You are on page 1of 6

Personality Introduction:

Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with other. And Personality is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual. This is one definition that is widely accepted by the public, yet there still exist multiple definitions of personality. The term Personality is difficult to define because there is little common agreement on how the term should be used. In everyday speech it usually refers to someone's public image. Different personality theorists present their own definitions of the word based on their theoretical positions. Gordon Allport said personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those phychological systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment. Personality is defined as "a unique set of traits and characteristics, relatively stable over time." Clearly, personality is unique insofar as each of us has our own personality, different from any other person's. The definition further suggests that personality does not change from day to day. Over the short-term, our personalities are relatively set or stable. However, definition does not suggest that personality is somehow rigid, unchangeable, and cast in concrete. Definition recognizes that, over a longer term, personality may change.

The Traits Theory:


A personality trait is the enduring characteristics that describe an individuals behavior. The traditional approach of understanding personality was to identify and describe personality in terms of traits. In other words, it viewed personality as revolving around attempts to identify and label permanent characteristics that describe an individual's behavior. Popular characteristics or traits include shyness, aggressiveness, submissiveness, laziness, ambition, loyalty, and timidity. This distinctiveness, when they are exhibited in a large number of situations, is called personality traits. The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently it occurs in diverse situations, the more important that trait is in describing the individual.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI):

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types. The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in peoples lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment. "Perception involves all the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas. Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived. If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions, values, motivations, and skills." The 16 traits have been found to be generally steady and constant sources of behavior, allowing prediction of an individual's behavior in specific situations by weighing the characteristics for their situational relevance. Based on the answers individual gave they have been classified as n the basis of the answers individuals give to the test, they are classified as:

1. Extroverted Or Introverted (E or I), 2. Sensing or Intuitive (S or N), 3. Thinking or Feeling (T or F), And 4. Perceiving or Judging (P or J).

Extraversion/introversion (E/I):
Myers-Briggs literature uses the terms extraversion and introversion as Jung first used them. Extraversion means "outward-turning" and introversion means "inward-turning".[20] These specific definitions vary somewhat from the popular usage of the words. Note that extraversion is the spelling used in MBTI publications.

The preferences for extraversion and introversion are often called attitudes. Briggs and Myers recognized that each of the cognitive functions can operate in the external world of behavior, action, people, and things (extraverted attitude) or the internal world of ideas and reflection (introverted attitude). The MBTI assessment sorts for an overall preference for one or the other. People who prefer extraversion draw energy from action: they tend to act, then reflect, then act further. If they are inactive, their motivation tends to decline. To rebuild their energy, extraverts need breaks from time spent in reflection. Conversely, those who prefer introversion expend energy through action: they prefer to reflect, then act, then reflect again. To rebuild their energy, introverts need quiet time alone, away from activity. The extravert's flow is directed outward toward people and objects, and the introvert's is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. Contrasting characteristics between extraverts and introverts include the following: Extraverts are action oriented, while introverts are thought oriented. Extraverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence, while introverts seek depth of knowledge and influence. Extraverts often prefer more frequent interaction, while introverts prefer more substantial interaction. Extraverts recharge and get their energy from spending time with people, while introverts recharge and get their energy from spending time alone.

Sensing/intuition (S/N):
Sensing and intuition are the information-gathering (perceiving) functions. They describe how new information is understood and interpreted. Individuals who prefer sensing are more likely to trust information that is in the present, tangible and concrete: that is, information that can be understood by the five senses. They tend to distrust hunches, which seem to come "out of nowhere". They prefer to look for details and facts. For them, the meaning is in the data. On the other hand, those who prefer intuition tend to trust information that is more abstract or theoretical, that can be associated with other information (either remembered or discovered by seeking a wider context or pattern). They may be more interested in future possibilities. They tend to trust those flashes of insight that seem to bubble up from the unconscious mind. The meaning is in how the data relates to the pattern or theory.

Thinking/feeling (T/F):
Thinking and feeling are the decision-making (judging) functions. The thinking and feeling functions are both used to make rational decisions, based on the data received from their information-gathering functions (sensing or intuition). Those who prefer thinking tend to decide things from a more detached standpoint, measuring the decision by what seems reasonable, logical, causal, and consistent and matching a given set of rules. Those who prefer feeling tend to come to decisions by associating or empathizing with the situation, looking at it 'from the inside' and weighing the situation to achieve, on balance, the greatest harmony, consensus and fit, considering the needs of the people involved. Thinkers usually have trouble interacting with people that are inconsistent or illogical, and tend to give very direct feedback to others. They are concerned with the truth and view it as more important than being tactful.

Judging/perception (J/P):
Myers and Briggs added another dimension to Jung's typological model by identifying that people also have a preference for using either the judging function (thinking or feeling) or their perceiving function (sensing or intuition) when relating to the outside world (extraversion). Myers and Briggs held that types with a preference for judging show the world their preferred judging function (thinking or feeling). So TJ types tend to appear to the world as logical, and FJ types as empathetic. According to Myers,[1]:75 judging types like to "have matters settled".

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) affectsJob Performance:


Employers use Myers-Briggs and other similar personality tests to find individuals whose personalities match the workplace culture and also which individuals have the highest chance of success. For example, the Myers-Briggs can be scored according to the "Big Five" factor model, which measures personality in terms of agreeableness, conscientiousness,

extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience. Since conscientiousness and agreeableness can predict job performance, according to research noted by the American Psychological Association (APA), employers desire more of this personality type. In addition, personality tests can measure your respect for authority, the ability to get along with others, cooperate and work on a team, all of which employers need from their employees. If you are a manager, supervisor, a leader of some kind in the workplace knowledge of your employees personality type discovered by using the Myers Briggs Test can enable you to better identify and use the strengths of your workers. This can lead to reduced conflict, reduced absenteeism in the workplace; which by itself can lead to increased production, climbing profits and can improvise job performance.

Employee Motivation:
The Myers Briggs Test can really be viewed as an ability and personality test. In other words, knowledge of your personality type can provide a better understanding as to present and potential abilities and skills you may possess. The freedom to use these will provide natural motivation in the workplace. Personality types explain the dominant function or preference of an individual and tell employers and project managers how individuals structure thoughts, attitudes, reach conclusions and interact. These personality types are often described in terms of team roles in the workplace, such as the "Actor," "Executive," "Coach," "Persuader" or "Analyst," each with a different strength and weakness. Each personality type also has an interaction style, such as a "Leader" or "Motivator." Employers and supervisors that understand these styles and team roles can leverage the strength of one employee to fill the weakness of another, developing teams that can interact effectively with one another, work to deadlines and complete tasks.

The Big Five Personality Model:


MBTI may be deficient in valid supporting evidence, but that can't be said for the five-factor model of personality 'more typically called the Big Five. In contemporary, an impressive body of research supports those five basic dimensions. Motivate all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality. The Big Five factors are: Extraversion. This dimension captures one's comfort level with relation ships. Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet. Agreeableness. This dimension refers to an individual's tendency to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, affectionate, and trusting. People who score low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic. Conscientiousness. This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable. Emotional stability. This dimension taps a person's ability to bear up stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with highly negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure. Openness to experience. The final dimension addresses an individual's range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.

You might also like