MEANING:

 The term personality is derived from the Latin word persona,

which means mask.

 For a layperson, personality generally refers to the physical or

external appearance of an individual. For example, when we find
someone ‘good-looking’, we often assume that the person also has
a charming personality.

 Rather than looking at parts of the person, personality looks at

some aggregate whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. In
psychological terms, personality refers to our characteristic ways
of responding to individuals and situations.
DEFINITIONS OF PERSONALITY
 Personality is the result of what we start with and what we
have lived through. It is the reaction mass as a whole – J.
B.Watson 1919

 A man’s personality is the total picture of his organized

behaviour, especially as it can be characterized by his
fellow men in a consistent way – Dennell 1937

 Personality is the sum total of an individual’s behaviour in

social situations. Behaviour include not only overt acts but
inward feelings produced by social situation – Trainer
TYPES OF PERSONALITY
 CJ Jung classified individual into two psychological types –
introvert, extrovert, and ambivert was added later on, as all
individuals could not be fitted in only these two types
FACTORS AFFECTING PERSONALITY

 Heredity

 Family background

 Nature of people with whom we interact

 Culture

 Environment

 Situation
1. Heredity:
Some characteristics of our behaviour are genetic,
which we inherit. Some of the traits like physical height,
slimness, dexterity, intellectual capacity, ability to learn,
logical power, etc. are also inherited. All these have a
significant influence on our behavioural patterns.
 2. Family background:
The socio-economic status of the family, education of
the parents, and other family members shape the
personality of an individual to a considerable extent. In
fact, family members themselves try to influence the
behaviour of children in a desperate attempt to personify
their own values, roles, etc.
3. Nature of people with whom we interact:
People influence each other and such influences shape
the personality. For this reason, we often say that one’s
personality is constantly evolving and is shaped
throughout one’s life.
4. Culture:
 Culture shapes our personal values and
predispositions. It is the unique characteristic of a
social group. The values and norms shared by its
member’s sets it apart from other social groups. The
essence of culture is the collective programming of
the mind.
 5. ENVIRONMENT
 The environmental factors that exert pressures on
our personality formation are culture in which we
raised, our early conditioning, the norms among
our family, friends, social groups, social
interaction, etc that we experience.
6. SITUATION
 An individual’s personality, although generally stable and
consistent, does change in different situations. Situations seem to
differ substantially in the constraints they impose on behaviour.
Some situations (e.g., employment interview) constraints many
behaviour; other situations (e.g., a picnic in a public park)
constrain relatively few.
IMPORTANCE OR ROLE OF PERSONALITY IN
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION:

 1. The extension worker should get into deep study of

knowing the capacities, types and traits of the personalities of
his clients (farmers) with whom he has to work in order to
plan and educate them. This also helps the extension worker
to select a suitable farmer for a certain purpose.

 2. The study of personality of the people enables extension

worker to judge and follow the method of guiding, by
selecting suitable teaching method. This enables the
extension worker to properly plan the programmes to advise
the farmers for desirable changes in rural communities.
 Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s
behavior.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The Big Five Model

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
A personality test that taps four characteristics and
classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types.

Personality Types
• Extroverted vs. Introverted (E or I)
• Sensing vs. Intuitive (S or N)
• Thinking vs. Feeling (T or F)
• Judging vs. Perceiving (P or J)
 Extroverted vs. Introverted

Extroverted individuals are outgoing, sociable, and assertive. Introverts are quiet
and shy.

 Sensitive vs. Intuitive

Sensing types are practical and prefer routine and order. They focus on details.
Intuitive rely on unconscious processes and look at the “big picture”.

 Thinking vs. Feeling

Thinking types uses reason and logic to handle problems. Feelings types rely on
their personal values and emotions.

 Judging vs. Perceiving

Judging types want control, and prefer their world to be ordered and structured.
Perceiving types are flexible and spontaneous.
Personality Structure (The “Big Five” Traits)
Characteristics of a person
Dimension
Scoring +vely on the dimension

Extroversion Outgoing, Talkative, Sociable,

Assertive

Trusting, good natured,

Agreeableness
Cooperative, softhearted

Dependable, responsible,
Conscientiousness
Achievement-oriented

Emotional Stability Relaxed, Secure, Unworried

Openness to Sensitive, Intellectual,

Experience Imaginative, Broadminded 4–13
 Major Personality Attributes Influencing OB

Achievement orientation
Authoritative

Self Esteem
Locus of
Personality Traits
Control

Risk taking

Machiavellianism

Self-Monitoring

Introverts/
Extroverts

Type A & B
Locus of Control
The degree to which people believe they
are masters of their own fate.

Internals
Individuals who believe that they
control what happens to them.

Externals
Individuals who believe that
what happens to them is
controlled by outside forces
such as luck or chance.
Degree to which an individual is pragmatic, maintains
emotional distance, and believes that ends justify
means.

“If it works, use it” is consistent with a high-Mach

perspective.

Conditions Favoring High Machs

• Direct interaction
• Minimal rules and regulations
• Distracting emotions
 People with a high-Machiavellian personality:

-- Approach situations logically and thoughtfully.

-- Are capable of lying to achieve personal goals.

-- Are rarely swayed by loyalty, friendships, past

promises, or others’ opinions.

-- Are skilled at influencing others.

-- Try to exploit loosely structured situations.

-- Perform in a perfunctory or detached manner in

highly structured situations.
 People with a low-Machiavellian personality:

-- Accept direction imposed by others in loosely

structured situations.

-- Work hard to do well in highly structured

situations.

-- Are strongly guided by ethical considerations.

-- Are unlikely to lie or cheat.

Self-Esteem (SE)
Individuals’ degree of liking
or disliking themselves.

Self-Monitoring
A personality trait that measures
an individuals ability to adjust
his or her behavior to
external, situational factors.
 High Risk-taking Managers
 Make quicker decisions
 Use less information to make decisions
 Operate in smaller and more entrepreneurial
organizations
 Low Risk-taking Managers
 Are slower to make decisions
 Require more information before making decisions
 Exist in larger organizations with stable environments
Personality Types
Type A’s
1. are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly;
2. feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place;
3. strive to think or do two or more things at once;
4. cannot cope with leisure time;
5. are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in
terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire.

Type B’s
1. never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its
accompanying impatience;
2. feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements
or accomplishments;
3. play for fun and relaxation, rather than to exhibit their
superiority at any cost;
4. can relax without guilt.