Personality is a patterned body of habits, traits, attitudes, and ideas of an individual, as these are organized externally into roles and statuses and as they relate internally to motivation, goals, and various aspects of selfhood.
The term personality is derived from the Latin word “Persona” meaning to speak through.
This Latin term was used to denote the mask and the actors used to wear it in ancient Rome and Greece; an individual’s personality is the combination of traits and patterns that influence their behavior, thought, motivation, and emotion.
It drives individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways; in essence, it is what makes each individual unique. Over time, these patterns strongly influence personal expectations, perceptions, values, and attitudes.
In addition to this, personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. It is a pattern of stable states and characteristics of a person that influence his or her behavior toward goal achievement. Each person has unique ways of projecting these states.
The study of personality focuses on two broad areas;
- One is understanding individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or irritability.
- The other is understanding how the various parts of a person come together as a whole.
What is Personality?
Personality is the dynamic organization within the individuals of those psychophysical systems that determine their unique adjustments to their environments.
Feist and Feist said, “personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior.”
By personality, Ogburn means “the integration of the socio-psychological behavior of the human being, represented by habits of action and feeling, attitudes and opinions.”
According to Lundberg and others, “The term personality refers to the habits, attitudes and other social traits that are characteristic of a given individual’s behavior.”
Lawrence A. Pewin said, “Personality represents those structural and dynamic properties of an individual or individuals as they reflect themselves in characteristic responses to situations.”
Hence personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. It is individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It is the supreme realization of the innate habit of a living being.
It is an act of courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of existence, coupled with the greatest possible freedom of self-determination.
For example- he has a very pleasant personality, or he was an influential personality in genetic engineering.
9 Characteristics of Personality
The term personality is used in various senses. Generally, it is used to indicate the external outlook of an individual. In philosophy, it means internal quality.
But in social psychology, the term personality indicates neither the external nor outward pattern nor the internal quality. It means an integrated whole. In the modem world and psychology, it has come to indicate the sum total of an individual’s characteristics and qualities.
Various thinkers, social psychologists, and others have defined personality in various ways. It is a sum of physical, mental, and social qualities in an integrated manner.
Thus, personality is the sum of a person’s ideas, attitudes, and values, which determine his role in society and form an integral part of his character. The individual acquires personality as a result of his participation in group life. It refers to something much more essential and enduring about a person.
Beyond this basic point of agreement, personality has other characteristics or features in common.
- Personality is something that is unique in each individual
- Personality refers particularly to the persistent qualities of an individual.
- Personality represents a dynamic orientation of an organism to the environment.
- Social interactions greatly influence personality.
- Personality represents a unique organization of persistent dynamic and social predisposition.
- Consistency
- Psychological and physiological
- It impacts behaviors and actions.
- Multiple expressions
Personality is something that is unique in each individual
Personality refers to internal and external qualities, some of which are quite general. But it is unique to each individual. A person can’t reproduce or imitate the qualities of another person’s personality.
Personality refers particularly to the persistent qualities of an individual.
Every individual has certain feelings and other permanent traits and qualities.
Personality is mainly composed of persistent or permanent qualities that exhibit themselves in the form of social behavior and an attempt to adjust to the environment.
Personality represents a dynamic orientation of an organism to the environment.
Personality represents the process of learning. It takes place about the environment. We do not acquire all the traits of personality at once.
Social interactions greatly influence personality.
Personality is not an individual quality. It is a result of social- interaction.
In other words, it means that when we come in contact with other members of society, we acquire certain qualities while We exhibit certain others. All these come to form personality.
Personality represents a unique organization of persistent dynamic and social predisposition.
In personality, various qualities are not put together.
They are, in fact, integrated into one. This integration is nothing but a result of organization which may be different from man to man. The behavior of a person directed to one particular individual may differ from that of another.
That is why; we put the condition of a suitable environment. This suitability is concerned with individual specificity.
Consistency
There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same or similar ways in various situations.
Psychological and physiological
Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that biological processes and needs also influence it.
It impacts behaviors and actions.
Personality does not just influence how we move and respond in our environment; it also causes us to act in certain ways.
Multiple expressions
Personality is displayed in more than just behavior. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close relationships, and other social interactions.
Personality is the unique combination of patterns that influence a human’s behavior, thought, motivation, and emotion. There are many approaches to the modem psychological study of personality, including the psychodynamic, learning, humanistic, biological, trait, and cultural perspectives.
It can be described as how a person affects others, how he understands and views himself, and his pattern of inner and outer measurable traits. It encompasses a person’s relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns.
In fact, our personality changes over long periods of time.
10 Factors of Personality
In the field of organizational behavior, personality is the aggregate of a person’s feelings, thinking, behaviors, and responses to different situations and people.
Our personality differentiates us from other people, and understanding someone’s personality gives clues about how that person is likely to act and feel in various situations. An understanding of different employees’ personalities is helpful in effectively managing organizational behavior.
Having this knowledge is also useful for placing people in jobs and organizations. Having a strong personality is the key to success. This is also a key determinant of good leadership.
A person with a positive attitude can direct his thoughts, control his emotions and regulate his attitude. Every person has a different personality, and there are a lot of factors that contribute to that personality. We call them the ‘determinants of personality or the factors of personality.
- Environmental Factors
- Physical Factors
- Situational Factors
- Hereditary
- Family and Social Factors
- Identification Process
- Cultural Factors
- Intelligence
- Sex Differences
- Psychological Factors
Environmental Factors
The factors that exert pressure on our personality formation are the culture in which we are raised; our early conditioning; the norms among our family, friends, and social groups; and other influences we experience.
These environmental factors play a substantial role in shaping our personalities.
It establishes an individual’s attitudes, values, norms, and perceptions. Based on cultures and traditions, different senses of right and wrong are formed in individuals.
These environmental factors also include the neighborhood a person lives in, his school, college, university, workplace, friends, and parents; everybody plays a role as the determinant of one’s personality.
Physical Factors
Many physical factors will determine a person’s personality. These physical factors include the overall physical structure of a person: his height, weight, color, sex, beauty, body language, etc.
Physical factors are one of the major reasons for that. Most physical structures change from time to time, and so does personality. With exercises, cosmetics, surgeries, etc., many physical features are changed; therefore, the individual’s personality also evolves.
Situational Factors
Situational factors can be commonly observed when a person behaves contrastingly and exhibits different traits and characteristics. In this way, situational factors impact a personality in a significant way.
They often bring out the traits of a person that are not commonly seen. Although generally stable and consistent, an individual’s personality changes in different situations.
The different demands of situations call forth different aspects of one’s personality. So we shouldn’t look at personality patterns in isolation. This aspect is very important for organizational behavior because the manager controls the situation.
Hereditary
Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. Physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition, reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by the parents.
Hereditary predisposes certain mental, physical, and emotional states. Research has established that those psychological characteristics can be transmitted through heredity. However, such conclusive proof is not available to human beings.
Family and Social Factors
Family and social groups have the most significant impact on personality development. Parents and other family members have a strong influence on the personality development of the child. Parents have more effect on personality development as compared to other members of the family.
Besides a person’s home environment and family members, there are other influences from social factors like- friends, neighbors, relatives, etc. These groups have their impact through socialization and identification process.
Identification Process
The identification process occurs when a person tries to identify himself with some person to whom he feels ideal in the family.
First, identification can be viewed as the similarity of behavior between the child and the model.
Second identification can be looked at as the child’s motives or desires to be like the model.
Third, it can be viewed as the process through which the child takes on the model’s attributes.
Cultural Factors
Culture is the underlying determinant of human decision-making. It generally determines attitude towards independence, aggression, competition, and cooperation. Each culture expects and trains its members to behave in a way acceptable to the group.
Intelligence
There is definitely some relationship between intelligence and personality. Intelligence is mainly hereditary. Very intelligent persons can make better adjustments at home, school, and society than those persons who are less intelligent.
Sex Differences
Boys are generally more assertive, tough-minded, and vigorous. They have a better need to succeed with regard to interests and aptitudes. Boys show interest in machinery and outdoor activities. They prefer adventures.
But girls are less vigorous in games. They are quieter and interested in personal appearance. Personal, emotional, and social problems injure them more.
Thus sex differences play a vital role in the development of an individual’s personality.
Psychological Factors
Psychological factors play a big role in the functioning of human behavior and the development of one’s personality. Some psychological factors are- motives, acquired interests, attitudes, character, intellectual capacities, etc.
Beyond the joint influence of these factors, however, the relative contribution of each factor to personality varies with the character or personality process involved and perhaps with the individual concerned.
Roles of Personality in Organizational Behavior
Personality plays a key role in organizational behavior because the way that people think, feel, and behave affects many aspects of the workplace. People’s personalities influence their behavior in groups, their attitudes, and the way they make decisions.
In the workplace, personality affects such things as motivation, leadership, performance, and conflict. The more management understands how personality in organizational behavior works, the better equipped they are to effectively accomplish their goals.
One factor determining the importance of personality in OB is the environment where an individual’s personality is being studied; after all, personality’s impact on an organization is relative and depends on how the organization has been structured.
Weakly structured organizations with loosely defined roles tend to get the most impact compared to strongly structured organizations with more defined roles. People have many different views of the world that affect their personalities.
When a situation arises, an individual will handle it based on his or her personal values, beliefs, and personality traits. These traits are developed throughout a person’s lifetime and cannot be easily changed, so it is more helpful for managers to attempt to understand this rather than fight it.
There are two types of values governing our behaviors in an organization; personal and commonly held values of an organization.
We tend to act according to these values, which will define what is ethical and what is not. The beliefs and values remain relatively stable regardless of our situation.
On the other hand, our feelings and behaviors tend to be easily influenced by the environment in which we function.
Traits such as openness, emotional stability, and agreeableness predict that an individual will have less conflict, work better in teams, and have positive attitudes about his or her work.
People with this personality type should be placed in situations where they would be working with or leading others. Positive-interpersonal skill is a personality trait that greatly affects the workplace.
Individuals who exhibit this trait generally enjoy working with others, and they have the empathy and sensitivity that enable them to get along well with others.
Decision-making and independence are greatly affected by personality.
Personality traits such as self-efficacy, conscientiousness, and pro-activity contribute to good decision-making under pressure and independence, while traits such as neuroticism and not being open do not.
In light of these reflections, our personal values and personalities govern our actions and behaviors. Since organizational behavior is built upon our personal values, it is paramount to understand employees’ personalities to make good use of organizational behavior.
One of the fundamental issues in understanding people’s behavior is how we understand the person in an organizational setting.
Jackson and Carter (2000) pointed out that in work organizations, we often take a limited view of the person, focusing more on the degree of willingness to pursue organizational goals.
Work-related behavior of people in an organization stems from environmental and individual factors.
From the environmental approach, interpersonal, group, and societal influences and individual factors extend across cognitive abilities, acquired expertise, personality styles, motivation, and physical attributes.
A common aspect of personality is how we think of its effect on behavior. We tend to think of this in terms of a person with a particular set of traits.
