Personality and traits

People are different, not just with how they look, but their personality as well. No matter how similar two people are, their personality will be different. These differences will be apparent when the two are faced with the same situation. It comes down to their individual personalities.

We label personality with many words to help describe people. We characterise those around us to better understand them. What is it that makes someone who they are and how they act? A lot of research has been dedicated to this subject.

The dictionary definition of personality is, "the visible aspect of one's character as it impresses other a person as an embodiment of a collection of qualities. Psychology the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual. The organised pattern of behavioural characteristics of the individual. The quality of being a person; existence as a self-conscious human being; personal identity."

The main three factors that are part of the structure of personality are id, ego and superego. Each controls an important part of everyone's personality. These are the driving force of who you are. They are your drive, or lack of it, and help you decide your likes and dislikes. Underlying everything, they are in constant conflict with each other.

Id incorporates the impulsive and childish side of your personality. It's sole goal is to do things that you find pleasurable and avoid anything that is unpleasant or painful. No matter what the consequences are, id is that little voice that that tells us to gives into our desires.

Superego on the other hand is the side of our personality that make us behave. It's the part of our personality that is judgemental. It reminds us of what is socially appropriate and makes us stick to it. Regardless of what we want, Superego makes sure we do the appropriate thing. It's the exact opposite of id and if we do deviate from what is appropriate, then it gives us a strong feeling of guilt.

While id and superego are both fighting to tell you what to do, the third aspect of your personality, ego, is working as a balance bringing the two together. It helps you be a little bit of both.

The big five.

There are a large range of personalities out there. With such a large range there has been research into how to group these traits together under a handful of names to quickly identify personality.

There are five main personality traits. These can incorporate a vast range of smaller traits that have been categorised. The first to study and research this were two German psychologists, Klages (1926) and Baumgarten (1933). This was then taken on by many others and the understanding of the different personalities have been extensively studied.

The mind is still vastly unknown, and even with centuries of research, we have uncovered just the tip of the iceberg. The task of grouping people's personality in categories has been the objective of many experts, but with constant research, we have been able to start to learn "what makes us, us."

There are five aspects of our personality that influence our behaviour. These five are separate from each other. These five traits are:

Openness. This is how open we are to new ideas. A lot of creative people have a high amount of this trait as they have to be open to new ways of thinking and seeing things. It also affects how open or resistant we are to change, as well as how we conform to societal or cultural norms.

Conscientiousness. This affects the person's discipline and organisation skills. If someone had a high level of conscientiousness, it would mean that they would get their work done on time. This trait also affects how often someone takes risks on a day to day basis.

Extroversion. This controls how social that person is, or how warm and loving they tend to be. People with a high level of this trait tend to want to go out with a large group of friends than stay in. These people tend to have an extensive social life.

Agreeableness. People with high agreeableness are more cooperative, dependable and kind. They typically go out of their way to help others for the common good, rather than fulfil their own interests.

Neuroticism. This determines how anxious or nervous a person is. Someone with a high neuroticism would be more nervous and worry about things that aren't in their control. This trait also affects the level of self-confidence a person might have.

Even though we all have these five traits, it doesn't mean that our personalities are the same. Each person can have a different degree of each trait that could affect their personality differently from the next person. This means that there is an infinite number of possibilities and an infinite number of personalities out there, thus making each person unique.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Allport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trait_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

http://orientation.uchicagolawandecon.org/readings/Digman%20on%20Five%20Factor%20Model.pdf


http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-personality-traits-characteristics-definition-five-big-traits.html#lesson


http://ideonomy.mit.edu/essays/traits.html

 http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/?score-bigfive