Understanding Personality in Psychology

Tjipto Susana discusses the various definitions and theories related to personality to help in understanding an individual's character.

J. Feist & Feist (2010): Personality as a relatively permanent pattern of traits and characteristics that provide consistency and individuality to someone's behavior.
Burger (2011): Describes personality as a consistent pattern of behavior and intrapersonal processes (emotions, motivation, cognition) unique to each individual.
Hall & Lindzey (1993): Focus on social skills and prominent impressions, noting that Allport (1937) identified 50 different definitions of personality.

Traits are major factors causing behavioral differences among individuals. They provide temporal behavioral consistency and stability across various situations.
Traits can be unique, shared among groups, or universally possessed by humans, but individual patterns differ.

Specific qualities an individual possesses, including temperament, physical attributes, and intelligence.

Biosocial: Responses elicited from others.
Bio-physical: Objectively describable and measurable individual traits.
Rag-bag (Omnibus): Concepts describing individuality.
Integrative: Organization of responses from individuals.
Self-adjustment: Unique adaptive efforts by individuals.
Uniqueness: Specific characteristics that differentiate one from another.
Human essence: The part of an individual that represents their true self beyond mere differences.

Provides an integrative framework to understand humans holistically, focusing on the uniqueness of individuals, studying their lives in-depth, and validating constructs.
Kluckhon & Murray (1953): Defines individuals as simultaneously similar and different from others.

Evolution and Human Nature: Individual variations shaped by evolutionary processes, survival, and reproduction.
Trait (Dispositional Signature): Consistent traits forming stable aspects of individuality; emphasizes predictability in behavior.
Characteristic Adaptations: Contextual variations in motivations, cognitive-social adaptations, and life narratives.
Life Narratives: Personal stories crafted to provide meaning and identity.
Cultural Influence: The differential role of culture in shaping personality traits and their expression.

Natural selection for survival includes partnerships, family protection, and social compliance.
Sheldon (2004): Discusses basic physical needs and cognitive-social mechanisms essential for personality development.

Represents unique scenarios of individual motivation and cognitive-social adjustments based on context.
Can include objectives, strategies, values, and the representation of self and others in unique formats.

Life stories help individuals form behavior patterns, solidify identity, and integrate into modern society.
Identifying and reconstructing these narratives assists in maintaining coherence and meaning in life.

Culture significantly impacts the expression of traits and the development of personal narratives.
Individualism vs. collectivism demonstrates cultural influences on personal goals and values.

A holistic description must encompass traits, characteristic adaptations, and life narratives shaped by evolutionary demands and cultural settings.
Each level of personality (traits, adaptations, narratives) has its own methods of revelation and measurement and inspires various theories and models.

Traits: Stable aspects of personality.
Characteristic Adaptations: Personal concerns influenced by situational contexts.
Life Narratives: Integrative personal stories that confer meaning and identity.

Each level interacts but does not strictly underlie one another, highlighting the complex nature of personality assessment.