Page 7 - Lesson Note 1

Module 3

Concept of Personality

 The term Personality is derived from the Latin word “persona”
 Personality refers to an individual

our characteristic ways to respond to and

situations

Personality refers to

Unique and relatively stable qualities

that characterise an individual’s behaviour
across different situations over a period of time.

 Personality is the consistency in behaviour, thought and emotions of an
individual across situations.
 Example – an honest person is more likely to remain honest
irrespective of time and situation.

 CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONALITY includes-

1) It has both physical and psychological components.

2) Its expression in terms of behaviour is fairly unique.

3) Its main features do not easily change with time.
4) It is dynamic in the sense that some of its features may change due to

internal or external situational demands.

Thus, personality is adaptive in nature.

Personality related terms (behavioural characteristics of individuals)

1. TEMPERAMENT – characteristics ways of reacting which are biologically
based.
2. TRAIT – Specific ways of behaving which are stable and persistent in nature.
3. DISPOSITION – Tendency of a person to react to a given situation in a
particular way.
4. CHARACTER – The overall pattern of regularly occurring behaviour.
5. HABIT – Over-learned modes of behaving.