Abstract
The research paper discusses six basic ideas of
personality theory and its biblical connection. The ideas are divided into two
categories of foundation and progression. Under the foundation of personality,
unconscious concept, nature vs. nurture, and self-concept
are discussed. The second section discusses maturation, motivation, and
development. Lastly, the concept of biblical principles is analyzed.
The Basics of Personality
All humans have stable and unique thought patterns, behavior,
and emotions that constitute their personalities. Each person has a distinct
personality and traits, making it necessary to have a particular framework to
understand the importance of personality and its development. Additionally,
there is a need to analyze the actions, feelings, and thoughts especially on
the interrelationship of human beings and the environment. The framework,
therefore, can be used in providing assistance to the individuals that suffer
from psychological issues. To understand these factors, personality theory must
be applied. Personality theory refers to the basic ideas, principles, ideas,
and concepts that explain human nature and personality.
Foundations of Personality
a.
Nature
Vs. Nurture
Most of the latest studies on psychology consider the
inextricability of both nature and nurture. The two concepts complement each
other with regards to human development. For example, all humans have a genetic
material that shapes the cell differentiation and growth prior to conception,
thus implying that the genetic effects are necessary and necessary. Still, the
description of the domination of all genetic modification processes by the
genetic influences is not easy, especially given that the environmental factors
shape the development process (Stassen, 2012). In light of this, it is clear
that both the environmental factors and the reciprocity of genetic concepts
affect the cognitive ability and individual heritability of humans.
According
to human behavioral perspective, psychiatric disorders and mutations in human
traits like schizophrenia and autism are classical examples that explain the
correlation between the environmental sources and genetics (Levitt, 2013). For
instance, a child is highly likely to become antisocial if the parents have a
disruptive relationship. The reason for this development is that the genes or
the parents bring out the environmental risks which directly or indirectly
contribute to the child’s exposure. Furthermore, it is important for parents to
understand the behavior of a child to effectively solve rising issues between
them. As a fetus, a child can exhibit distinct traits, psychomotor development, and sensibility. An oversensitive
baby consumes and decodes information
differently as compared to an under-active
child. Therefore, if an oversensitive baby is stimulated by fear, rigid traits
are likely to develop as a defensive mechanism.
b.
Unconscious
According to Feud, the unconscious plays a fundamental
role because it influences human experience and behavior. However, people are
often unaware of such influences. The unconscious is part of human mind beyond
consciousness. Sigmund Feud states that the unconscious is a province of the human mind and forms an undeniable constituent
of human experience (Myers, 2014). At any given time, a person is aware of only
an insignificant fraction of mental activity. The unconscious bears the laws of
transformation that govern sublimation and repression processes. Therefore, the
unconscious makes the adult behavior and childhood experience intelligible.
The id is a part of the unconscious. It has all the
traits genetically inherited from parents including the instincts and
observable character at birth. The id manages superego to limit satisfactions.
Unconsciously, sex shapes human personality as well (Hassin, 2013). For
example, a boy can develop a strong attachment to a mother if she is a single
parent. Besides, boys often desire to replace their fathers during the phallic
development stage.
c.
The
View of Self
The view of self
becomes evident when an individual considers himself as a person that
does not form part of the society or a group. The concept of self is an
individual reflection on human as an object with an orientation. The concept
proves that every person is unique and ought to be nurtured specifically
(Lodi-Smith & Roberts, 2011). Additionally, this view is majorly dependent
on the society where a person lives in. In the eastern culture, people regard
an individual as a part of a society or family because of a collectivist mode
of life. Contrastingly, individualism in
the West encourages a personalized way of life.
The concept of self is multi-dimensional because it
has five constituents such as the actual self, personal self, apparent self,
ideal self, and social self. Self-esteem
is also an important element of self-concept.
For example, a person with a high self-esteem
is likely to be confident and attractive in comparison with a low self-esteem person. An individual that minimizes his activity to avoid embarrassment
and humiliation has a low self-esteem.
Businesswise, customers tend to purchase commodities that mirror their image
and personality (Cheng et al., 2011). In fact, a customer’s perception of a
particular brand shows a close link between the self-view
and the brand image.
Progression of Personality
a.
Development
of Personality
The process of personality development is characterized
by a pattern of behaviors, feelings, and thoughts to distinguish one person
from the other. It is a common knowledge that human personality emerges during
early stages of life and develops according to environmental influences. Infant
temperament is responsible for observable adult traits (McAdams & Olson,
2012). Therefore, it is clear that the differences in people’s characters surface early in life, even prior to the
development of self-representation and
language skills.
In particular, the evolutionary perspective traces
individuality and personality to the early ages when people learned how to
coexist in social but complex groups. At the time, people considered themselves
as a part of a gathering which they belonged instead of viewing themselves as
independent individuals with distinct personalities. Therefore, the entire
group was identical in terms of personality. Over time, evolution introduced
distinct variation to the human mind as per the environmental conditions and
survival needs. Through natural selection,
the most beneficial traits were retained for the development and complexity of
human personality.
By the end of the adolescence years, the major
personality traits have been developed fully. Yet, according to the plasticity
principle explains the perspective of personality lifespan that human character
is open to environmental influence regardless of age or time. As the human
personality develops, it is influenced by factors such as the environment,
genetics, and the interaction between the two. Studies indicate that most of
the complex human traits result from the interaction
between numerous environmental factors and the genetic predisposition. Often,
experiences in life reinforce and accentuate personality traits eliciting
environmental reactions in the first place.
b.
Motivation
Motivation refers to a theoretical construct that
explains human personality and behavior. Motivation presents numerous reasons
for an individual’s needs, actions, and
desires. In essence, motivation is a person’s direction to behavior which
explains why he repeats a specific action.
Motives prompt people to display certain traits or to be inclined to a
particular way of life (Parks & Guay, 2013). Therefore, it is safe to say
that motivation is a cycle of life, where the behaviors are influenced by
thoughts. In turn, thoughts are affected by performance, thus the continuity of
the cycle. Throughout the personality cycle, dimensions such as efforts,
attitudes, withdrawal, and beliefs affect personal experience and motivation
level.
Motivation constructs and volition are two of the
socio-cognitive models that influence personality and behavioral change. While
motivation results in the formulation of behavioral intentions, volition
prompts the actual behavior (Dietrich et al., 2013). Thus, motivation leads to
goal setting as volition push for goal pursuit. On the other hand,
self-efficacy facilitates the entire process personality progression and
development through the formation of behavioral intention, action initiation,
and action plan development.
Motivation arises either through an internal or
external process where an individual perceives
the necessity to take a specific course of action to attain the desired outcome. However, the goal is
unattainable unless a person exhibits a high degree persistence and vigor. There is a clear link between
performance and reward. For example, if a person is promised a reward after
execution of a task, his personality will change positively as per the set
conditions at the workplace, eventually, the person will adapt to a given set
of condition to fulfill the requirements and hence get the reward.
c.
Maturation
Development refers to growth or change in a child
between conception and adolescence. Normally, this change is sequential as the
child develops cognitively, physically, and emotionally. The pattern of
development is predictable, though differences are seen in the timing of
changes due to genetic or environmental factors. Maturation, on the other hand,
refers to the distinct phases and growth products chiefly or wholly due to
endogenous and innate reasons (Soto et al., 2011). Most theories on maturation
assume that the biological clock is responsible for the rate of maturity among
the children, but genetics dictates sequential development with minimal effect
on individual traits.
Biological maturity is one of the most important
factors that affect the personality. Even though millions of years of evolution
have influenced human skills, the biological heredity process and maturity have
an upper hand in defining the character of a person. The environment is more
influential during adolescence and early adulthood as compared to childhood
(Bleidorn et al., 2013).
The principle of self-individualizing maturation
states that the changes in an infant’s nervous system and brain are responsible
for his maturation because they improve the cognitive and motor skills. Unless
children mature in time, they cannot progress or be ready for their future. For
instance, a 2-month-old infant cannot walk because his brain is yet to acquire
the environmental skills for maturity. Similarly, an infant can neither write
nor draw until their motor skills are developed enough to hold a crayon or a
pen. Examples such as these indicate that maturity is indeed an innate process
because they are programmed genetically. Further, gender is a fundamental
determinant of progress and maturity process. Studies show that boys mature at
a slower pace as compared to girls, especially in terms of their skeletal
development (Bleidorn, 2015).
The Bible on Personality
Personality, according to the bible is a person’s
visible action. On the other hand, a character refers to the person’s
individual beliefs. In 1 Samuel chapter 16 verse 7, while Samuel sought King
Saul’s successor from the sons of Jesse, he preferred the eldest son (Eliab)
because of his personality, maturity, and physical appearance. He also thought
that his choice would be God’s choice as well. Samuel was wrong because God does not consider the outward
appearance but the heart which defines the morals and the personality.
According to natural science, personality is a set of
tendencies and individual traits that determine the distinctions and
commonalities in the people’s psychological behavior. They can include
continuous actions, thoughts, and feelings not easily understood as
consequences of momentary biological pressures. In biblical terms, actions,
feelings, and thoughts are deeply rooted in the body,
spirit, and soul (1Thessalonian chapter 5
verse 23). 1 Personality refers to the expression individual human mind
(Corinthians 2:11). It is directly linked to how the human brain works
collaboratively with the human spirit. Saint Paul (in the book of Romans
Chapter 1) says that human body, soul, and spirit complete the understanding of
people by nurture and nature. The modern scientific models are reflective of
this biblical view, despite the bible not being regarded as one of the basic
pillars of philosophy.
In the ancient Laodicea church, people were encouraged
to repent and be zealous to avoid the imminent weakness of personality
(Revelation 3:15). Still, the people of Laodicea were naturally susceptible to
compromise to ensure peace with their neighbors. Therefore, they effectively
exercised their personal characters not to do so. It is hard to change the
minds of people that have taken a moral stand to execute a specific activity. In fact, the main issue is to get them to
unanimously take the stance.
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