Personality is the unique way in which each individual thinks, acts,

and feels throughout life.

Personality should not be confused with character, which refers to
value judgments
made about a person’s morals or ethical behavior; nor should it be
confused with
temperament, the enduring characteristics with which each person
is born, such as irritability or adaptability.
Temperament is based in one’s biology, either through
genetic influences, prenatal influences, or a combination of those
influences, and forms
the basis upon which one’s larger personality is built. Both character
and temperament
are vital parts of personality, however. Every adult personality is a
combination of temperaments
and personal history of family, culture, and the time during which
they
grew up (Kagan, 2010).
There are four traditional perspectives in personality theory:

• The psychodynamic perspective had its beginnings in the work of Sigmund Freud and still exists today. It
focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality. This perspective is also heavily
focused on biological
causes of personality differences.

• The behaviorist perspective is based on the theories of learning as discussed in

Chapter Five. This approach focuses on the effect of the environment on
behavior.

• The humanistic perspective first arose as a reaction against the psychoanalytic

and behaviorist perspectives and focuses on the role of each person’s conscious
life experiences and choices in personality development.

• The trait perspective differs from the other three in its basic goals: The psychoanalytic,
behaviorist, and humanistic perspectives all seek to explain the process
that causes personality to form into its unique characteristics, whereas trait
theorists are more concerned with the end result—the characteristics themselves.
Although some trait theorists assume that traits are biologically determined,
others make no such assumption.
TRAIT THEORIES- CATTELL, ALLPORT
Trait theories endeavor to describe the characteristics that make up human
personality in an effort to predict future behavior

Trait a consistent, enduring way of thinking, feeling, or behaving.

Raymond Cattell (1990)
defined two types of traits as surface traits and source traits. Surface traits are like
those found by Allport, representing the personality characteristics easily seen by
other people.
Source traits are those more basic traits that underlie the surface
For example, shyness, being quiet, and disliking crowds might all be surface traits
related to the more basic source trait of introversion, a tendency to withdraw from
excessive stimulation
However, many researchers felt that Cattell's theory was too
complicated and Eysenck's was too limited in scope. As a result,
the five-factor theory emerged to describe the essential traits that
serve as the building blocks of personality. Today, many
researchers believe that there are five core personality traits.1

Evidence of this theory has been growing for many years,

beginning with the research of D. W. Fiske (1949) and later
expanded upon by other researchers including Norman (1967),
Smith (1967), Goldberg (1981), and McCrae & Costa (1987).

The "big five" are broad categories of personality traits. While

there is a significant body of literature supporting this five-factor
model of personality, researchers don't always agree on the exact
labels for each dimension.
The Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) Questionnaire (Cattell, 1995)
based on just 16 source traits
Costa and McCrae proposed these five traits
As shown in the table, these five trait dimensions can be remembered by using
the acronym OCEAN, in which each of the letters is the first letter of one of the five
dimensions of personality.
• Openness can best be described as a person’s willingness to try new things and be open to new
experiences. People who try to maintain the status quo and who don’t like to change things would score
low on openness.
• Conscientiousness refers to a person’s organization and motivation, with people who score high in this
dimension being those who are careful about being places on time and careful with belongings as well.
Someone scoring low on this dimension, for example, might always be late to important socialevents or
borrow belongings and fail to return them or return them in poor condition.
• Extraversion is a term first used by Carl Jung (1933), who believed that all people could be divided into
two personality types: extraverts and introverts.Extraverts are outgoing and sociable, whereas introverts
are more solitary and dislike being the center of attention.
• Agreeableness refers to the basic emotional style of a person, who may be easygoing,friendly, and
pleasant (at the high end of the scale) or grumpy, crabby, and hard to get along with (at the low end).
• Neuroticism refers to emotional instability or stability. People who are excessive worriers, overanxious,
and moody would score high on this dimension, whereas those who are more even-tempered and calm
would score low
ATTITUDE &
BEHAVIOUR
AFFECTED BY
PERSONALITY

WHAT IS AN
ATTITUDE
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire
knowledge, and use resources effectively in adapting to new
situations or solving problems- Wechsler 1965
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
It is the awareness of and ability to manage one’s own emotions as
well as the ability to be self-motivated, able to feel what others feel,
and socially skilled.
The concept of emotional intelligence was first introduced by Salovey and Mayer
(1990) and later expanded upon by Goleman (1995). Goleman proposed that
emotional intelligence is a more powerful influence on success in life than more
traditional views of intelligence. One who is emotionally intelligent possesses
self-control of emotions such as anger,impulsiveness,and anxiety.Empathy,the
ability to understand what others feel,is also a component,as are an awareness of
one’s own emotions, sensitivity, persistence even in the face of frustrations, and
the ability to motivate oneself (Salovey & Mayer,1990).
FIVE COMPONANTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELIGENCE

Self-Awareness
This is the ability to recognize and understand ones moods, motivations, and abilities. Also understanding the effects they have
on others. Goleman says to achieve a state of complete self-awareness, an individual must be able to monitor their emotional
state and identify their emotions. Traits that prove an individual as emotionally mature include: confidence, the ability to laugh
at ones self and their mistakes, and the awareness of how you are perceived by others.
Example: By reading the reaction of someone else, you know how you are perceived by them.
(Goleman)

Self-Regulation
This is the ability to control ones impulses, the ability to think before you speak/react, and the ability to express yourself
appropriately. Goleman defines emotional maturity in this component as being able to take responsibility for your actions,
being able to adapt to change, and the ability to repond appropriately to other peoples irrational emotions or behavior.
Example: If someone is screaming at you, you know that they are not always angry at you. You have the ability to understand
they may be angry at a particular situation and feel they need to take it out on someone. You do not take this personally or
react angry back.
(Goleman)
Motivation
This is having an interest in learning and self-improvement. It is having the strength to keep going
when there are obstacles in life. It is setting goals and following through with them. Goleman would
define an emotional mature
individual in this category to have traits such as having initiative and the commitment to complete
a task, and having perseverance in the face of adversity.
Example: One who chooses internal motivation driven goals instead of exterior motivation driven
goals. Internal motivation driven goals are things such as earning a college degree or becoming a
healthier person; things that show self improvement. Exterior motivation driven goals are things
that flaunt wealth or status. This is setting goals such as having the next newest and nicest car.
Example: If a student fails a class, they see this as an opportunity to learn and retake the class
without self doubt. They do not let failure get in the way of their goal.
(Goleman)
Social Skills
This is the ability to pick up on jokes, sarcasm, customer service, maintaining friendships and
relationships, and finding common ground with others. Goleman states that emotional maturity in
this component defines someone who has good communication skills, good time management, the
ability to be a leader or manage a group of people, and the ability to resolve difficult situations or
conflicts using negotiation or persuasion.
Example: Someone in a "boss" position usually has a good grasp on handling all different types of
personalities. If two of their employees are having a conflict, they can find common ground and
resolve the issue in a civilized and fair manner.
(Goleman)
Empathy
This is the ability to understand other peoples emotions and reactions. Empathy can only be
achieved if self-awareness is achieved. Goleman believes that one must be able to understand
themselves before they can understand others. Emotional maturity in this category includes people
having traits such as perception of others, being interested in other peoples worries and concerns,
the ability to anticipate someones emotional response to a problem or situation, and the
understanding of societies norms and why people act the way they do.
Example: Being able to understand cope with someone elses hardships or sadness. When you fully
understand yourself and why you feel the things you feel, you can understand other peoples even if
they are different than you.
(Goleman)
Key Differences Between IQ and EQ
• An individual’s level of emotional intelligence, which is represented by scores obtained in the
standardized test, is called Emotional Quotient or EQ. Intelligence Quotient or IQ is a number
obtained from standardised intelligence test, which represents an individual’s ability of logical
reasoning.
• A person’s success in school depends on his IQ level, whereas a person’s EQ level reflects his
success in real life.
• EQ measures an individual’s social and emotional competencies or one’s ability to recognise
one’s own and other person’s emotional expression. Conversely, IQ measures a person’s
academic competency and reasoning ability.
• Emotional Quotient is acquired and improved. As opposed to intelligence quotient is an ability
you are born with.
• A person with good EQ can recognise, control and express one’s own emotion’s, perceive and
assess other’s emotions. On the contrary, a person with a high IQ can learn, understand and
implement knowledge, and possesses logical reasoning and abstract thinking.
• High emotional intelligence can be seen in leaders, captains, managers and people with social
challenges. Unlike, Intelligence quotient identifies people with high intellect, common sense,
mental challenges, etc