Personality Development - Essay Example

?Running head: Psychology Personality Development Insert Insert Grade Insert 25 June Genetic inheritance and experienceare the primary parameters that influence the overall development of an individual. Genetic inheritance offers the natural predisposition that determines a person’s behavior, conduct and personality through the passage of genetic materials (from parent) to child. Experience, on the other hand, represents the nurturing and upbringing an individual obtains from society or family that predisposes them to certain patterns of thought and behavior. Under normal circumstances, personal development occurs at the backdrop of genetic predisposition as well as experience. Though it is difficult to identify the degree to which the two concepts affect development, it is obvious that the combination of experience and inheritance sums up the overall personality of any individual. As a result, in psychology, the best approach towards understanding the personality and track the development of an individual is through examining the genetic history and personal experiences. The only notable difference between inheritance and experience is the aspect of implication whereby nature or inheritance set the framework upon which personal growth and development takes place; however, it is the experiences or nurturing that actually produces the meaningful change in a person’s growth trajectory (Myers, 2007). Motivation is a crucial factor in personal development in the sense that each individual is motivated by something in their pursuit for growth and development. Several theories of motivation exist, which endeavor to cover the aspect of motivation in personal development. Personality is the core parameter in development because the growth of a person, which follows the aspects of nature and experience, occur on a personality that represents the very traits and qualities of an individual. Stress management refers to the approach taken by any individual in handling the pressures of life; stress management is of great effect on individual personality. Personality has a lot of bearing on an individual future success endeavors. As an individual, I have developed over time through the influence of experience more than inheritance. Therefore, in spite of the fact that inheritance has been of great impact to my development, generally the nurturing I have received ever since I was a child has been of great influence in determining my personality, behavior and perception of life. As Myers (2007) opines, personality is natural, and it is inherited from parents through genetic predisposition. Therefore, my personality echoes the traits that I inherited from my parents. However, over a period of time, I have undergone several changes in personality owing to my numerous life experiences that have altered the way I conduct myself. Personality changes are more or less brought about by environment and experiences through which people learn and unlearn certain behaviors that constitute their personality (Myers, 2007). In essence, it is very much possible to change your personality on the grounds of personal experiences that help an individual to effect upon their lives and chose to make certain changes in their personality. According to Myers (2007), certain changes in personality and nature of a person are automatic through the process of living in which an individual interacts with different environments, circumstances, ideas and experiences that contradict the person’s natural (inherited) perception of life and reality. Such changes occur without consciousness and an individual gradually realizes that they have changed in their personality in line with their respective experiences. In view of the experiences and circumstances that constitute my nurturing, I have adjusted to become a slightly different person from my inherited personality. This represents the actuality that my experiences have had a greater impact on my development than my natural or genetic inheritance. As an individual, I am motivated by need and achievement; these are the two components that motivate me to indulge in the activities of life as a person. I am motivated by my needs to work hard so as to fulfill them; these needs are physical, social and psychological which form the basis of my drive to participate in the events of life. Subsequently, my great passion for success and achievement offers great motivation for me both internally and externally. Internally my drive to meet my needs and achieve success gives me the impetus to indulge in activities of life with a sense of reward in my mind, which motivates me to be enthusiastic about life. Similarly, the reward of meeting my social, psychological and physical needs along with the status of being successful are my sources of external motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy theory suitably describes my approach towards life in the sense that the theory provides for a hierarchy of needs that develop in succession (Myers, 2007). The five needs include physical, social, safety, status and self actualization. These needs occur piecemeal and only after the fulfillment of one stage of needs does the other arise. Accordingly, I approach life through a succession of priorities in the form of needs which range from the most basic, luxuries and a sense of fulfillment. Personality is described as one's distinguishing pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. Despite the fact that people may have similar paths in learning, development, and perceiving, personality is their unique variation on general human nature (Myers, 2007). There are several theories of personality that describe the manner in which personality traits develop and influence a person’s behavior. Trait theory of Hans Eyesenck presumes that personality can be categorized along the lines of stable-unstable, as well as introversion-extraversion. According to Hans Eyesenck trait theory, traits develop in two ways; first is the social platform upon which a person’s inclination to interaction determines the kinds of features that they develop. Introverts are people with a high inclination to solitude and tend to shun social interactions. Such individuals develop individualistic characteristics of self-centeredness. On the contrary, extroverts are people with an immense drive for social interaction and develop interpersonal traits with a high intensity. Similarly, emotional stability is another arena of trait development in accordance to Hans Eyesenck’s Trait theory through which an individual personality can be described as stable or unstable depending on the temperaments. Eyesenck’s Trait theory of personality describes the variations from one person to another through the diversity of traits found in the different personalities of people. Therefore, in accordance to the theory, people are differentiated by the divergent characteristic features found in the personalities. For instance, extroverts are distinct from introverts because extroverts have traits that endear them to social interaction and communication whereas introverts have personality features that are closed to social communication and are individualistic in nature. On the other hand, people’s personalities can be described by the theory as being stable and unstable; stable personalities have characteristics associated with calm temperaments while unstable personalities possess traits that are linked to changing temperaments. As a result, the theory of traits distinguishes different personalities through the relevant traits that determine personality characteristics that are unique from others. In essence, the theory is founded on the distinctiveness of personality which states that every person has a unique personality from others. I have a high self esteem and I perceive myself highly from a personal and social perspective. This has been contributed by my upbringing through which I experienced parental love and grew up to be a confident person. The theory of traits addresses the issue of self-esteem through the paradigm of characteristics that denote self esteem and affect overall personality of an individual. Stress management has been a great challenge for me in my life due to the natural challenges of life that create stress. However, I employ several psychological techniques in managing stress, but the major approach that I apply is through the constant activity that erases the possibility of idleness. Through keeping myself busy, I handle the stress associated with my life. As Myers (2007) contends, psychological distraction is a proven technique of dealing with stress through which individuals occupy their minds with another subject to avoid ruminating over a stressful thoughts or circumstances. Thus, by keeping my mind busy I avoid focusing on the stressful situation making it possible to avert the destructive tendencies of stress. Stress management has a lot of influence on a person’s personality and in most cases determines an individual’s personality (Myers, 2007). Evidently, my style of stress management affects my personality in the sense that it alters the way I behave and operate in virtually everything. For instance, my busy approach for stress management has made me very aggressive, proactive and practical thus adding certain traits to my overall personality. In overall, my stress management still has redefined my personality through the additional connotations of stress management. On the basis of my personality, I can project future success (both in career and general life) owing to the clear understanding of my personality type along with the necessary experiences that have taught me the true essence of life. Being social, aggressive, and proactive and determined I got the potential to maneuver especially in my career. The proper understanding of a person’s personality is the key ingredient in the person’s success because it offers the individual the required knowledge for purposes of career decision making (Myers, 2007). Therefore, my future is bright and I can foresee great things in store for me in the coming years. Currently, I am in a business career where I am practicing by abilities in search for wider opportunities for career advancement. In essence, I started my career two years ago after concluding my university education and I have learnt a lot about myself and career choice ever since I joined the profession. I am not stable in my career because my endeavor is to be an employer in the IT business. Already, I have made several connections and headways in search for excellence and I am quite sure that in the next five years my dream will come true. My personality has bestowed me with leadership and organizational qualities that have enabled me to succeed in the many endeavors that I have undertaken in my career. Basically, I need to make certain changes in order to change my fortunes and achieve my career dream. First and foremost, I need to learn more social attributes that are necessary in managing people because I intend to be a business leader in the future. Currently, I am still poor in people management owing to my authoritative personality. Therefore, I require working on my social skills, communication, interaction and collaboration. Such changes ought to be reflected in my personality if I endeavor to make great successes in my business career. Without particular personality changes, it is impossible to achieve successes in career and other areas of life. Reference Myers, D.G. (2007). Psychology, 9th Edition. New York: Worth Publishing. Read More