Personality+Psychology

As the name suggest, personality psychology investigates human personality. Personality is a set of characteristics such as; behaviors, patterns of thoughts, and feelings that differentiate individuals. This branch of psychology examines those feelings, behaviors, and trains of thought that make people unique. Personality psychologist look at individual’s patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in an effort to determine what makes them unique and alike.

Personality psychology as a discipline aims at understanding people in a holistic approach. The discipline was concerned with the problem of human motivation as well as individual differences. Researchers try to determine what makes individuals different as well as what makes them alike. Many questions are studied in the discipline of personality psychology. Whether or not individuals were active or reactive (in terms of action/behavior) as well as whether or not people were optimistic versus pessimistic are questions studied. The discipline also aims to answer questions of whether personality is shaped by nature or nurture, and freedom versus determinism are other questions studied in the field of personality psychology.

The discipline of Personality Psychology began to develop in the 1930s. The Journal of Character and Personality was one of the first journals to display Personality research in 1932. The journal combined American and English research on individual differences in people and German experiments on character. Allport is recognized as the first to express a vision for the field of personality psychology and the first to place it within the context of modern and historic scholarship in social sciences.

Sigmund Freud used a psychoanalytic theory to explain personality. Freud believed that early childhood experiences shaped personality, and that it was primarily established by the age of five. Freud holds that personality develops in a series of stages when the libido becomes focused on erogenous zones. Stages of Freud’s psychosocial development include; oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latent period and genital period. If children are able to complete the stages successfully they develop healthy personalities, if not they develop fixations. Erick Erickson is another prominent psychologist who had a theory of personality. He believed that personality developed in stages and was largely influenced by social factors. A major element of the psychosocial stages in his theory was the development of ego identity, which is the conscious sense of the self we develop through social interaction. Stages for personality included; trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. How individuals progressed thought these stages largely influenced their personality. The “Big Five” in another theory of personality. Data from this theory began with D.W. Fiske in 1949 and has grown with the help of researchers like McCrae and Costa, and Goldberg. Fiske and the other psychologist believe that personality is based on five major characteristics. Extraversion is associated with sociability and agreeableness is related to prosocial behaviors. Conscientiousness individuals are often congenial and organized while, neurotics are often emotional and temperamental. The fifth trait, openness, often deals with adventurous and easy-going individuals.