Personality, Theories of Personality

1. Prepared by Ms. Shery Asthana
Asst. Prof. (Greater Noida Institute
of Management)

2. Personality
• The word personality is derived from a Greek word “persona” which
means “to speak through”. Personality is the combination of
characteristics or qualities that forms a person’s unique identity.
• Personality is the fundamental and foremost determinant of
individual behaviour. It seeks to integrate the physiological and
psychological facets of an individual to put them into action.
Personality consists of an individual’s characteristics and distinctive
ways of behaviour.
• Personality is how people affect others and how they understand and
view themselves, as well as their pattern of inner and outer
measurable traits and the person situation interaction.

3. Theories of Personality
Over time, researchers have developed a
number of personality theories and no theory
is complete in itself. The theories of
personality can be conveniently grouped
under four heads:
• Psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud
• Trait Theory
• Self Theory
• Socio- Psychological Theory

4. Psychoanalytic Theory of Sigmund Freud
• According to Sigmund Freud, human personality is complex and has more than a
single component. In his famous psychoanalytic theory, Freud states that
personality is composed of three elements known as the id, the ego, and the
superego. These elements work together to create complex human behaviours.
The Id
• According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary
component of personality.
• The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth.
• This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes instinctive and
primitive behaviours.
If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension.
For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt
to eat or drink.
This behavior would be both disruptive and socially unacceptable. According to Freud,
the id tries to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle through the use
of primary process thinking, which involves forming a mental image of the desired
object as a way of satisfying the need.

5. The Ego
• According to Freud, The ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of
the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world.2
• The ego functions in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.
• The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.
The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's desires
in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and
benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses.
The Superego
• The last component of personality to develop is the superego.
• According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.
• The superego holds the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire
from our parents and society (our sense of right and wrong).
• The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.

6. Trait Theory
• This theory based on the assumption that a person’s personality is primarily based
on his traits. Therefore by looking at one’s traits , a fairly good idea about his
personality can be made.
• A trait may be termed as any attribute, characteristics, variable or feature of
persistent nature which is visible in one’s thinking and acting. Every individual has
a number of traits but all the traits are not found in all the persons. Moreover, the
penetration or depth of a trait vary person to person.
• Gordon Allport and Raymond B. Cattell have done pioneering studies for Trait
Theory.
• Allport has based his study on ‘Common Traits’ and ‘Personal Dispositions’.
• He has Classified the common traits in six categories:-
PASTER
1. P-Political
2. A- Aesthetic
3. S- Social
4. T- Theoretical
5. E- Economic
6. R - Religious

7. • These categories of traits are present in different degrees or
quantities in a person which he has termed as personal
disposition. The Personal Disposition of traits in quantitative
terms has been classified at three levels
1. Cardinal (Most Pervasive)
2. Central (Unique & Limited in number) and
3. Secondary ( Peripheral or irrelevant)
Cattell (The Scientific Analysis of Personality) has group the
traits in two categories-
1. Surface traits:- refers to those traits which are visible on the
surface of one’s personality.
2. Source traits:- refers to root or basic traits which generate
surface traits.

8. Self Theory
• Self theory assumes that a person himself shapes his personality – i.e., an individual’s
personality is primarily based on himself.
• In simple words, means how one perceives about one’s merits and demerits in his own eyes
and through others eyes.
• In other words, it is evaluation of one’s plus and minus points by himself and others.
• Acc to Rogers, self concept is an organised consistent, conceptual composed of perceptions
of ‘I’ or ‘Me’ . He has presented the following 4 aspects of the self concept-
– Self Image
– Ideal Self
– Looking Glass Self
– Real Self
Self Image:-
▪ It means what one perceives what he/she is.
▪ Every person has a view point about himself. Thus, the total picture of one’s plus and
minus aspects in his own perception is his self image.
▪ It may be good or bad or a mixture of two.
▪ Self image has an important bearing on oneself – as you think , so you become.
▪ It is convinced at the time of birth itself and develops with the growing of age.
Cont…….

9. Ideal Self:-
▪ Ideal self means what one perceives what he should be.
▪ Thus, self image is the realistic position whereas the ideal self is the
idealistic position – i.e., where one perceives he is and where one
perceive he should be.
▪ Generally there is difference between the two. A manager can encash this
opportunity by offering such incentives to the staff which may help them
to reach nearest to their ideal self.
▪ Social factors play important role in the formation of ideal self.
Looking Glass Self:-
▪ Looking glass self means what one perceives what others perceive about
him – i.e. what he feels what others feel about him.
▪ If an executive perceives that his boss is favourable to him, good rapport
may develop between them or vice- versa.
▪ The formation of looking glass self is also a continuous process which is
primarily based on social interaction.
Cont…..

10. Real Self:-
▪ Real self means what one really is.
▪ The other three concepts are the perceptions of the
concerned person which may be true or false. However, the
real self is the hard reality.
▪ A manager is more concerned with the real self of his
employees because it ultimately affects the productivity.

11. Socio- Psychological Theory
• This Theory emphasises on the important role played by
society in forming personality of a person.
• According to this theory, a man tries to meet the needs of the
society and in return the society facilities the man to meet his
needs.
• The interaction between the society and the man is the
foundation of a person’s personality.
• During this interaction a man learn a lot and accordingly
modifies his personality.
• Thus this theory assumes personality as the sum total of all
that a person has learned.