PERSONALITY

“Personality, a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality

embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions
with other people. It includes behavioral characteristics, both inherent and acquired,
that distinguish one person from another.”:

CHILD PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

“Children's personality development begins when they start seeing themselves as

unique individuals. Personality is defined as a distinct set of behaviors, cognitions, and
emotional patterns that emerge from biological and environmental influences. A
person's personality is both inherited and acquired.”

ROLE OF FAMILY IN PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Personality in simple words means distinctive personal qualities which help one to
establish one's identity. Personality of a child develops in a very natural process, which
certainly can be improved further by proper guidance of parents and teachers. In fact,
developing a child's personality is in a way development of a child in every aspect. It is
the responsibility of the parents as well as the teachers to see to it that the child plays
enough, reads enough and socializes enough. To some extent, a child inherits its
responsibility from its parents. Coming to the specific question how to develop a child's
personality, it is imperative to know about the main factors that constitute its personality.
Broadly speaking these are Child’s physical traits (which are visible), child's intellectual
qualities, attitude, behavior pattern, feelings and aspirations, commitments and
convictions. How the child's personality will develop, to a great extent, depends upon
the way he is allowed to socialize, interact with others emotionally during his childhood,
the parent's behavior with him/her, how the child is treated by his near and dear ones,
the cultural milieu in which he/she t is brought up, the amount of care and love it gets
from its parents, the contribution made by the school, and the facilities provided to the
child for his physical growth and mental development.
The most common criteria of defining a child's personality is it's physical outlook which
consists of it's height, weight, leanness, fatness and so on. However, apart from having
a good height, balanced weight, healthy physique, if he has a good sense of dressing
and hairstyle, we generally term his personality as being "impressive or good". To take
care of a child's health, he/she may be provided nutritious diet. It is possible to even
help the child in gaining height and controlling weight with the help of medical advice,
tonics, physical exercises etc. To make him physically active, sports or games are
necessary.

Why Personality Development is Important

A person’s personality is defined by their characteristics, behaviors, thoughts, and
feelings. These aspects start developing during childhood, and are strengthened and
molded as the person grows into adulthood.

A very important thing you need to remember is that your personality, regardless of what
it is now, can develop and evolve. The significance of this understanding is that you can
still do something about your personality today, which means that if you think your
personality needs to be changed or improved, then you can make this happen.

Play An Essential Element

Play forms one of the important elements of child's personality development. It is a

medium that provides the child an opportunity for fullest self -expression, freedom and
pleasure. It is also a creative activity. It is helpful in developing habit of sharing
cooperation, mixing up with others, being assertive and leadership quality. A child who
takes part in the sports and others competitions, may have to go different places with
the team. Quite naturally while staying with the fellow players in a camp or in some
hostel he/she learns all these qualities of sharing, co-operation and so on.

Socialization

Talking about the development of the child's intellectual qualities, let us first take up the
socializing factor. For a child to later become a go -getter or a dashing person (as is
generally required by most of the top-notch organizations) this component or personality
counts a lot. It is necessary that parents watch how the child interacts with the family
members, friends’ neighbors, classmates etc. And they must encourage him to mix-up
with these people or else the child would prefer to be left alone and may develop
shyness and a sense of loneliness. Similarly, teachers can also contribute in making a
child social.

Role of Emotions

While talking about the development of a child's personality, one must t mention he
emotional development in the children . Emotions play a major and a very important role
in this context. Development of various emotions in a child from part of his personality
development. Expression of emotions plays a vital role in an individual's personality.

Parents Behavior

The maximum contribution is made by parents in shaping the personality of the child.
But it is generally the mother who naturally and practically remains the biggest source of
love, affection, guidance, care, supervision, inspiration and motivation to the child in
general an during childhood in particular. A warm, affectionate and loving mother builds
up a healthy maternal relationship with her child which helps the child to develop its
personality Though every mother does her best in this regard, keeping in mind the fact
that it is largely her contribution that is going to shape the child's personality makes a lot
of difference .

Husband's Helping Hand - a must

Though the responsibility of nurturing the child, taking care of its physical and mental
growth, its safety, and its study is generally regarded as women's work and more often
than not shifted to the already overburdened mother. But this in no way, lessens the
responsibility of the father. Due to pressing financial needs women like men have to
work to supplement the family's income, which leaves them with little time of look after
their children and they genuinely need a helping hand from the husband, who must
share the important task of upbringing the child.

Tips on personality development of the child

Do not scold child all the time for minor failures.
Do not trouble the child constantly.
Frequent use of bitter or harsh remarks should be avoided.
Avoid the practice of preferring one child over the other and thereby
neglecting the other.
Do not denigrate or disparage the child.
Avoid prolonged separation of the child.
Constant friction with the child or between the parents should not be
expressed in front of the child.
Never discourage the child.
Do not praise your child always.
Excessive discipline is also harmful.
Repetitive or sever punishment should be avoided. The child should be given a
change to rectify itself and punishment should be the last resort.
Parents should not be over-ambitious regarding their children and they should not set
goals for a child which is not in harmony with his intellectual endowment, capabilities,
achievements and interests. This also puts a breach in the proper development of the
child's personality.

EXTRA FAMILIAL INFLUENCES

Definition
Extrafamilial influences refer to
“factors outside of the immediate family that can impact a child's development.”
These influences can include peers, schools, community, media, and cultural values.

Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)

The ecological systems theory, proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, emphasizes the
mutual influence between a developing child and their environment. According to this
theory, the environment is composed of nested structures, with the developing person at
the center and rings of influence surrounding them. The relative influence of these
systems changes over time.

Microsystem: The microsystem is the innermost layer of the child's ecology, consisting
of the immediate settings and surroundings with which the child directly interacts. This
includes the family, daycare/preschool/school, and peers. The microsystem focuses on
the relationships and activities that directly involve the child.

Mesosystem
The mesosystem is the second layer of the child's ecology, encompassing the
interconnections between the child's immediate settings. It involves the relationships
between different systems in which the child is directly involved. For example, the
mesosystem includes interactions between the family and daycare, or between the
family and school. Supportive systems that facilitate consistency and positive
interactions between different settings can contribute to positive development, while
non-supportive systems can hinder it.

Exosystem
The exosystem is the third layer of the child's ecology and includes contexts that
influence the child's development without their direct participation. Examples of the
exosystem include the parent's employment status, which can influence their availability
to the child, and school board policies that determine the nature of the educational
system. Community politics, such as curfews or the availability of city parks, also fall
within the exosystem.

Macrosystem
The macrosystem is the outermost layer of the child's ecology and encompasses broad
ideological influences. It includes cultural values, socioeconomic status (SES), customs,
laws, and religion. The macrosystem influences how children should be treated and the
patterns and accepted behaviors of a specific culture or society.

Ecological Model
The ecological model represents the different levels of influence on a child's
development, including cultural values, laws, external resources, the microsystem,
mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. It recognizes the interconnectedness and
mutual influence among these levels.

Facilitate positive outcomes and prevent positive outcomes

At each level of the ecological model, there are factors that can either facilitate positive
outcomes or prevent them. For example, within the microsystem, a supportive and
nurturing family environment can facilitate positive outcomes, while a dysfunctional
family environment can hinder them. Similarly, within the exosystem, access to high-
quality daycare and supportive community resources can facilitate positive outcomes,
while limited resources or unsafe neighborhoods can prevent them.
Friends
Friends are individuals with whom we form social connections and relationships outside
of the family. We have friends for various reasons, including companionship, emotional
support, shared interests, and the opportunity for social interaction and play.

Familial Influences – Peers

Peer relationships can be seen as a natural extension of the original parent-child
relationship (continuous) or as qualitatively different relationships. Continuous theories
suggest that peer relationships reflect the same patterns of interaction and attachment
that children have experienced with their parents. On the other hand, qualitative
theories propose that peer relationships involve distinct social dynamics and
developmental processes.

Peer Relationship Research - Friendship Existence

The presence or absence of friendships has significant implications for a child's social
development. Children who lack friendships may experience increased aggression and
peer rejection, which can have negative consequences for their social and emotional
well-being.

Peer Relationship Research - Personality of Friends

The quality of friends, whether they exhibit positive or negative behaviors, can influence
a child's social development. Deviancy training occurs when interactions with peers who
engage in maladaptive behaviors contribute to the development of similar behaviors in
the child. On the other hand, having good quality friends does not guarantee positive
relationships or outcomes.

Peer Relationship Research - Quality of Relationships with Friend

Even when children have good quality friendships, the nature of those relationships can
impact their development. For example, having strong relationships with delinquent
friends can encourage drug use and contribute to depression. Therefore, it is not only
important to have friends but also to have good quality friends and maintain positive
relationships with them.

Peer Relationship Problems - Gender Differences

Gender differences exist in the types of peer relationship problems that children may
face. Males are more likely to engage in reactive aggression, which involves responding
aggressively to perceived threats from peers. This can lead to externalizing behavior
problems and peer rejection. Females, on the other hand, are more likely to engage in
relational aggression, which involves using social manipulation and exclusion to harm
others. This can lead to internalizing behavior problems and peer rejection.

Peer Relationship Problems - GenderDifferences

In addition to the differences in the types of peer relationship problems, there may also
be differences in how boys and girls respond to these problems. For example, boys may
be more likely to physically retaliate when faced with aggression, while girls may be
more inclined to engage in social exclusion or engage in indirect forms of aggression.

Bullying
Bullying refers to repeated aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an
imbalance of power. It can occur in various forms, including physical, verbal, and
relational aggression. Bullying can have serious negative consequences for both the
victim and the perpetrator, including social, emotional, and academic difficulties.

Bullying Prevention and Intervention

Addressing bullying requires a multifaceted approach involving prevention and
intervention strategies. Prevention efforts focus on creating a positive and inclusive
school climate, promoting empathy and social skills, and educating students and staff
about bullying. Intervention strategies aim to stop ongoing bullying incidents, support
the victims, and address the underlying issues that contribute