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Personality can be defined in many different ways - one of the most popular definitions is one where personality is taken as a pattern of various psychological characteristics: thinking, behavior and feeling that distinguish a person from other people. There are also many differences in personality theories: for example, according to one of them, personality is influenced by all events that a given person experiences during their life. Everyone has a personality, but some people suffer from personality disorders - what are the causes of these problems?

Personality- theoretically this term is commonly known, but in practice it turns out that definingpersonalityis not so easy. Currently, there are many, often significantly different, definitions ofpersonality- most likely there are several dozen or even more.

Contents:

  1. What is personality?
  2. What does a person's personality depend on?
  3. What are personality theories?
  4. What causes personality disorders?

What is personality?

In the most classical approach, personality is treated as a constant set of various psychological characteristics and various internal factors that determine the behavior of a given person. Personality is also treated as a way of reacting to the surrounding environment and a way of interacting with this environment in various ways. Yet another definition is that personality is considered to be a way of thinking, behaving and feeling that sets a person apart from other people. However, there is simply no one universal and - most importantly - specific definition of personality.

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What does a person's personality depend on?

Theories about what influences personality development in humans are really diverse. For example, genes are taken into account - it is believed that the tendency to develop certain personality traits may be recorded in the inherited genetic material. Genes for sureHowever, they are not the only determinant of what a given person will be.

The surrounding environment also has a significant impact on the development of personality: family home, closest people, the course of contacts with peers and a whole range of various other external factors with which a person comes into contact and which affect him and his psyche .

In addition to those already mentioned, some biological personality determinants are also mentioned. The way a person is may be influenced, for example, by the structure and functioning of his nervous system.

The participation of hormonal factors is also taken into account - for example, testosterone, the main male sex hormone, can affect such features as sex drive, tendency to undertake social interactions or impulsiveness.

The development of a person's personality takes a long time. Basically, it begins with the moment a given person comes into the world and the shaping of this feature of the psyche is maintained throughout childhood.

The development of the personality takes place, however, and later, ultimately, it is believed that the end of the development of the human-specific pattern of attitudes and mental traits occurs around the age of 20 or even later.

What are personality theories?

Personality in psychological terms has been the object of interest to many diverse specialists - a significant number of scientists have already analyzed this aspect of the human psyche, and more research is still being carried out. Ultimately, there are several main personality theories which are:

  • theory of types(followed by, for example, Hippocrates, who believed that there are four types of human personality: sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric);
  • trait theory(assuming that personality is made up of a whole list of different traits, such as openness, optimism and serenity);
  • psychodynamic theory(according to her, personality is shaped primarily by events experienced during life, one of the people who propagated this theory was Freud);
  • humanistic theory(in this case, the personality would be determined by the subjective psychological experiences of a given individual);
  • theory of social learning(according to her, personality is influenced by behaviors and attitudes that we observe in other people and which we begin to manifest ourselves);
  • theory of interactionism(the most complex theory of personality, which essentially combines all of the above views).

What causes personality disorders?

Everyone alivea person has a personality, but some people are diagnosed with personality disorders. Well, they are diagnosed when the patient has some established features and procedures that can be considered abnormal and which - above all - lead to the deterioration of human functioning in many different spheres of life.

In order to be able to talk about personality disorders at all, it is necessary to say, inter alia, that the given features or attitudes are fixed in a person and do not result from the existence of any disease, be it somatic or mental.

There are quite a few types of personality disorders. Examples include histrionic, schizoid and anankastic personality, as well as dissocial personality and one of the most severe personality disorders, which are borderline disorders (emotionally unstable personality, also known as borderline personality disorder).

There are many potential reasons why some people develop personality disorders. These can be, for example, various traumatic events experienced in the early years of life (such as, for example, sexual abuse in childhood), as well as problems related to the bond between the child and his parents.

It is also possible that the basis of personality disorders are biological conditions - such can be, for example, disturbances in the number of neurotransmitters in the structures of the nervous system. Yet another aspect that is taken into account as a factor that may influence the development of personality disorders is the use of psychoactive substances.

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Personality types

A lot can be said about personality, there are also many types of it. It is quite easy to come across a variety of psychological tests that allow you to assign a person's personality to a specific type.

These divisions are exceptionally large, listing them is beyond the scope of this study. However, it is worth mentioning here the most frequently distinguished, three types of personality: ambivalence, introversion and extraversion.

Introverts are people who, e.g. They are focused on their inner life, they rest best in their home comfort and which are best to work alone. Extroverts are quite the opposite - people with this personality type feel great crowds, they are the life and soul of the party and love to be the center of attention, and they work best in a group.

Personality types from two different poles are listed above, but the most common type ispersonality, which is a combination of intro- and extraversion, which is ambivalence.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

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