Personality-“Is an individual’s unique set of characteristics and tendencies which shape a sense of self, and what that person does and the behaviour they exhibit” (Mullins 2010).
There has been a big debate centred around personality, it is questioning whether personality is inherited or developed in conjunction to ones environment. This is known as the nature verses nurture debate.
Idiographic Approach
“Is a holistic and dynamic perspective which insists that managers take into account a ‘whole’ understanding of the individuals at work” (Mullins 2010).
This approach emphasizes the notion that everyone have a unique psychological make-up which means that some traits are unique only to one person. This is why it is sometimes hard to compare individuals.
Nomothetic Approach
This is a measurable and exact viewpoint that looks at traits and personality as a collection of characteristics. These characteristics can now be identified and measured which enable them to be observed. This is important to businesses as it helps them to select the right people when recruiting.
This theory was first looked at by Gordon Allport in 1936; “he found that one English-language dictionary alone contained more than 4,000 words describing different personality as traits. He categorized these traits into three levels” (www.psychology.about.com). Han Eysenck then went on to develop a personality based model that in-cooperate Allport earlier work. However both Allport and Eysenck have been criticised; Allport for focusing on to many traits and Eysenck for not looking at enough. Therefore the Big Five was created.
“Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate” (www.psychology.about.com). Personally I don’t think either nature or nurture are more dominant, I think a combination of both make up an individual’s personality. The reason for this is because we obviously inherited some of our parent’s traits but we ultimately choose what type of person we want to be. I agree with Rogers, Maslow, Allport and Kelly that personality is unique to each individual.
I did the personality test on the BBC website and below are the results based on the Big Five;
The Big Five | Scores/Results | Explanation |
Openness | High | People with scores like yours tend to be imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods. Generating lots of imaginative ideas probably comes very easily to you. However, it's likely that you are prone to daydreaming too. Innovators, investigators and creators often score highly on this trait. It has also been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. Do you enjoy the odd conspiracy theory? |
Conscientiousness | Medium | People with scores like yours are less likely to be workaholics, instead achieving a good work-life balance. Conscientiousness often gives clues to the amount that a person plans. You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously. |
Extraversion | Medium | People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions. You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait. |
Agreeableness | Low | People with scores like yours are less likely to be interested in what others are feeling and tend to put their own interests first. It's likely that you appear tough-minded and direct to other people. You probably have little aversion to stating your thoughts and feelings. |
Neuroticism | Low | People with scores like yours are often seen as being calm and even-tempered. They cope well with stressful situations and may seem tranquil despite adverse circumstances. |
Conclusion
I feel as though this test has summaries me in a nutshell. There were some instance where I though this is so me for example; “You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously”. This is me I like planning things and am not a spontaneous person, I think about thinks before I do anything. Another example; “imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods”. This so spot-on because I really like to travel and I enjoy learning about different countries and cultures.
Reference
1. Mullins. L. J. Published 1985. Latest edition (9th) 2010.Management & Organisational Behaviour. Essex. Pearson Education Limited
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