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HOW IS PERSONALITY

DEVELOPED?
There are various schools of
thought that provide
explanation to the
emergence of certain
personality attributes and
personality disorder.
The first one is the
psychoanalytic theory
advocated by Sigmund Freud.
This theory is anchored on the
premise that man’s
development is conditioned by
his past experiences,
particularly during the formative
years of life.
 Psychoanalysts consider a healthy,
pleasant experience during childhood
as most conducive to the
development of an emotionally stable
and mature personality. Conversely,
the growth of a child in a traumatic,
unpleasant atmosphere particularly
with parents, guardians, siblings, and
peers conditions the development of
personality disorders.
 Studies in Psychology reveal that a person
passes through various stages of
development.
 It starts with infancy to childhood, then
puberty, adolescence and adulthood. The
last stage is the state wherein the
individual becomes fully mature in all
respects – physically mentally,
psychologically and emotionally. Crucial to
the development of a mature personality
is the satisfaction of varying needs and
demands in every stage of a person’s
growth.
 During infancy, the need for attention and
acceptance is most dominant. As the child
grows, his needs are centered on
recognition, affirmation and appreciation.
Then upon reaching puberty and
adolescence, he will experience a strong
need for autonomy – freedom to make
decisions and to act for oneself, without
being dictated needs in each level of
growth leads to what is termed as
“fixation”, a situation which often results to
obsession.
This means an insatiable craving
for unsatisfied needs like love,
attention, recognition and
autonomy. This obsession are
carried over to the adult life. One
can find an adult who loves to
complain or make unsolicited
remarks or argue in an effort to
win attention or recognition.
 Abraham Maslow supported the Freudian
concept that needs satisfaction is crucial for
the healthy development of personality. He has
however a different version of what these
needs are and he placed them in a hierarchy.
 The basic need is physiological or survival need
– food, clothing, shelter, sex, etc.
 Next basic need is the safety need (include
protection, freedom from fear, etc.), then the
social need to belong, to be accepted,
 followed by the esteem need which is
associated with recognition, affirmation.
 The highest need is self actualization,
where the person finds fulfillment and
actualization in the exercise of his
potentials and capacities.
 Another point of emphasis in Maslow’s
theory is the role of motivation in
conditioning behavior. He contends that
man’s behavior is moved by certain
motives. Thus, one can better understand
a person’s behavior by looking into the
inner motives that trigger responses to
people and events.
The Humanistic theory of
personality recognized the
significant influence of past
experiences in the development of
personality but it placed greater
emphasis on the “meaning” that
people attribute to the experience or
event in their life. It is not the
experience per se that makes or
unmakes the person.
 Rather it is the meaning that people
attribute to this experience. This “
meaning” is influenced by the person’s
perceptions or paradigms.
 Victor Frankl, who was an advocates of
the Humanistic theory was a witness to
the significant effect of paradigms to a
person’s life. He experienced one of
the worst torture at the Prison camp
during the Nazi regime in Germany.
Positive thinking will bear positive
feelings and positive behavior.
 Stephen Covey, in his book “Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People
highly supported the writings of
Carl Rogers and Victor Frankl as
he emphasized the need for
paradigm shift as the starting
point for behavioral change.
KEYPOINTS ON PERSONALITY
DEVELOPMENT
In summary, personality is said
to be a product of the
combined hereditary
characteristics transmitted
through the genes (heredity)
and acquired, learned
characteristics through the
socialization process.
 Individuals with biological deficiencies can still
grow up with a pleasing personality if they are
helped to discover and make good use of their
hidden talents, provided the opportunities for
self actualization and consequently develop self
confidence and self esteem.
 This fact has been attested by the success
stories of blind but famous singers – Stevie
Wonder and Jose Feliciano as well as many
other handicapped people who became famous
and successful.
 Likewise, people blessed with pleasing
biological features and even high
intelligence may not necessarily end up
with superior personality.
 Aside from biological handicaps and
negative influences of the environment,
certain events and experiences in the life
of a person may bring about fears,
insecurities and negative attitudes that
handicap him from developing a healthy
personality and healthy relationship.
 The “meaning” that a person attributes to
events in his life is conditioned by his
pardigms, beliefs, and values. This in turn
determines his decisions.
 Many young people and adults have lost
meaning in their lives and choose to rut
and stagnate after undergoing a series of
crisis in life. And worst of all they blame
other people for the misery which they
themselves created and perpetuated.
THE END!!!

THANK YOU AND GOD


BLESS!!!   

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