What is Personality....

•What is Personality?

The dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.  - Gordon Allport

–The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others, the measurable traits a person exhibits

•Measuring Personality

–Helpful in hiring decisions

–Most common method: self-reporting surveys

–Observer-ratings surveys  provide an independent assessment of personality – often better predictors

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•Personality Determinants

•Heredity

–Factors determined at conception: physical stature, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and bio-rhythms

–This “Heredity Approach” argues that genes are the source of personality

–Twin studies: raised apart but very similar personalities

–Parents don’t add much to personality development

–There is some personality change over long time periods

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•Personality Traits

Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior

–The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently it occurs in diverse situations, the more important the trait.

• Two dominant frameworks used to describe personality:

–Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®)

–Big Five Model

•The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

•Most widely-used instrument in the world.

•Participants are classified on four axes to determine one of 16 possible personality types, such as ENTJ.

–Extroverted (E) vs. Introverted (I)

–Sensing (S) vs. Intuitive (N)

–Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

–Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

•The Types and Their Uses

•Each of the sixteen possible combinations has a name, for instance:

–Visionaries (INTJ) – are original, stubborn and driven.

–Organizers (ESTJ) – realistic, logical, analytical and businesslike.

–Conceptualizer (ENTP) – entrepreneurial, innovative, individualistic and resourceful.

•Research results on validity mixed.

–MBTI® is a good tool for self-awareness and counseling.

–Should not be used as a selection test for job candidates.

•The Big Five Model of Personality Dimensions

•Extroversion

–Sociable, gregarious, and assertive

•Agreeableness

–Good-natured, cooperative, and trusting

•Conscientiousness

–Responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized

•Emotional Stability

–Calm, self-confident, secure under stress (positive), versus nervous, depressed, and insecure under stress (negative)

•Openness to Experience

–Curious, imaginative, artistic, and sensitive

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