Personality Development Theories - Assignment Example

Personality Development Theories Introduction In this paper, the various models of personality development would be examined, along with elaborating on the aspect of assessment of an individual’s personality. For these purposes, firstly, a brief look will be had on the life of Charlie Chaplin - one of the greatest entertainers in the history of mankind! Subsequently, his characteristics would be analyzed from the perspective of the aforesaid theories of personality development. Lastly, an attempt will be made in measuring the personality of Charlie Chaplin, by applying the appropriate methods of personality assessment. The Life of Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin ranks amongst the leading stars of the initial era of Hollywood, who is equally renowned both for his on-screen antics, and also for his real life acts. In fact, he was nothing short of a demigod of the silent films! The immense popularity of the typical attire of Charlie Chaplin has not waned even to this day, and the same speaks volumes about the fact that he indeed is the greatest entertainer of all times. (1) (Amy Smith, 2010). Charles Spencer Chaplin, which is the original name of Charlie Chaplin, was born to Hannah (Hill) Chaplin and Charles, on April 26th 1889, in London. Both Hannah and Charles were performers in the avenue of music. Both of them parted ways sometime after the birth of Charlie Chaplin. Hannah attempted to eke out a living for herself and the young Charlie, by pursuing her singing career. But by stroke of sheer bad luck, she developed a problem leading to sudden breakage of her voice - a problem that could permanently damage the career of any singer! It was during these testing times that, once, a stage manager identified the latent talent in Charlie Chaplin, and hence gave him an opportunity for singing a popular score, on the stage. (1) (Amy Smith, 2010). During this particular phase of their lives, Charlie Chaplin and Syd Chaplin, his half-brother, both were compelled to struggle a lot, primarily because of Hannah’s sudden outbursts resulting from imbalanced mind. Both the boys relied on some workhouses and charity homes for the sake of survival amidst such compelling circumstances. In May 1903, Hannah was admitted into Cane Hill Asylum, where she stayed for the subsequent eighteen years, before Charlie relocated her to California. (1) (Amy Smith, 2010). During the initial stages of his acting career, Charlie was a part of various troupes and used to travel a lot for giving performances. His first break in movies happened when a famous director of comedies, of that era, Mark Sennett, gave Charlie a chance of working from Keystone Studios. The Studio was owned by Sennett himself. During his tenure with Keystone, Chaplin was a part of thirty five movies - both as a director and also a performer. In the year 1914, he discontinued his association with Keystone, and over the period of the next two years, he worked with Essanay and Mutual, making fifteen and twelve movies, respectively. By then itself, his on-screen image as a tramp having a disheveled look with a moustache resembling a toothbrush earned him global recognition. Probably, Charlie obtained the biggest break of his career in the year 1917, when he contracted with First National Studios. Owing to this, he subsequently was enabled to consolidate his position as a unique entertainer by building the Chaplin Studios. The success of Chaplin could be considered to have reached its culmination, when he partnered with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith, and established UA (United Artists). (1) (Amy Smith, 2010). Despite the phenomenal success of Charlie Chaplin, his life was marred by too many scandals and controversies, all of which have been successfully withstood by him, and that too in the midst of highly hostile circumstances. It could be inferred that he came out of almost all of those with renewed strength, and the same speaks volumes of the determination and the iron-like willpower present in this man with a small frame! In the year 1940, Charlie Chaplin’s movie, “The Great Dictator”, in spite of the controversy surrounding it, turned out to be a huge blockbuster. In the year 1952, the Government of France made Chaplin an Officer of the Legion of Honor, recognizing his phenomenal contribution as maker of films. Two decades later, he was bestowed the Academy Award. Charlie Chaplin had a total of four marriages, and was a father to eleven children. Even after amassing huge wealth, he always chose to reside in very humble dwellings, with the same focusing on his down-to-earth attitude! Finally, owing to natural factors, he breathed his last on December 25th 1977. But even to this day, his movies are continuing to entertain the people spread across the Globe. (1) (Amy Smith, 2010). Personality Development Models – Analysis of Charlie Chaplin’s Personality The focus of this paper would now shift to analyzing the personality traits of Charlie Chaplin, from the perspective of various models of personality development. Psychoanalytic and Neoanalytic Theories: The psychoanalytic theories are propelled by the primary approach maintaining that, the overall personality of an individual is strongly determined by several subconscious factors, of which the individuals are unaware at the conscious level. These theories argue that all these factors result from various experiences of an individual, especially those pertaining to the early part of life. Also, it is stated that the diverse subconscious factors keep conflicting with the corresponding aspects of the conscious level. Globally renowned psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were staunch adherents of these personality models, though there are some minor variations in their interpretations. (2) (Past and present views on personality, n.d., p.23). The personality of Charlie Chaplin can be conveniently analyzed and interpreted, by using this particular model. The model of Psychoanalysis emphasizes that many experiences an individual has in the early part of their life are permanently imprinted in their subconscious plane, and that, all the future actions are propelled predominantly by these very unconscious memories. Even from a superficial glance at the life of Chaplin, it is but obvious that he endured many hardships as a young day. These very unpleasant experiences left an indelible mark on his subconscious plane of thinking, and with the passage of time, the same ensured that Chaplin inculcated sheer determination and never-say-die attitude. Those experiences taught him that extraordinary mental strength is of utmost importance for survival in this heartless World! And these very personality traits are witnessed, when he successfully combats the numerous scandals and controversies, and emerges out of them with added strength. Even to this day, the realm of Psychology is immensely benefiting from the originally propounded models by the likes of Jung and Freud, for the modern-day Psychologists have designed many treatment procedures of mental ailments, based primarily on those earlier theories in the avenue (psychology). As a matter of fact, the practice of “Dream Interpretation” introduced by Sigmund Freud, is highly in vogue in the contemporary times, of course with some modifications. The apparent disadvantage of the psychoanalytic model is that, it gives excessive importance to the subconscious, whereas, in all likelihood, an individual’s personality is influenced also by many factors at the conscious level. (3) (Mega Essays LLC, 2010). Psychosocial Theories: The proponents of this model, while admitting the relevance of the Freudian theory of the subconscious, have added some more key aspects to their theories. These theorists maintain that individual ego is more vital than the subconscious, and add that, relationships beyond the confines of one’s own family are important determinants of the overall personality. The psychosocial model states that several cultural and social parameters play a pivotal role in the overall personality development of a person. (3) (Mega Essays LLC, 2010). Another famous psychologist of the bygone era, Erik Erikson, emphasized on the psychosocial perspective of personality development. He included many socio-cultural factors into his pattern of personality analysis, all of which were excluded from the Freudian Theory. Erik propounded an eight-stage personality development theory, wherein; an individual acquires new traits in each stage resulting directly from various surrounding cultural and social factors. (4) (Businessballs.com, 2010). The psychosocial analysis of the personality of Charlie Chaplin throws light on some highly interesting facets. During his struggling days, he had countless interactions with various sections of the society, seeking greener pastures. Charlie associated himself with many renowned persons for establishing himself in his chosen sphere. He met with both pleasant and also unpleasant experiences, and each of these experiences went a long way in strengthening the two diverse traits in him - determination and humility. For instance, the unpleasant happenings further fuelled his never-say-die attitude, and the pleasant events that showed him the positive side of the World, made him realize the importance of the virtue termed as humility. This very humility is reflected by the fact that, even after becoming wealthy, he chose not to reside in lavish homes. Likewise, the determination is evident by the way in which Charlie faced various scandals with a predominantly tranquil approach. The psychosocial analysis, despite effectively interpreting the traits of Charlie, is yet insufficient to give a totally precise explanation of his characteristics, by its own. For this purpose, a near-perfect blend of the Freudian perspective of the subconscious and the psychosocial approach is needed. A more comprehensive analysis is possible only by the method based on the aforesaid combination of the two models. Genetic and Biological Approaches: The theories based upon these approaches strongly argue that development of personality is chiefly determined by various genetic and biological factors. They (the theories) also add that external parameters are not that relevant in determining a person’s overall personality. The adherents of this approach maintain that environmental factors just enable the already present biological forces in an individual to grow, and that they (environmental factors) by themselves do not influence personality traits. (5) (Net Industries, 2010). Except in one aspect, and that too only till some extent, this biological-oriented pattern fails to appropriately analyze the personality of Charlie Chaplin. The above exception includes the genetically inherited trait in him - small stature! This particular biological feature, though not exactly a handicap is yet potentially sufficient to make a person develop inferiority complex. But Charlie didn’t allow that to happen, and instead, by his determination and willpower, transformed his very diminutive frame into a one that continues to enchant the Globe, even to this day. Cognitive, Behavioral and Social Learning Theories: The social learning theories focus on the relevance of following behavioral patterns resulting from observing people and happenings, and without entirely depending on unguided actions. These theories state that many modes of behaviors are a direct outcome of various social interactions and other environmental parameters. Key facets such as attention, retention and reinforcement, among others, are included in these theories. (6) (A.Bandura, ND). Even Carl Jung strongly emphasized on the prominence of cognitive processes such as intuition and rational thinking, in the overall development of a person’s personality. In fact, Jung even added that, in the absence of this learning process, the subconscious factors would keep an individual away from the facts, and make them have misconceptions deviating from the factual reality (7) (Past and present views on personality, n.d., p.66). Based on the social learning theories, a very good interpretation can be provided of Charlie Chaplin’s personality. Undoubtedly, right from his childhood, Charlie learnt many things about life by a meticulous observation of people and events in his proximity. And the same played a major role in his eventual success, where he attained the stature of an icon. It could be stated that, all his traits like determination, perseverance and humility, etc, are attributable also to the cognitive process in his mind, along with other factors discussed earlier. Humanistic Theories: All these theories are guided by the fundamental conviction that, essentially, the entire mankind is good. This humanistic perspective also gives topmost importance to the aspect of revering all human beings. The humanistic approach states, the present is of more relevance than both the future and the past, and that individuals are fully responsible for their actions. These theories emphasize that mere existence as a human being itself is a noteworthy factor, and add that genuine happiness is possible solely through self-knowledge and self-improvement. This particular humanistic based pattern was first followed by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, two leading psychologists from the US. (8) (Heffner Media Group Inc., 2004). This method, driven by the humanistic perspective, gives a good analysis of few characteristics of Charlie Chaplin. The virtues of humility and simplicity were very much present in Charlie, even when he was surrounded by affluence. This could be attributed to the ever-present humane side of his personality. During his childhood, Chaplin was supported by some charity homes, and even later in life when he was struggling to establish himself, there were people who helped him. All this contributed to the development of his personality in a manner so as to enable Charlie to strive in the direction of self-knowledge and self-improvement. Charlie Chaplin- Pros and Cons of Applying the Personality Theories At this juncture, it needs to be conceded that, a highly appropriate analysis and interpretation of Charlie Chaplin’s personality traits is possible, only when all the aforesaid theories are jointly used. The life of Charlie involves so many events, experiences, traumas, etc, that, when an attempt is made to interpret his personality by applying only one theory, just partial success can be displayed. In another words, when one of the above models, all alone, comes out with an analysis of his personality, it needs to be candidly admitted that, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The personality of Chaplin is the result of the sum total of all the experiences that he had, since his early years. It (personality) includes traits resulting from the childhood events that got imprinted on his subconscious plane. Likewise, it is also noted that the social and cultural factors surrounding Charlie led to both development of new traits, and also strengthening of the existing ones. Similarly, a careful study of his life throws light on the fact that; Chaplin also adhered to the aspects of social learning and humanistic approach, for attaining the phenomenal success. It can be hence concluded that an accurate interpretation of Charlie’s personality is possible when all these different approaches are used in combination. Measurement of Personality There are several tests of personality assessment, but owing to paucity of space, just a few would be dwelled upon in this paper, along with relating them to the personality of Charlie Chaplin. TAT (Thematic Appreciation Test): In this test, some unclear images are shown to the person, and they are asked to comment or weave a story based on them (images). Based on the person’s response, an assessment is made of their overall personality. The TAT subtly focuses also on the various subconscious factors, of which the individual is unaware. If Charlie Chaplin is made to take this test, his answer to it would effectively focus on the high levels of optimism and determination that are undoubtedly a significant part of his personality. (2) (Past and present views on personality, n.d., pp.36-37). Extroversion and Introversion: Another method of personality is a small questionnaire, where, based on the individual’s answers, it is assessed whether they are extroverts or introverts. The questions encompass the aspects of energy levels, speaking and listening, multi-tasking, etc. It could be stated without hesitation that, if this questionnaire is given to Charlie, his response would invariably speak about high levels of energy, being more of a speaker than a listener, and ability to handle multiple tasks at a time, to cite a few. The reason for this being the fact that he indeed was an extrovert and this very trait played a key role in his success. (9) (PersonalityType.com/LLC, 2010). Intuition and Common sense: There is another set of questions, which help to determine whether a person relies on intuition, or on common sense and their own experience. Generally, successful people rely more on logic than intuition! The responses that Charlie Chaplin would give for these queries will emphatically focus on the fact that, he is a highly practical person who prefers to rely mainly on logic and common sense, rather than on intuitive thoughts. (9) (PersonalityType.com/LLC, 2010). There are many more tests for personality measurement, all of which cannot be elaborated in a brief paper such as this one. But it can be undoubtedly maintained that, even if Charlie Chaplin is made to undergo all of those, the basic pattern of all his responses would be the same- it is the pattern that speaks volumes about all his noteworthy traits such as never-say-die attitude, optimism, determination, humility, and fighting spirit, among many others. SOURCES 1) Amy Smith, 2010. Biography for Charles Chaplin. Retrieved from imdb.com/name/nm0000122/bio. 2) Past and present views on personality. (n.d.). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing. 3) Mega Essays LLC, 2010. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory. Retrieved from megaessays.com/viewpaper/8533.html. 4) Businessballs.com, 2010. Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. Retrieved from businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm 5) Net Industries, 2010. Personality Development- A Biological Perspective on Personality Development. Retrieved from social.jrank.org/pages/474/Personality-Development-Biological-Perspective-on-Personality-Development.html. 6) A. Bandura, ND. Social Learning Theory. Retrieved from tip.psychology.org/bandura.html. 7) Past and present views on personality. (n.d.). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing 8) Heffner Media Group Inc., 2004. Personality Synopsis. Retrieved from allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/humanistic.html. 9) PersonalityType.com/LLC, 2010. Take our Free PersonalityType.com Assessment. Retrieved from personalitytype.com/career_quiz. Read More