The Phenomenon of Personality 1.

Throughout history philosophers, politicians, physicians, and psychologists have developed theories to explain how and why the differences among people occur. Most had the goal of explaining or predicting human behavior. They are considerably successful in doing so, since we are all similar in many ways. More recently, techniques have been developed to assess personality. It is a sub ect of universal interest and continual relevance in all human interactions. !. "hen we see# the right person for a partner, our udgment of their personality is essential in evaluating our hoped$for compatibility. In business, people typically udge their associates on their general demeanor and personality plays a huge role in that. "hen we listen to political speeches, how do we rate the candidates% &es we loo# at their command of the issues but isn't it essentially their charisma and presence that we appraise% It is difficult to thin# of any interaction in which the appraisal of personality does not play an important role. (n the other hand, personality as such is also very hard to pin down. )ere are some recent attempts at defining personality* +$,.People have been trying to understand each other in the wac#iest ways. from horoscope traits to handwriting can show personality to what shoes you wear to what way you sleep to what hand you write with -verything has been done .irth (rder /an Influence &our Personality. &ou0ve probably heard of this concept before. 1irst born children are often described as 2bossy2 or 2responsible,2 while last$born children are sometimes described as 2irresponsible2 and 2impulsive.2 In 3apan, blood type has long been associated with personality type. &ou might well be as#ed your blood type on a ob interview4 5$6. 7-89 9I1- :IT;8TI(< 9et's say you have a ob interview today. &our resume has already displayed that you have the s#ills to fit what they're loo#ing for and more. &et still they as# to have an interview with you, to udge your personality and ma#e sure that fits the bill as well. <ow my question to you all is is it ustifiable for a personality assessment to be used in such a situation% (# that's understandable. .ut first impressions aren't everybody's strong point. :omeone might come across a completely different way than their true nature is. The difference between personality testing and all the other examples I was giving you is in a personality assessment you are giving it the information to wor# with. In a sense it doesn't tell you anything you don't already #now. <ot li#e what blood type you are is

completely beyond your control. This is an argument to bear in mind for the =nowledge Issue which is>. ?. =nowledge Issue* M8I< (<- I: To what extent can we categori@e people into personality types% 8dditionally what is the point of this% A $ B. 8rea of =nowledge* )uman :ciences (ne of the most well #nown personality assesments is The Myers$.riggs Type Indicator *a questionnaire which identifies a person's four basic type preferences that combine into one of 16 different personality types. "e did one in grade B if any of you remember -CI :C< TC1 3CP I #now what you're thin#ing. I thin# 8<D feel. "hooa bro. If you're a thin#er it doesn't mean you are a robot. &ou do not feel. Thin#ing is ust Dominant 7ecessive. 1E. :ignificance of #nowing personality types* /areer Fuidance $"hat types of tas#s are we most suited to perform% "here are we naturally most happy% Managing -mployees $)ow can we best understand an employee0s natural capabilities, in the position they will find the most satisfaction% Inter$personal 7elationships $ Gery important. I #now Mr. Fammon's personality type. therefore increase my understanding of his reactions to situations, and now #now how to best communicate with him on a level which he will understand% <ot to sound degrading. "atch out, next thing you #now .11: -ducation )ow can we develop different teaching methods to effectively educate different types of people% 9i#e figuring out if you are a visual, auditory or #inesthetic learner all that a@@

/ounselling )ow we can help individuals understand themselves better, and become better able to deal with their strengths and wea#nesses% "e put ourselves in other people's shoes* 2.ut wait,2 you might thin#. 2Isn0t that exactly what we0re supposed to do% Isn0t it a good thing%2 The problem, as I see it, is it only gets you halfway there. Too often you put yourself in someone else0s shoes $$ but you stay you. &ou basically Huantum 9eap yourself into someone else0s situation with all your #nowledge and emotional resources.

11$1! /ounter arguements $ 7eason $ boxing us into categories. If no one in the world has the same fingerprint how can they have the same personality type% I don't need a personality test to tell me who I am. - environment and experience ma#e up your personality. )ow can someone have had your experience and atmosphere - an excuse for behavior. - 7elating bac# to real life situation 1. 9ie to a personality test to seem more credible for ob 8rguments for 7ebuttal* we cannot fully apprehend differences if we cannot identify our common characteristics. People need to see themselves from other persons point of view. "hat would I do if I met myself. )ow do other people see me. :omeone could be in denialCoblivious to his faults. Two twins who have the same experience and environment in life yet with completly contrasting personalities. It does not measure capability li#e a math test. It is not designed to determine how good you are at a particular tas#. - how are you sure that there isn't a person in the world with the same physical features as you. :omeone could be wal#ing around with ur face

its a mystery how would u #now% There may well be same goes with persnality. - or dare i say that there may be an individual with a personality that extremely resembles your own% (ne desires to be 2unique2 2one of a #ind2 to be significant in this world. If there are others li#e you, you0re awfully replaceable. -T)I/: $ If you divide this class up, half being the cool #ids and half being the losers no one really li#es. .y doing what I ust did I ust created segregation. I ust discriminated half of the classroom. :o in a sense it isn't completely ethical to box someone in and label them. This would fuel the stereotypes and prede uces that already exist. This could limit a person as it's ironic to what we're trying to achieve. Perception$ over all assessing personality enhances our perception of people and their actions. "ays of =nowing* 7eason An American psychologist named Bertram R. Forer (19142000) conducted an interesting experiment in 1948.
9oopholes and ofc it's ust a theory it's not perfect. )owever I could refute to be harsh that the class was ust unintelligent and could not see how broad the IinsightsJ were. They were probably going with their emotion and "8<T-D to believe so they did. I could've tried the experiment on you guys but I #now you're too good for that. 8lso, do the research and chec# out it's validity. That it's not something off qui@illa.com

&ou are the final udge of your own psychological type;nderstand% (=

14. Who are you? According to evolutionary psychologists, in prehistoric times, the knowledge to understand others was key to our survival. For e ample, the a!ility to choose a relia!le and skill"ul hunting partner could mean the di""erence !etween li"e and death. #nowing onesel" $ developing a personal identity $ is a key %uestion "or many people. &he ancient 'reek historian (iodurus recounts how, in ancient times, )hiron o" *parta inscri!ed key advice on a column outside the &emple at (elphi. +ne o" his inscriptions was, #now &hysel". ,lato records that *ocrates $ re"erring to the &emple at (elphi $ pro"essed an interest in sel"-knowledge a!ove all else. #nowing who we are can help guide us and our thinking.
15. 7eal life situation &8&* Married for 1E years. .uilt all this time getting to #now each other find out theyre incompatiable and thin# in completely different ways. Tric#y situation4 "ouldnt u want to #now someones personality before u meet them that sort of commitment before diving in the deep end In conclusion* PI- /)87T 1(7 -<D* I don't want to force my opinion on anyone. There is debate over this and no definitive answer towards the role personality tests have in society. I have the answer here and here. :tay with me. This is the good part I had an ephiphany Most of us are inclined to categori@e people. (ur language is full of words to describe people. "ords li#e nerd, emo, posh and hippie are used to categori@e a type of person. These are ust samples of the nearly 1?,EEE -nglish terms that describe personal attributes. 8ccording to psychology today. The abundance of these descriptors raises an important question* Did natural language develop to describe personality accurately% These examples illustrate the presence of informal personality assessment. This tendency to categori@e people ma#es a great deal of sense in some contexts because it is a universal human characteristic to impose order on complex situations. 8s complex as human behavior can be, repeating patterns can be perceived.

Personality falls under the heading of things that most people believe they understand. Most people believe they can #now or understand other people. "e ma#e use of our s#ills in personality assessment on a daily basisK however, most of us would have a difficult time explaining exactly how we draw our conclusions about others. "e all try to predict behavior, interpret conversations, and ma#e inferences about others' actions li#e when we watch movies. If someone offends us, acts strangely, or seems excessively #ind, we will quic#ly try to understand their motives. "e are personality experts or at least we thin# we are. =I* can we categori@e people into personality types. Don't we already categori@e people%4 "e assess people internally anyway, what does it matter if it's done on paper a tad more scientifically% If we go to my first real life situation and attend that interview. -ven if the manager or whatever doesn't give you a paper to fill out. )e is still giving you a once over in his mind4 =8P--:)% Type does not explain everythingK humans are complex but it gives a basis something to start with. These techniques are in their infancyK but it is li#ely that the next generation may have powerful tools to assist them in understanding human nature. but for now this is all we have so we might as well utili@e it.