What is personality according to Sigmund Freud - Essay Example

?Answer No Personality is the combination of characteristics and behaviors of a person, which he/she exhibits while interacting with other people.Every person has a set of different behaviors and patterns of thoughts that distinguish him/her from others. We analyze behaviors of a large number of people around us. The focus of the analysis is on the behaviors, attitudes, and mindset of a person, which he/she shows in dealing with other people. The analysis of personality also helps us determine the workplace behaviors of a person. There are different types of personality theories, which help us understand the causes of different workplace behaviors. Psychodynamic approach to measure human behavior is one of those approaches. “Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, and emphasize the influence of the unconscious on personality” (Cherry n.d.). The psychodynamic approach emphasizes on the significance of human unconsciousness. This theory states that early life experiences of an individual’s life shapes his/her personality and puts a deep impact on the behaviors of that individual. In case of workplace behaviors, a person exhibits all such behaviors, which he/she has learned from experiences. The negative point regarding psychodynamic approach is that it does not help the researchers predict human behavior properly. Some other weaknesses include lack of empirical support and lack of generalized results. This theory also reveals that all workplace behaviors of a person have some reason. A person knows what he/she is saying and doing at any point of time at the workplace. Every person has a purpose behind every action and behavior. Sometimes a person wants to express his/her viewpoint in front of other employees and sometimes he/she wants to influence others. The workplace behaviors of a person largely depend on the personality of that person. Stable and well-structured personality ensures acceptable workplace behaviors whereas negative personality promotes negative set of behaviors. Workplace behaviors, as all other types of behaviors, usually originate in the state of unconsciousness and have some reasons. According to psychodynamic approach to understanding personality, a person does nothing without any reason or motive. All positive and negative behaviors have their origins, which lead to the display of different behaviors at different situations. Another assumption associated with psychodynamic approach is that the workplace behaviors and actions of a person have a close relationship with his/her childhood experiences. What a person experiences in childhood becomes a part of his/her memory, which is not easy to forget. If a person experiences ethical behaviors, he/she will show similar workplace behaviors, whereas poor experiences lead to the violent behaviors and actions. For example, if a person gets love and care in the childhood, he/she will show care towards his/her work. On the other hand, if a person does not get required level of attention and love in childhood, he/she shows poor workplace behaviors, such as, rudeness, unethical actions and offensiveness. Therefore, we can say that childhood experiences of a person play a considerable role in shaping his/her personal and professional behaviors and actions. As compared to psychodynamic theory, trait theories focus individual differences. Ewen (2003, p. 273) states, “Trait theory depends too heavily on circular reasoning”. This theory is more close to the measurement of personality development and suggests that an individual’s personality is a combination of different traits, which makes exhibit different workplace behaviors. Trait theories help us identify and assess individual personality traits to develop and idea about the behaviors that a person can exhibit at the workplace. Although trait theories help in distinguishing people based on individual traits differences, but they do not help in identifying the causes of such traits in individuals. On the other hand, psychodynamic approach helps in identifying the causes of different behaviors that a person shows at the workplace. It is true that personality of an individual plays a critical role in the identification of workplace behaviors. Strauser, O’Sullivan and Wong (2010) state, “Work personality appears to be an important construct related to individual's confidence to meet the contextual demand of the work environment”. A person having a pleasant personality always exhibits positive workplace behaviors. He/she never deceives anyone and tries to keep the peace at the workplace. On the other hand, a person having negative personality always tries to influence others. Such people do not care about others and think about their own interests all the time. They do not respect the viewpoints of others. Their attitude makes workplace atmosphere miserable, which consequently affects the overall productivity of the company. Answer No. 2 Learning is a process of obtaining knowledge through different kinds of experiences. Aul (2008) states, “Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skill through education and experience”. One can never deny the importance of learning in bringing change in an individual’s behavior. Learning means to acquire knowledge through different experiences and incidents, which an individual comes across during the span of life. An individual cannot express emotions and behave in an appropriate manner without learning different types of behaviors. Learning theories also stress that behaviors form through experiences, and it is not possible for an individual to shape his/her behavior in a positive way without experiences. Learning is a process, which makes a person perfect in all fields of life. We can take an example of a country’s laws that the government implements to make the citizens live their lives accordingly. Laws ensure the progress of a nation. They are the solutions to all types of political and social issues. All citizens need to respect the laws in order to live a peaceful and systematic life. If a person breaks a law, the law-enforcing department of the country punishes that person for breaking that law. The punishment acts as a process of learning for a person and he/she never tries to break that law again in life. Learning plays its part in all aspects of an individual’s life, such as, education, social interactions, decision-making, and professional life. Thompson (n.d.) states, “Learning is therefore important because it helps us to keep in tune with trends and developments in our own field”. In education, learning is an ongoing process. A child starts learning from an early age in school and keeps on learning different behaviors and emotions, which he observes. Learning those behaviors and emotions are necessary for a child in order to survive in society in a proper way. Education is another word for learning because it makes us aware of different things, which we do not know. Teachers make us view life from different angles and strengthen the process of learning. We get awareness about different subjects in schools and express the acquired knowledge in different social and professional environments. Learning also improves social interactions in an effective manner. People learn different behaviors and expressions from the people around them and make use of those behaviors while interacting with other people. Effective social interactions need a deep knowledge of all requirements of effective communication. When a person has knowledge of the way to communicate effectively with other people, he/she does not find any difficulty in improving his/her social interactions. A person can never interact properly with other people without having the knowledge of effective communication skills. Learning also helps people progress in their professional lives. A person interacts with other people, such as, colleagues and managers, and acquires the knowledge that helps that person progress in the professional career. “A new employee who wants to be successful on her/his job is likely to look for someone who is successful and in high regard and then attempt to imitate that person’s behavior” (Fox 2006, p. 38). Learning also helps people improve their decision-making abilities. A person cannot take correct decisions without having the required amount of knowledge because decision-making needs a person to have knowledge of all aspects of a situation. Learning injects knowledge in the mind of a person, which helps him/her take correct decision regarding any matter. Learning is an intangible process. “Our ability to learn and our intellectual capacity are intangibles” (Aul, 2008). Although learning is an intangible process, but it is one of the greatest assets for any individual because it updates the knowledge about different aspects of life as well as helps an individual grow and progress in life. Proper growth and development of an individual requires proper knowledge of all positive and negative aspects of life. Aul (2008) asserts, “Learning is vitally important because it helps us make informed choices about our own lives and the societies that we live in”. Learning is a normal and ongoing activity just like eating, sleeping, or any other daily life activity. A person continues to learn different behaviors and attitudes whole day. When a person experiences something inspiring, it makes him/her adopt a positive behavior. On the other hand, when a person experiences something hazardous, it puts a negative impact on the mind of that person. Learning is a process, which makes people improve their personal and professional lives in an appropriate manner. People learn precious knowledge from different experiences and apply that knowledge in carrying out daily life activities. Therefore, we can say that learning is truly the acquisition of precious knowledge, skills and abilities through different levels of education and daily life experiences. Answer No. 3 Findings for Importance of Pay Pay plays a critical role when deciding whether we should do a job or not. The reason is that money helps people buy all those things that they desire. It is impossible for a person to get anything of use without money. As the result of the current economic recession, prices of everything have gone high making it difficult for a low-earning person to fulfill the necessities of life. People are aware of the importance of pay in the present world. A person is nothing without a job, which could help him/her live a successful life. A high-paying job is the only way for a person to lay the foundation of a successful life. For this reason, young graduates apply for such jobs, which can earn them a high amount of money. Finding for Importance of Personal Autonomy Personal autonomy is imperative in work motivation. Motivation to do hard work increases when a company provides individual freedom and independence to the employees. Independence and freedom to raise the viewpoint is one of the most motivating factors at the workplace. People like to work for the companies, which can provide them with complete personal autonomy. Relationship between Pay, Personal Autonomy and Motivation Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivation theory that involves human motivation towards fulfillment of needs that people experience in their lives in a defined order. Nobilis (2011) states, “The motivation is very important factor necessary for performance and goals achievement”. There are five levels in the hierarchy of needs, which the theorist has categorized into deficiency needs and self-actualization needs. The needs in the bottom four layers are the deficiency needs whereas the fifth layer is the stage of self-actualization, which involves personal growth and development. A person cannot fulfill the needs of the bottom four layers without money. Maslow showed that the motivation for different needs occurs systematically. When a person meets the basic needs, he/she plans to achieve other goals. The fulfillment of the first two layers of needs depends directly on the amount of money that a person has to fulfill those needs. The first layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes physiological needs. A person needs to drink, eat, sleep and breathe in order to survive. People do not struggle for other needs without meeting these needs because health of person comes before anything else. “Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met” (Cherry n.d.). Therefore, these are the most critical needs, which people want to fulfill at any cost. The second layer includes the safety and security needs of a person. People want to be secure financially as well as physically. Financial needs mean to have a proper job or a profit generating business. On the other hand, physical security needs mean shelter and personal security. Third layer in the hierarchy of needs includes social needs. People need to interact with their people in the society to form relationships. No one wants to be isolated in the society. Isolation adversely affects the psychological development of a person. Everyone wants to have some friends, relatives and sexual partners to get some love and affection as well as to participate in all kinds of social and religious activities. Therefore, people try to meet their social needs upon achievement of the physical and financial security needs. Fourth layer of needs in the hierarchy includes personal worth and esteem. People want autonomy, admiration and respect. Self-esteem and self-respect are two of the basic elements of life, which increase the level of confidence of a person. This layer of needs is imperative because it makes a person progress in the society. Social recognition is one of the main aspects of this level of hierarchy. People want to become a high profile figure in the society because it makes them feel proud, valued and appreciated. Fifth or the last layer of hierarchy includes the need of self-actualization. This layer has direct association with the need of personal autonomy for a person. At this level of needs, a person does not worry about food or shelter, rather keeps the focus towards progressing to the highest level of life. Struggle of a person goes beyond the struggle for food, shelter, relationships and respect at this stage. Cherry (n.d.) states, “Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential”. Analyzing Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and its relationship with the importance of money and personal autonomy, we can say that pay and personal autonomy are two of the biggest motivating factors, which hold critical importance in the life of a person. Answer No. 4 Before going into the discussion regarding barriers to communication, let us get a better understanding of what communication is. Communication is the transfer of information that takes place between two or more people. It is the exchange of words, symbols or expressions between people. If we talk from organizational perspective, communication is a process that takes place between the employees, managers, and customers of a company. Workplace communication is somewhat different and more formal as compared to normal communication. It is imperative for the employees and the managers of a company to possess excellent communication skills in order to strengthen their working relationships because negative attitudes and poor communication skills put adverse effects on the professional progress of employees as well as on the company. There exist some barriers to effective communication, which managers need to overcome in order to ensure effective workplace communication. Barriers to interpersonal communication mean those hurdles or difficulties that affect the process of effective communication. These barriers affect the communication process by preventing the messages from reaching the desired end. Some of those barriers include language barrier, interruptions, perceptual barrier, physical barrier, poor listening skills and lack of feedback. Let us discuss these barriers in some detail in order to get a better understanding of how they affect the process of workplace communication. We will also discuss the way a manager can overcome these communication barriers. Language Barrier Pillai (2010) states, “Inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and receiver is the greatest barrier to effective communication”. This barrier arises when a language of communication is not understandable by some people involved in the process of communication. Garner (n.d.) states, “Language that describes what we want to say in our terms may present barriers to others”. Language barrier also arises due to semantic gap, which arises when a person makes use of such words or expressions, which have different meanings in different cultures. As the manager of a company, I will ensure the use of such language, which every employee should understand. I will eradicate the use of such language, which can make communication between the employees and the managers ineffective. Poor Listening Barriers to communication arise when some of the employees are not ready to listen and the presenter starts presenting his/her ideas. In such situations, people do not understand the idea properly resulting in making the communication process unproductive. As a manager, I will train my employees to improve their listening and communication skills. I will ensure a friendly workplace environment where employees will not feel any difficulty in presenting their ideas confidently to the managers. Physical Barrier Physical barrier arises when employees have no physical access to each other and they communicate using telephones and emails. Some of the main types of physical barriers include uncomfortable locations, physical appearance of the communicators, closed office doors, and noise. As a manager, I will take steps to overcome physical barriers by ensuring communication processes to take place at suitable locations and by implementing rules to do formal dressing during meetings and presentations. I will also ensure silence at the workplace so that employees do not face any difficulty in interacting with each other. Lack of Feedback Another barrier to effective workplace communication is the lack of feedback that the people involved in communication process should receive. Feedback makes the presenter aware of the credibility of his/her ideas. The process of communication is one-way without proper feedback. Because if a presenter will not get feedback from the audience, he/she will never know the way the audience will be perceiving his/her ideas. Feedback plays an active role in the process of communication as it helps people do meaningful communication. Feedback makes the process of communication continuous and productive. As the manager of a company, I will teach my employees the outcomes and benefits of feedback in making the communication process effective and productive. I will take steps to make communication effective by encouraging my employees to give proper feedback to every idea that a person presents. Summing it up, I would say that effective workplace communication is a key to success for any company in today’s competitive market. Employees need to communicate effectively because ineffective communication, expression of unacceptable attitudes and behaviors, and communication misunderstandings can lead a company’s way to many problems. References Aul, K 2008, The Importance of Learning, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Cherry, K n.d., Hierarchy of Needs, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Cherry, K n.d., What Is Personality, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Ewen, R 2003, An Introduction to Theories of personality, 6th edn, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey. Fox, W 2006, Managing Organisational Behavior, Juta & Co. Ltd, Cape Town. Garner, E n.d., Seven barriers to Great Communication, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Nobilis, L 2011, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Pillai, M 2010, Barriers to Effective Communication, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Strauser, D, O’Sullivan, D & Wong, A 2010, ‘The relationship between contextual work behaviours self-efficacy and work personality: an exploratory analysis’, PubMed, vol. 32, no. 24, pp. 1999-2008. Thompson, N n.d., The Importance of Learning, viewed 04 March, 2012, . Read More