NATURE OF PERSONALITY THEORIES
Now the first question, that arises is, what a personality theory is?
Basically a theory is a set of related assumptions which allows
formation of testable hypotheses through logical deductive
reasoning. It brings about organisation in observations, generates
research, provides direction to behaviour and explains consistency in
human behaviour. There would be no need for personality theories if
we had been able to understand human behaviour in its entirety. But
the fact is otherwise. Therefore different thinkers came out with
different explanations to explain why people behave in particular
ways and what are the reasons behind it? Thus a theory serves two
functions: i) Descriptive function and ii) Predictive function
Descriptive Functions A personality theory is descriptive in the sense
that it systematically organises behaviours in such a way that it
becomes easy to understand them. To put it in other words, it
provides a meaningful frame work by integrating and simplifying all
that is derived from related sets of events. Let us try to understand
this through example, You might have noticed that children between
ages three to four years often show negativism i.e. they behave just
the opposite of what they are asked to do or even if they comply
with the request they do so with a lot of stubbornness. Parents often
complain that their child is not behaving properly and no matter
what they do the child does not behave accordingly. Parents are
often at a loss to understand this thing. Now if we take help of
theory of personality development we come to know that it is
normal phenomenon. Every child goes through this phase and all the
negativism shown by the child is in fact directed toward developing
ego the core structure of personality. By showing negativism the
child in fact tests to what extent he can control the world around
him or in other words he asserts himself over things. Now we can
interpret child’s negativism in this light and our perception of the
child’s behaviour changes immediately.
, Predictive Functions
Personality theory not only helps us understand the past and the
present but it is useful in making prediction about the future as well.
But this is possible only when the concepts propounded by a theory
lend themselves to empirical testing for confirmation or
disconfirmation. For example, what if we hypothesize that
punishment will only aggravate negativism in the child and actually
punishment form parents lead to an increase in negativism, our
hypothesis stands proved. Now if we hypothesize that once the child
crosses the age of five, negativism will automatically recede, and if
we find that the child is actually shedding negativism with increase in
age, again our hypothesis stands proved. Examples given above in
fact are aimed at explaining what, how and why. a) What- is related
to deals with the characteristics or traits of the personality and tells
how these traits are organised. b) How- deals with factors influencing
personality. It also investigates into heredity and environment
interaction, how heredity and environment shape our personality
and what is their relative contribution. c) Why- It means finding out
reasons for behaviour. It is related to the motivational aspect of
personality. As I told you in the first unit personality has motivational
dimension as well. Motivational dimension guides the behaviour of a
person in a particular direction. It provides answer to why a person
behaves in a particular manner? and why his behaviour moves in a
particular direction? Let us understand this through an example. You
know anxiety is a trait of personality. Suppose a person named
Rajesh is anxiety ridden. Now personality theory tries to explain to
what extent anxiety characterises Rajesh’s personality. How Rajesh
came to develop this trait? and why anxiety causes Rajesh to behave
in a particular manner? How come two individuals having anxiety
behave differently? If you compare Rajesh’s behaviour with another
person having anxiety you will notice the difference between their
behaviours while in the same condition or facing the same situation.
Now the first question, that arises is, what a personality theory is?
Basically a theory is a set of related assumptions which allows
formation of testable hypotheses through logical deductive
reasoning. It brings about organisation in observations, generates
research, provides direction to behaviour and explains consistency in
human behaviour. There would be no need for personality theories if
we had been able to understand human behaviour in its entirety. But
the fact is otherwise. Therefore different thinkers came out with
different explanations to explain why people behave in particular
ways and what are the reasons behind it? Thus a theory serves two
functions: i) Descriptive function and ii) Predictive function
Descriptive Functions A personality theory is descriptive in the sense
that it systematically organises behaviours in such a way that it
becomes easy to understand them. To put it in other words, it
provides a meaningful frame work by integrating and simplifying all
that is derived from related sets of events. Let us try to understand
this through example, You might have noticed that children between
ages three to four years often show negativism i.e. they behave just
the opposite of what they are asked to do or even if they comply
with the request they do so with a lot of stubbornness. Parents often
complain that their child is not behaving properly and no matter
what they do the child does not behave accordingly. Parents are
often at a loss to understand this thing. Now if we take help of
theory of personality development we come to know that it is
normal phenomenon. Every child goes through this phase and all the
negativism shown by the child is in fact directed toward developing
ego the core structure of personality. By showing negativism the
child in fact tests to what extent he can control the world around
him or in other words he asserts himself over things. Now we can
interpret child’s negativism in this light and our perception of the
child’s behaviour changes immediately.
, Predictive Functions
Personality theory not only helps us understand the past and the
present but it is useful in making prediction about the future as well.
But this is possible only when the concepts propounded by a theory
lend themselves to empirical testing for confirmation or
disconfirmation. For example, what if we hypothesize that
punishment will only aggravate negativism in the child and actually
punishment form parents lead to an increase in negativism, our
hypothesis stands proved. Now if we hypothesize that once the child
crosses the age of five, negativism will automatically recede, and if
we find that the child is actually shedding negativism with increase in
age, again our hypothesis stands proved. Examples given above in
fact are aimed at explaining what, how and why. a) What- is related
to deals with the characteristics or traits of the personality and tells
how these traits are organised. b) How- deals with factors influencing
personality. It also investigates into heredity and environment
interaction, how heredity and environment shape our personality
and what is their relative contribution. c) Why- It means finding out
reasons for behaviour. It is related to the motivational aspect of
personality. As I told you in the first unit personality has motivational
dimension as well. Motivational dimension guides the behaviour of a
person in a particular direction. It provides answer to why a person
behaves in a particular manner? and why his behaviour moves in a
particular direction? Let us understand this through an example. You
know anxiety is a trait of personality. Suppose a person named
Rajesh is anxiety ridden. Now personality theory tries to explain to
what extent anxiety characterises Rajesh’s personality. How Rajesh
came to develop this trait? and why anxiety causes Rajesh to behave
in a particular manner? How come two individuals having anxiety
behave differently? If you compare Rajesh’s behaviour with another
person having anxiety you will notice the difference between their
behaviours while in the same condition or facing the same situation.
