Psy/405 Introduction To Personality Research Paper

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Introduciton to Personality Ana Gonzalez Psy 405 February 5, 2013 Fernanda Mendieta M.S. Introduction to Personality Personality The way psychologist describe personality is very different from its original meaning. “Most agree that the word “personality” originated from the Latin persona, which referred to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas” (Feist & Feist, 2009). Now a day the definition of personality has little to do with observable behavior, as describe through traits and characteristics. Traits entail an individual´s behavior over timeand characteristics explain things like a person´s temperament, intelligence, and physique. Personality is now considered to be “…a pattern of relatively permanent…show more content…
shame and doubt. “Children who successfully complete this stage feel secure and confident, while those who do not are left with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt” (Cherry, 2013) If a child can learn things like going to the bathroom and what to eat, he or she eventually develops security. If not, he or she might be an insecure adult in the future. There have been several studies that led to the creation of the 5 factor theory of personality. McCrae and Costa were the first to relate this theory to lifetime personality development. These factors are the following: 1. Extraversion: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness. 2. Agreeableness: This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. 3. Conscientiousness: Common features of this dimension include high levels of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details. 4. Neuroticism: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and…show more content…
. “Three assumptions underlie this principle. First, that people build identities by making psychological commitments to social institutions in the form of social roles, such as work, marriage, family, and community” ( Roberts, 2004). When a person decides to get married, he or she is no longer single, thus his or her identity changes. Second, “social roles come with the own set of expectations and contingencies that promote a reward structure that calls for becoming more socially dominant, agreeable, conscientious, and less neurotic” ( Roberts, 2004) . This when an adult realizes when to choose his or her fights. He or she is more confident and probably has realized that life changes constantly and it is very hard to control. A third and finally principle states “that the dominant pattern of role investments seen in quasi-universal tasks of social living, such as developing a career and career identity, helps explain the normative patterns of personality change that result from role investments” ( Roberts, 2004). Becoming a parent can be an example of this. When an adult becomes a parent there is traditionally a change in personality which has to do with the emotional investment that

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