Scientific Study of Personality Paper

Scientific Study of Personality Paper

Psych/504 Personality Theories

University of Phoenix

October 22, 2012

Scientific Study of Personality Paper 1

The paper will give an explanation of how psychologists define personality. In the paper will be an explanation of the meaning of the word "personality". In the paper will be an explanation on three methods known as case studies, correlational designs, and experimental designs or true experiments. How the methods differ, which information each method provides, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method will be explained in the paper.

Ways Psychologist Define Personality

When concerning psychologists view of personality, psychologist will uphold different outlooks regarding the meaning of personality is and how the study of personalities can further understanding of the psyche. The different outlooks (personality theories) will allow the psychologists to give people a better understanding of the meaning of personality. Understanding personality will allow a person better to understand themselves and others as well as fix or change any perceived problems a person may have regarding his or her personality or actions.

Biological or trait theories, psychoanalytic theory, learning organizational or social, and humanistic theories will help psychologist to determine his or her meaning of personality. The biological or trait theory explains that people are born with certain traits and those traits irrevocably determines a person's personality. The majority of psychologist believes this theory will have an affect on a person's overall personality. The psychoanalytic theory will allow psychologists to measure how people will understand his or her personalities, and the differences between self personalities and others personalities. This theory studied a person's balance between personalities focusing on fun, self, and social responsibility. The learning organizational or social theory allows psychologist to determine a person's personality by habits a person develops, person's behavior and emotions, how a person reacts to his or his environment around him or her and his or her beliefs in themselves and his or her abilities. The

Scientific Study of Personality Paper 2

humanistic theory allows psychologists viewing a person's life as this person would see his or her life. Psychologist will develop an optimistic perspective on ways of human life. Psychologist will focus on the ability of people to think rationally and consciously, to manage his or biological urges, and to obtain his or her full potential. When psychologist views the humanistic theory, he or she realizes people are responsible for his or her lives and actions and have the freedom and will to change his or her behaviors and attitudes.

Psychologist are known to have different views of personality because he or she believes there are numerous personality traits. McCrae & Costa (1987) believe there were five core personality traits that will help psychologist to determine his or her meaning of personality. The extroversion trait consists of a person's characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and large amounts of emotional expressiveness. The agreeableness dimension includes attributes like kindness, trust, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. The conscientiousness traits include high level of thoughtfulness, goal-directed behaviors, and good impulses. The neuroticism trait will allow a person to experience high emotional instability, anxiety, sadness, irritability, and moodiness. The openness trait allows a person to gain characteristics like imagination and insight, and those people high in these traits will have a broader range of interest.

The Definition of Personality

Personality is completed up of characteristic that consist of traits, feelings, behaviors, and thoughts that make a person different from other people. Personality will focuses on two parts: understanding a person's different particular personality characteristics, like irritability or sociability, the understanding how numerous characteristics of a person will come in to place completely. How a person recognizes the environment around him or her; person's thoughts, attitudes, and feelings will create a

Scientific Study of Personality Paper 3

person's personality. The overview definition of personality is that personality explains who a person will become and that each person will develop a different personality type. It will be too difficult to determine the meaning of personality because everyone will have a different opinion of what the meaning of personality is and what personality is defined.

Methods to Study Personality

Personality is difficult to define and will leave researchers with unanswered questions about who a person has become or