International Journal of Social Science and Human Research

ISSN (print): 2644-0679, ISSN (online): 2644-0695

Volume 07 Issue 01 January 2024
DOI: 10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i01-49, Impact factor- 6.686
Page No: 368-372

Concept of Personality and Factors Affecting the Formation’s

Personality
Dr. Pham Thu Trang
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Vietnam

ABSTRACT: In this article, we explain personality theorical problems arrcording to Marxist’s view. Personality is understanded
related to action characterist different from individual such as a member of social. Personality has historical – social nature.
Personality is cultural – spiritual measure level of human. Personality isn’t natural. It was born and developed in long process,
associated with growth and development’s person by education, practical action, interaction between people and people. By action
and communication, people awared own’s elevation and worth in social relation system. Then, people become subject of social
relation.
KEYWORDS: personality, formation’s personality, human, people

INTRODUCTION
As research subjects in many social sciences and humanities, personality has been considered a topic by both the East’s thinkers
and the West’s thinkers from many different aspects: psychology, sociology, ethics, law, etc. In the 70s - 80s of the twentieth
century, in the world there were many trends in personality research in psychology which were formed and developed widely in
many countries. Which trend did personality research follow, experimental or theoretical? If it is a theoretical trend, whether to
choose marxist or non-marxist theories as the basic theoretical foundation..., has been discussed by researchers. The research was
discussed very interesting on academic forums. In Vietnam, at that time, the term "personality" was not widely used in daily life,
but personality research was studied by many authors such as Pham Hoang Gia, Hoang Xuan Hinh, Do Long... . They discussed
directly and specialized in philosophy journal in the 1970s of the 20th century. The authors had focused on discussing and debating
the basic contents of personality issues such as: the nature of personality, the formation and development of personality, the
formation and structure of personality... Although these opinions were still inconsistent, the authors agreed on choosing Marxist
philosophy as the theoretical basis for explaining personality issues. After that, in order to responding the requirements of building
the country, people must have more broader understanding about the issues of building new general people. The personality issues
have appeared less frequently in philosophical forums, and then, the personality issues were mainly considered in psychology,
ethics, and sociology. In the last twenty years, personality research has received more attention from new differently aspects, many
state projects on personality have been carried out. And these projects have achieved significantly results. However, the real
problems of personality as well as the personality research still give out many unexplained problems that require continued research
and consideration

RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISSCUSSION

The concept of personality in the marxist philosophical perspective
The term “personality” had its origin from Ancient Latin “persona”. The original meaning of this word is mask, refering to
the external appearance of an individual, it started from Totemism and the ancestral worship attitude of primitive people. However,
because personality is a complex concept, containing many layers of meaning, the original meaning of the word cannot convey all
the content that the concept of personality currently represents (both internal characteristics and qualities), personal qualities as well
as the individual's external appearance), therefore, later, the concept of personality was expanded. Up to now, there have been many
different definitions of personality. In 1937, Allport listed 50 typical definitions. Most current definitions have completely different
meanings than the original meaning.
The concept of personaltiy in marxist philosophy is closely associated with the idea of viewing humans as products of social
relations. Marx's sixth theses on Feuerbach is considered the key to understanding humans as a product of social relations, thereby
understanding personality as a perfect whole attached to the social attributes of each individual.

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Concept of Personality and Factors Affecting the Formation’s Personality
Marxist theory of personality is an open system, not closed. Based on dialectical materialism, historical materialism and the
achievements of specific scientific disciplines, Marxist theorists have continued developing it. Absorbing Marxist theoretical
perspectives on personality, with a deeper analysis of the nature of society, the nature of human actions and personality, L.X.
Vygotsky, A.N. Leonchiev, X.L. Rubinstein,... on the basis of that theoretical foundation, gave a more specific and profound
explanation to the issue of personality
Unifying in the understanding of the socio-historical nature of personality, A.N. Leonchiev said that: “Personality is a newly
psychological structure, formed in an individual's living relationships and transformed by that person's actions” (Leonchiev, 1989:
197) or “Personality is a rather late product of socio-historical development and individual human evolution” (Leonchiev, 1989:
202). X. L. Rubinstein emphasized: “Human personality in general is only formed through their relationships with others. It is only
to the extent that human relationshíp of human nature with others have been established towards me that I develop myself as a
person”(Political Academy , 1984: 57).
According to these perspectives, personality is understood as all aspects and social qualities of a person, formed and developed
through the social relationships in which that individual lives and actions. Personality, on the one hand, is the process of individual
socialization, the process of regularly adjusting one's behavior, the process of reflection, the process of self-assessment, and self-
awareness by individual to align with social standards and requirements. Personality then reflects the level of cultural and spiritual
development that society has achieved in the contemporary period. On the other hand, personality is the process of social
individualization, manifested through the individual's imprint, their role as a subject with unique individual, freedom and
characteristics of each person. Personality is considered a standard to evaluate achievements as well as shortcomings in the general
cultural development of individuals.
In Vietnam, today, there are many different understandings of personality. From the activity-value approach, Pham Minh
Hac says that: "personality is a system of person’s attitudes expressed relevance between the value level and value measure of person
with value level and value measure of community and society. The higher the compatibility, the greater the personality" (Pham, Le,
2004: 24). According to Le Duc Phuc, if we want to define personality’s concept, we need to note three basic premises of personality:
more or less uniqueness; Equivalence in the sense that even if changes are still identifiable and representation of good or bad values,
it also means dignity or worth through practical activities. Therefore, he said that: “Personality is a complex psychological structure,
including personal psychological attributes, formed and developed in life and activities, creating identity and determining the social
value of each person” (Pham, Le, 2004: 76). Meanwhile, Tran Trong Thuy believes that it is necessary to consider personality as a
system of socially significant characteristics that characterize an individual as a person of a certain society or community. According
to him, "personality is the entire set of psychological characteristics and qualities that determine the social values and social behavior
of individuals". Personality must be analyzed and evaluated at three different levels: the intrapersonal level, the extrapersonal level,
and the superpersonal level (Dao, 2007: 147).
The common feature of these definitions is that they tend to put social value as an element, an important part to evaluate and
determine personality. The level of social value of a personality is assessed as determining the social nature of that personality.
From personality psychology perspective, Nguyen Ngoc Bich says that: "personality is a system of individual’s social dignity
that represents the individual's internal qualities, relationships between that individual and the other individual, groups, society, the
surrounding world and the individual's relationship with work in the past, present and future” (Nguyen, 1998: 233)
Thus, in general, researchers agree with personality is not just the entire of characteristics or individual psychological
attributes, but personality is often understood as "human dignity". In other words, personality is "the social value of a conscious
person, including both psychosocial qualities and the values that his (or her) activities creating in society” (Philosophy, No. 4, 1986:
113).
In our opinion, Personality is total summary individual social qualities, give expression to HUMAN of each people in the
first of moral, culture, social side…Personality express direct or indirect in and through social relationship of each people.
Personality has been formed and developed in action process and communication with specific historical conditions and
circumstances.
Personality is primarily individual. But there is a real existence of community personality (class, nation ...). The action,
living conditions and development of each community characterize the personality of that community
Through this definition, the nature and typical characteristics of personality have been clarified. The definition not only refers
to the manifestations of personality on an individual level through moral, cultural, and social development, but also the systemic
nature of personality, clarifying the basis of personality, the mechanism of relationships between individuals in society which is
expressed through the process of human activity and communication with specific historical conditions and circumstances.
The definition affirms that personality is not only a system of individual social qualities but also expressed through common
values, representing the whole community (class, nation... ). In particular, the way of living, the conditions of existence and
development of each community determine the personality characteristics of that community
The definition also presents the mechanism of personality formation and development. People are not born as personalities
but "become" personalities. Personality cannot be formed without going through the process of activity and communication. To

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Concept of Personality and Factors Affecting the Formation’s Personality
develop individual personality, one must develop the individual's social qualities, the individual's relationships with the surrounding
world, with society and with personal tasks. The general capacity and professional capacity of individuals are formed on the basis
of these tasks. Personality as society's standard of evaluation for people, but it is closely tied to specific people as the social qualities
of the individual. Therefore, there is a distinction between the concepts of personality, individual, and person through this definition,
avoiding the tendency to biologicalize, psychologize, and socialize personality as many definitions have done.
Factors affecting the formation’s personality
Personality is formed through a long-term process of striving, training, and perfecting throughout life. In each different subject, each
period, stage, age, depending on the level and direction, personality’s development is different and occurs unevenly. The driving
force of personality development is the appearance of conflicts between the old and existing of the individual and the new
requirements of activities. But not all conflicts create development, only relatively mature conflicts can promote development.
Today, many scholars say that there are three basic factors that affect the formation and development of personality:
biological factors, environmental factors, and individual activities. However, there are also many authors who believe that, besides
the above three factors, personality formation is also influenced by factors such as educational environment, consciousness,
psychology, etc. The factors mentioned which determine the formation and development of personality are still a matter of debate.
Besides, there is also the opinion that the formation and development of personality at the most general level is determined
by two factors: external factors - social factors, social determinism and inside factors – personal’s positivity (Philosophy, No. 12,
2007: 59-65).
We believe that the formation and development of personality is influenced by many factors, but there are two basic and
overall factors. The first factor is biological factors that act as conditions and prerequisites for personality formation. The next factor
is social influences which are decisive factors in the formation and development of personality.
Biological factors are everything that arises, develops and operates in association with people's animal ancestors, what makes
people exist and work as an individual. In other words, it is the entire biological premise of human existence.
We believe that body's organization, such as the senses, central nervous system... are biological, physiological, and
psychological premises that are considered the physical basis and influence to human development. Reality has proven that physical
and genetic defects... have a significant impact on human development, their worldview, value orientation..., or their talents are
influenced by biological factors. Thus, in the process of personality formation, biological factors are the premise and conditions for
personality development, not the nuances of personality. Biological formation is just the building of the material basis for human
existence. In human research, we cannot overemphasize or absoluteize the role of biological or social factors. We must always
consider them in relation, in the unity, connection, and interaction between them together.
Social factors are everything that forms from the influence of different social conditions, due to social regulations that create
human individuals. These regulations are the product of the combination between the brain with the impact of the social environment
that creates the human consciousness, giving people the ability to perceive, have logical thinking, know how to make reasonable
and correct decisions, depending on each specific situation in a flexible way. The biological basis for creating social factors in
humans is the cerebral cortex, while the social basis for creating that factor is the social environment in which people live, learn,
work and communicate.
Humans are first of all the subjects of social activities, historical processes and cognition. A person is only formed as a
personality when in the social conditions, people operates in practice as a subject of social development and as the subject of its
own evelopment. In that process, each individual conducts an exchange of activities, receives social experience and knowledge, and
forms certain social and psychological qualities. The formation of social qualities does not take place naturally as inheriting one's
biological genetic characteristics, but people must acquire them through their efforts, through practical activities and through social
impact in personal life. In this process, each individual represents both the subject and the object of social and historical
development.
The reason people become personalities and have social qualities is they master the experiences that have been objectified
in the material and spiritual culture of society, in the form of objects as well as in methods working and social activities, in the forms
of social relations and communication. This experience is summarized through ways of thinking, through general and specific signal
systems capable of conveying a system of meanings typical for each society and its culture.
If you want to become personality, not only relying on circumstances and changing circumstances is enough, but also having
to be educated. Education is an indispensable social factor for the formation and development of human personality. Education is a
special activity, different from the random and spontaneous influences of the environment: it has a purpose, a plan, a program, and
uses forms and methods of impact based on the basis of science (Dao, 2007: 163).
Education in a general meaning includes school education, social education and family education. In particular, school
education is a process of specialized impact, not only providing students with basic, modern scientific knowledge, but also through
teaching to form students' abilities. and intellectual qualities, interests - cognitive needs, learning motivation... On the other hand,
education through forms of collective activities and public social activities are specific impacts that affect the development of moral

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Concept of Personality and Factors Affecting the Formation’s Personality
qualities of personality (moral tendencies, motivation, personality, lifestyle, skills, techniques...). Social education through books,
newspapers, movies, theater, radio, television, social communication... with healthy content is a positive impact supporting school
education. Although family education does not have a defined program, plan and content like school education; but organizing life
in a well-ordered family with building good relationships between parents and children, between family members of different
generations..., are the impacts contributes to creating the initial foundation of personality formation. In general, the right influences
will develop good personality qualities and prevent bad habits.
Education plays a huge role in forming and developing human personality, but it also needs to be affirmed that education is
not omnipotent and each individual is not passively influenced by education. Therefore, it is necessary to have appropriate
educational forms and methods, harmoniously coordinating social education, family education and school education to promote
potential and contribute to the formation of the future. people with really good personalities.
Along with education, in the process of forming and developing personality, people also participate in many communication
relationships. Communication is considered both a means of forming and strengthening the social nature in humans, as well as a
mechanism for absorbing social experience. The nature of communication is the process of interaction, information exchange,
mutual influence, and mutual awareness between individuals. That process will affect human activities and behavior, form moral
qualities of personality, and express human relationships. Humans will not be able to survive and develop without communication
with the surrounding world and the human community. The social environment is the direct source from which people absorb and
also draw out their ideas, knowledge, and experiences. The system of social relationships is not something abstract or strange, but
is created by humans themselves.
People are born and personality is only formed and developed in the process of social activities, in the multi-dimensional
relationship between individuals, family and society. In that process, people reach out to occupy objects that satisfy their physical
and spiritual needs. That process of domination takes place in the object activities that humans perform as subjects. When a person
is born, he is not yet a personality. There, he only has the potential of a human being to form a personality as the subject of perception,
activity, and society relationships.
When emphasizing the decisive role of the social environment, we must also affirm the positivity of humans in social life, in
the formation of their nature. Because, human personality is not formed passively but receiving the impacts of the environment
actively, therefore transforming it to suit one's own needs and purposes. At that time, the subject of object activity not only occupies
but also creates products of social-historical production, enriching the object world. That world is material culture and spiritual
culture, which contains scientific knowledge, skills, techniques, will, language, lifestyle,... that people through generations have
acquired in the product of their labor.
Thus, it can be said that the process of forming and developing personality is very complex. In that process, biological and
social factors influence each other differently and their roles always change depending on each specific person's stage of
development. Identify and evaluate the correct position and role of each factor to have appropriate educational and impact measures
to help the personality become more and more perfect and better, towards the highest values, is an important job, especially in
current conditions.

CONCLUSION
Nowadays, Vietnam is carrying out industrialization and mordernize rapidly, so, we need high knowledge of human resources for
this requests. On the other hand, rapid techonology science development and complexity of social - life make moral degeneracy,
worthless higher and higher. So, studying personality helps our knowledge more correct and orientation for full - harmony
personality’s formation and personality’s development in order to responding for our country development request. This is very
important and meaningful task. In this article, we have focused on clarifying the concept of personality, and also analyzed the factors
that impact the process formation and development of personality. We do not deny biological factors, nor do we absolutize social
factors, but acknowledge the appropriate role of both. Recognizing the role of factors in this relationship will avoid the mistake of
absolutizing one aspect or another in studying human personality.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thank VNU University of Social Science an Humanities (USSH), Hanoi for financing the Research Project number CS.2023.25

REFERENCES
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4) Cao, T. H. (2007). About personality formation. Philosophy, No. 12
5) Political Academy. (1984) (translated documents). Psychology - Theoretical foundations and methodology. Hanoi

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Concept of Personality and Factors Affecting the Formation’s Personality
6) Leonchiev A.N (1989) (Pham, M. H, Pham, H. G, Phạm, H. C translated). Activity, Consciousness, Personality.
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