What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Personality”? Is it how others perceive you or how you perceive yourself? Is personality innate or acquired? Are you excited to find answers to these questions?
Today, you will learn what personality is, how the word originated, and the OCEAN model of personality traits.
So, let’s get started. You can skip reading and watch the video recording if you aren’t much of an avid reader. :)
To understand what personality means, let’s look at how the word originated.
How did the word originate?
The word personality originated from the Latin word persona. It refers to the mask used in a theatrical performance in ancient times. Imagine a play that has eight characters but only four actors. Each actor would then play two characters using two different masks. So, it is the mask that helps the actor to portray different characters to the audience.
You might now think that personality is how you portray yourself in front of others. Right?
The definition
Despite so many advancements in science and research, we still lack one fixed definition for personality. Different psychologists have stated different definitions of personality based on their own theories.
From the bunch of definitions, your personality is more or less the combination of your physical traits, psychological traits, and social traits that are consistent. Physical traits, as the name suggests, are related to your physique. For example, the way you walk, talk, your complexion, etc. Psychological traits revolve around your thinking and emotional patterns. These traits can include emotional stability, imagination skills, open-minded thinking, etc. Finally, social traits determine how you behave with your surroundings. Examples include responsible, humble, trust-worthy, etc. A distinctive grouping of all these traits makes you a unique personality.
Is personality innate or acquired?
Till now, you saw the definitions and theories of personality. Now, let’s find the answer to the last question — is personality innate or acquired?
The nature-vs-nurture is still a debatable topic in personality psychology. Most psychologists state that personality is a combination of both — the innate traits which are inherent or present from birth and the acquired ones that you develop during your evolution.
You might have some inherited characteristics, but at the same time, as humans, you also revamp and acquire new ones to adjust to your environment. The physical traits are innate. However, the social and psychological components are a mix of both the inherited and the acquired features. For example, confidence is one such psychological trait that is not genetic and can be developed. Read my blog on the top 5 effective ways to build self-confidence.
The OCEAN or the Big Five model of Personality Traits
Let’s see the OCEAN or the big five models for broad categorization of personality traits.
- Openness — This is your openness or acceptance of new experiences. A high score in this factor will indicate that you are a creative person. Contrarily, you might be a person who prefers routine and is not interested in trying new things if your score is low.
- Conscientiousness — This is a duty or work-oriented quality. A high score indicates that you are responsible, efficient, and prefer to work in an organized and disciplined way. A low score individual will exhibit characteristics like not sticking to deadlines, unorderly works, lack of responsibility, etc.
- Extroversion — This relates to your level of interaction with your surrounding or society. You are an extrovert if you are easy-going, talkative, energetic, and like social interactions. You will have significant advantages in workplaces because of your qualities like good communication, leadership skills, etc. As a low score personality or an introvert, you might exhibit qualities like shyness, reserved, self-focus, etc.
- Agreeableness — This relates to your quality of interaction with your surrounding or society. As a high score personality, you will be warm, kind, empathetic, trustworthy, and friendly. A low score will symbolize attitudes like egoistic, dominant, tricky, etc.
- Neuroticism — This is a measure of your emotional stability that defines your psychological personality traits. A high score indicates moodiness, low self-esteem, anxiety, emotional instability, etc. You will be optimistic, confident, bold, and calm-minded if you score low in this parameter.
Explore your Personality Traits
You are who you are because of the unique combination of these personality traits. Find out your personality type by taking some online tests. What could be more valuable than understanding your personality?
Take the OCEAN or the big five personality test using any one of the following links:-
- https://www.truity.com/test/big-five-personality-test
- https://www.scienceofpeople.com/personality/
- https://www.123test.com/big-five-personality-theory/
Take the test and explore the results to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Find out what qualities make your personality unique.
I hope this blog was informative and you enjoyed it. Let me know your feedback in the comment section. You can also read my blog on a fascinating theory on personality by a famous psychologist Sigmond Freud.
Thank you for reading!
