Basic Concept Of Personality

Personality

 Does Personality include –  Eternal appearances and behaviour

 The inner awareness of self permanent organizing force and

as

a

 The particular organization of measurable traits, both inner and outer.

Definition of Personality

It is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.

Personality The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. Personality Traits Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior.

Major Determinants of Personality  Biological Factors  Heredity  Brain  Physical features  Cultural Factors  Family Factors  Social Factors  Situational Factors

Theories of Personality

 Intrapsychic Theory  Type Theories  Trait Theories  Self-Theory and  Social Leaning Theory

Intrapsychic Theory

The components Personality:Id Ego Superego

of

Intrapsychic Theory

Superego Ego

conscious

(Conscience Ego ideal)

(untamed passion, sex instincts, Biological urges, aggressive and destructive Impulses.

preconscious

Unconscious Id

Freud’s conception of the Personality Structur e

Level of consciousness

Characteristics

Id

Unconscious

Primitive component containing the sexual instincts, biological urges, aggressive and destructive impulses. Source of the libido. Operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification. Impulsive, amoral, and selfish.

Ego

Largely conscious Partly unconscious

Logical, rational component, which functions to satisfy the id’s urges and carry our transactions in the real world. Acts according to the reality principle

Superego Both conscious and unconscious

The morale component, consisting of the conscience and the ego ideal. Sets moral guidelines, which limit the flexibility of the ego.

Defence Mechanisms

 Repression  Projection  Denial  Rationalization  Regression  Reaction Formation  Sublimation

Type Theories A. Sheldon’s Physiognomy Theory  Sheldon identifies three body types  Endomorph  Mesomorph  Ectomorph

Body type

Behavioural temperament

Endomorphy

Softness and spherical appearance; highly developed abdominal area; underdevelopment of bone muscle etc.

The endomorphic type of individual usually has a love for comfort, eats heavily, likes to be around people and desires affection. He is even tempered, shows a relaxed posture, reads showily, and is tolerant of others, and easy to get along with others. He prefers to be led than to lead.

Mesomorphy

Hard and rectangular physique with a predominance of bone and muscle; strong, tough and injuryresistant body; well equipped for strenuous physical demands.

The mesomorphic individual likes physical adventure and risk-taking. He needs muscular and vigorous physical activity. He is aggressive and insensitive toward others. He tends to be noisy and courageous; he desires action, power, and domination. He is athletic and seeks outdoor activity.

Ectomorphy

Linear and fragile; flat chest and delicate body; usually thin and light-muscled.

He displays restraint, inhibition, and desire for concealment. He tends to be distrustful of people. He works well in closed areas. He reacts over quickly, sleeps poorly, and prefers solitude when his mind is troubled. Also he prefers not to attract attention to himself. Typically, he is anxious, ambitious, and dedicated.

The BIG FIVE Personality Traits or FIVE FACTOR MODEL (FFM)

Core Traits

Descriptive characteristics of High Scores

Conscientiousness

Dependable, hardworking, organized, self disciplined, persistent, reasonable

Emotional stability

Calm, secure, happy, unworried

Agreeableness

Cooperative, warm, caring, good natured, courteous, trusting

Extraversion

Sociable, outgoing, talkative, assertive, gregarious

Openness to experience

Curious, intellectual, creative, cultured, artistically sensitive, flexible and imaginative

Those with extraversion are likely to be successful in sales and management as a whole. Those with high agreeableness become successful in public / customer relations and HR particularly in conflict handling.

Study indicates that those with high conscientiousness have high level of performance

Those with a strategic management style are characterized by conscientiousness and openness to experience.

Those with a strong interpersonal management style are characterized by extraversion and openness to experience.

In today’s workplace, groups / team are becoming more important. The Big Five Traits are also predictive of team performance.

Higher the average score of team members higher is the performance of the team.

Carl Jung’s Extrovert-introvert Theory:He believed that a person can be typed into either

1. Extrovert Or 2. Introvert based on two mental processes:b. Perception & c. Judgment

Jung then further divided perception into: 1. Sensing &  2. Intuition  AND Judgment into: 1. Thinking  2. Feeling

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)

Where do you get your energy ? • Extraversion (E)

• Introversion (I)

• • • •

• • • •

Outgoing Interacting Speaks, then thinks Gregarious

Quiet Concentrating Thinks, then speaks Reflective

Where do pay attention to and collect information on? • Sensing (S)

• Intuiting (I)

• • • •

• • • •

Practical Details Concrete Specific

General Possibilities Theoretical Abstract

How do you evaluate and make decisions ? • Thinking (T)

• Feeling (F)

• • • •

• • • •

Analytical Head Rules Justice

Subjective Heart Circumstance Mercy

How do you orient yourself to the outside world ? • Judging (J)

• Perceiving (P)

• • • •

• • • •

Structured Time oriented Decisive Organized

Flexible Open ended Exploring Spontaneous

• The combination in four major dimensions yield 16 types. • As example: An ESTJ personality is “Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging.” • This type of person will interact with others (E), sees the world realistically (S), make decisions objectively and decisively (T) and likes structures, schedules and order (J) – he is a good manager.

• MBTI is used by numerous companies such as AT &T, Exxon, Honeywell, HP and others in selection as well as MDP.

MyersBriggs Sixteen Primary Traits

Locus of Control 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.

Self-Esteem and Self-Monitoring 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.

Risk-Taking • 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 2. Are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly; 3. Feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place; 4. Strive to think or do two or more things at once; 5. Cannot cope with leisure time; 6. Are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire. Type B’s 2. Never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its accompanying impatience; 3. Feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements or accomplishments; 4. Play for fun and relaxation, rather than to exhibit their superiority at any cost; 5. Can relax without guilt.

Personality Types Proactive Personality Identifies opportunities, shows initiative, takes action, and perseveres until meaningful change occurs. Creates positive change in the environment, regardless or even in spite of constraints or obstacles.

Values Values Basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence.

Value System A hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s values in terms of their intensity.

Importance of Values • Provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors of individuals and cultures. • Influence our perception of the world around us. • Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong.” • Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others.

Types of Values –- Rokeach Value Survey Terminal Values Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a person would like to achieve during his or her lifetime.

Instrumental Values Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving one’s terminal values.

Trait Theories

A. Gordon Allport’s Personality Traits  Allport identified two main categories of traits: Common traits and  Individual traits.  Cardinal Traits  Central Traits  Secondary Traits

B. Raymond Cattell’s Personality Factors Cattell identified two types Surface Traits Source Traits

16

Self-Theory  Self-theory rejects both psychoanalytic and behaviouristic conceptions of human nature as too mechanistic portraying people as creatures helplessly buffeted about by internal instincts or external stimuli.

 Carl Rogers is most closely associated with his approach of self-theory.

 Rogers and his associates have developed this personality theory that places emphasis on the individual as an initiating, creating, influential determinant of behaviour within the environmental framework.

Social Learning Theory  Four processes have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an individual  Attentional Processes  Retention Processes  Motor reproduction processes  Reinforcement Processes  Direct  Vicarious  Self-administered

Personality Characteristics in Organizations

 Locus of Control  Machiavelleanism  Self-esteem  Self-efficacy  Self-monitoring  Positive / Negative Affect  Risk Taking  Type A Personality

Measuring Personality

The Projective Tests Behavioural Measures Self-report questionnaire  Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)  The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MPTI)

Matching Personalities and Jobs Type

Personality Characteristics

Sample Occupations

Realistic: Prefers physical Shy, genuine, persistent, Mechanic, drill, press activities that require skill, stable, conforming, practical operator, assembly line strength and coordination worker, farmer Investigative: Prefers Analytical, original, curious, Biologist, economist, activities involving thinking, independent mathematician, news reporter organizing, and understanding Social: Prefers activities that Sociable, friendly, Social worker, involve helping and cooperative, understanding counsellor, developing others psychologist Conventional: Prefers rule- Conforming, regulated, orderly, and practical, unambiguous activities inflexible

teacher, clinical

efficient, Accountant, corporate unimaginative, manager, bank teller, file clerk

Enterprising: Prefers verbal Self-confident, ambitious, Lawyer, real-estate agent, activities where there are energetic, domineering public relations specialist, opportunities to influence business manager small others and attain power Artistic: prefers ambiguous Imaginative, and unsystematic activities idealistic, that allow creative expression impractical

disorderly, Painter, musician, emotional, interior decorator.

writer,

Our personality shapes our behaviour. We can better understand people if we know something about his or her personality. Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual interacts and reacts with other people or groups. Managers need to know about personality and personality tests because they are useful in making hiring decisions. It is important that employees personalities fit with the overall organisations’ culture and with the characteristics of the specific job which they have to perform.