By Yumeng (Julia) Wu – Australian
“Personality is far too complex a thing to be trussed up in a conceptual straightjacket” – Allport
Allport’s statement reveals that personality is ‘too’ intricate to be fully understood or defined by any single theory. The term “conceptual straightjacket” suggests that it is impossible to simplify personality into fixed categories as they fail to represent and capture its true complexity. His view emphasizes the variability of everyone’s personality. It is his opinion that this discussion of personality should rather be approached with an open mind, acknowledging the depth personality brings to us.
The science of psychology is an endless debate about building personality. Your interests can be exposed as early as at 5-years-old, sitting through your second time watching ‘Frozen’ with someone who might not share the same excitement and enjoyment for it as you do. Then the question may arise, “Why don’t they?” To answer that simply, it’s because everyone's mind works differently. I will continue this discussion with how biological and environmental factors, as well as cognitive development and emotional regulation, with theories from well-known philosophers all play a role in shaping a person’s personality.
While genetics provide a foundation for personality development, environmental factors heavily shape how those traits manifest. Socialization, defined as the process by which someone, especially a child, learns to behave in a way that is acceptable in their society, plays a crucial role in shaping personality, especially during childhood. Family, school, peer groups, and culture all contribute to the formation of values, beliefs, and behaviours. Developmental psychologist Erik Erikson proposed a theory of psychosocial development that highlights how individuals go through stages of growth influenced by their interactions with the world. Each stage presents a crisis that must be resolved for healthy personality development to happen. For instance, during adolescence, individuals face the conflict of identity versus role confusion, which is crucial for creating a sense of self (Erikson). To summarize this, impactful events that happen during your childhood influence how you develop as a human and contribute to the decisions that culminate in the manifestation of your true self.
Cultural influences are another significant environmental factor. Different cultures emphasize different values, norms, and behaviours, all of which can shape personality development. Collectivist cultures like those in East Asia often prioritize interdependence and group harmony, influencing individuals to develop traits such as agreeableness and cooperation. In contrast, individualistic cultures, such as those obtainable in Western societies tend to emphasize independence and personal achievement, which can foster traits like assertiveness and self-expression. This brings up another argument for the effects of cultural influences on the choices and behaviours of different individuals.
Psychologist Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychosexual development posits that early childhood experiences play a pivotal role in shaping adult personality. Freud argued that unresolved conflicts during any of the five psychosexual (the psychological aspects of sexual desire) stages - oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital - may lead to fixation, influencing personality traits later in life. Although many aspects of Freud’s theories have been criticized or revised by later psychologists, the idea that early childhood experiences profoundly impact personality remains widely accepted.
Cognitive development also plays a role in shaping personality. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development describes how children move through stages of cognitive growth which allow them to interact with the world in increasingly complex ways. As children develop their abilities to think abstractly, reason logically, and see from others’ perspectives, their personalities become more nuanced and adaptable. In essence, Piaget’s theory decides that the experiences and problems a person faces through childhood are the building blocks for their approaches to conflict resolution.
Emotional regulation is another important aspect of personality development. Psychologist Daniel Goleman’s research on emotional intelligence (EQ) emphasizes how the ability to manage emotions effectively contributes to social success and overall well-being. Individuals with high emotional intelligence tend to be more empathetic, self-aware, and adept at handling interpersonal relationships, which are critical components of personality.
To conclude, factors regarding biological and environmental influences, cognitive development and emotional regulation are all pillars of personality development which impact every individual differently and prove that no two individuals are the same.
Bibliography
Allport, Gordon W. Becoming: Basic Considerations for a Psychology of Personality. Yale University Press, 1955.
“Socialization.” Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/socialization#:~:text=%2F%CB%8Cso%CA%8A%CA%83%C9%99l%C9%99%CB%88ze%C9%AA%CA%83n%2F,is%20acceptable%20in%20their%20society. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
Erikson, Erik H. Childhood and Society. 1st ed., Norton & Company, 1950.
Markus, Hazel R. "Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation." Psychological Review, vol. 98, no. 2, 1989, pp. 224–253, https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
“Psychosexual.” Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/psychosexual#:~:text=%2F%CB%8Csa%C9%AAk%C9%99%CA%8A%CB%88sek%CA%83u%C9%99l%2F-,%2F%CB%8Csa%C9%AAk%C9%99%CA%8A%CB%88sek%CA%83u%C9%99l%2F,psychological%20aspects%20of%20sexual%20desire. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
Piaget, Jean. The Construction of Reality in the Child. Basic Books, 1954.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1995.
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