump person was said to be sociable relaxed and even tempered ; a heavy- set muscular individual was described as noicy callous and fond of physical activity.

DETEMINANTS OF PERSONALITY
THE DETERMINANTS OF PERSONALITY CAN BE GROUPED INTO THE FIVE BROAD CATEGORIES HEREDITY The role of heredity in the development of personality is an old argument of personality theory. Heredity refers to htose factors that were determined at conception. Physical stature facial attractiveness sex temperament muscle consideration and reflexes energy level and biological rhythms are characteristics that are generally considered to be important either completetly or substantially from ones parents. Nevertheless the role of heredity on personality development cannot be totally minimized. Physical attributes for instance may be largely attri buted to heredity. The following classification of characteristics is said to be inherited by all humans. Physical structure Reflexes Innate drivers Intelligence Temperaments. ENVIROMENT Personality development owes as much to environment around as it does to heredity. Environment is a broad term and values that are passed along from one generation to the next and creates consistencies over time. Anthropologists have clearly demonstrated the important role culture plays in the development of human personality Although culture has significant influence on personality development a linear relationship cannot be established between personality and culture for two reason; 1. the culture impacts upon an individual are not uniform because they are transmitted by certain people-parent and others- who are not at all alike in their values and practices 2. the individual has some experience that are unique. Each individual reacts in his or her own way to social pressure the differences in behaviour being caused by biological factors. CONTRIBUTION FROM THE FAMILY The family has considerable influence on personality development particularly in the early stages. The parents play an significant role in the identification process which is important to an individuals early development . usually the parents of the same sex as the child wil serve as the model for the chiilds identification . the process can be explained from the three different perspectives. First identification can be viewed as the similarity of the behaviour between child and model. Secondidentification can be looked upon as the childs motive or desire to be like the model. Third identification can be viewed as the process through which the child actually takes on the attributes of the model. From all the three perspective the identification process is fundamental to the understanding of personality development. SOCIALIZATION PROCESS Beside heredity environmental family influences on personality there is greater realization that other relevant persons groups and organisations exercise their due role in personality development. This is commonly called the socialization process. It involves the process by which a person acquire from the enormously wide range of behavioural potentialities at are open to him or her starting at birththose behaviour pattern that are customary and acceptable to the

standards of initially the family and later the social group and the employing organisation.thus socialization starts with the initial contact between a mother and her infant . after infancy other members of the immediate family followed by the social groups play important role. SITUATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS