Short Essay on Personality!

In daily life the term personality is very freely used by people with
different meanings. Some people refer to the physical appearance like
height, weight, colour, body built, dress, voice, etc. Some other people
refer to intellectual qualities like intelligence, activeness, way of
speech, thinking and reasoning abilities, etc.
It is also referred to social characteristics like sociability, generosity,
kindness, reservedness, etc. On the basis of these characteristics they
judge people as strong or weak personalities, good and bad
personalities, etc.
In this way we all make personality judgments about the people we
know. A major part of coming to understand ourselves is developing a
sense of what our personality characteristics are. We even form
impressions about personalities of people we do not know, but have
only read about. As we shall see, these everyday uses of the term are
quite different from the meaning psychologists give to the term
personality.
The term personality has been derived from a Latin word persona-
means mask. In olden days, while playing dramas, in order to give
good effects to the roles played by them, the Greek actors used to wear
masks.
The psychologists continue to use the term personality to indicate that,
the real or inner qualities of a person will be different from, that of the
qualities seen apparently. Hence, defining and understanding the
personality is not very easy as it appears. It is very difficult to define
personality in a precise way. Different psychologists have defined
personality in their own ways. Two comprehensive definitions widely
accepted are quoted here under:
GW Allport defines that, personality is the dynamic organisation,
within the individual of those psychological systems that determine
his unique adjustment to his environment.
According to this definition the different psychological traits which
determine the adjustment of the individual are organised into a
dynamic (changeable or modifiable) unit. So there will be flexible
adjustment with the environment.
Eysenck defines that, personality is the more or less stable and
enduring organisation of a persons character, temperament, intellect
and physique which determines his unique adjustment to the
environment.
Most of the definitions of personality have tried to Consider the
totality of the person, that means, all the abilities, tendencies and
other characteristics, both inherent as well as acquired, which are
more or less consistent, and distinguishable from the people are
included in the personality.