Personalities or Identity

Introduction to Personalities What is Personality? It can be defined in different ways, depending on whether we focus on the individual or on people in general. Defining personality depends upon our perspectives on human nature. If you believe that people are biological machines driven by their genes, their brains, and their environments, then personality is simply due to variations in temperament or programming. But, if you believe that people can consciously change and improve themselves to some extent, then personality includes character: a set of strengths and virtues (as well as weaknesses and vices) which we can consciously develop throughout life. If we focus on people in general, then we can define personality in terms of individual differences — that is, the range of different styles of thinking, feeling and acting. Just as human beings can differ a great deal in terms of their physical traits, they also differ in terms of mental and behavioral traits. For example, some people are noticeably talkative and outgoing while others are quiet and reserved. Such differences and variations are seen everywhere throughout the human population. If we focus on the personality of a specific individual, we can define it as that person’s particular set of enduring dispositions or long-term tendencies to think, feel and act in particular ways. We’re not talking about specific actions being repeated again and again, but about overall patterns, tendencies, inclinations. Someone who has tended to be quiet and reserved up to now will probably still tend to be quiet and reserved tomorrow. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are compelled to be quiet and reserved at all times. Rather, they are disposed to being quiet and reserved more often than not. Personality traits play a big role in decision making. Some people are, by their very nature, indecisive. They find it quite difficult to make most decisions. Other people make decisions way too quickly without considering all the consequences. Our personalities play a crucial role when we make decisions because as much logic as we put into our decisions, our personality will always affect the way we make choices. Combined with maturity and experience, individual personality is an inevitable factor, but proactive self-awareness can help us weigh how much our decision-making process are influenced by our individuality. Depending upon where we are in our day before choosing to read this book, we've likely made dozens, if not hundreds, of decisions. From the super simple to the exceedingly complex, our brain has been humming away on all sorts of options and potential consequences. Sleep in or work out? Oatmeal or donuts? What to wear, read, watch, or do today? Decision-making is multiply-determined, meaning many forces are at work simultaneously. Our personality traits and factors combine with our values, needs and motivation as we navigate the world of decisions every day. Our "style" will inform us whether we approach decisions rationally or emotionally, impulsively or cautiously, spontaneously or deliberately. If we have daring and adventurous components to our personalities, we may find that we are quick, even impulsive in making decisions versus our analytic counterpart that may need to contemplate every angle before weighing in. Some of us make decisions to uphold a particular internal standard, ethic or value. Others make decisions in order to reduce anxiety or to enhance self-esteem and/or the potential for closeness or distance from others. For those who are strongly guided by pleasure-seeking and instant gratification, decision-making often lacks rational judgment and instead is often impulsive.