Theories of Personality
Personality development is the development of organized patterns of behavior and attitudes that make a person distinctive. Personality development occurs by the ongoing interaction of temperament, character and environment.
Personality is what makes a person unique and is recognizable soon after birth. A child’s personality has several components: temperament, environment and character. Temperament is the set of genetically determined traits that determine the child’s approach to the world and how the child learns about the world. There are no genes that specify personality traits, but some genes do control the development of the nervous system which in turn controls behavior.
A second component of personality comes from adaptive patterns related to a child’s specific environment. Most psychologists agree that these two factors; temperament and environment influence the development of a persons personality the most. High quality parenting plays a significant role in the development of a child’s prsonality. When parents understand how their child responds to certain situations, they can anticipate issues that might be problematic for their child. They can prepare the child for the situation or in some cases they may avoid a potentially difficult situation altogether. Parents who know how to adapt their parenting approach to the particular temperament of their child can best provide guidance and ensure the successful development of their child’s personality.
Finally, the third component of personality is character, the set of emotional, cognitive and behavioral patterns learned from experience that determines how a person thinks, feels and behaves. A person’s character continues to evolve throughout life, although much depends on inborn traits and early experiences. Character is also dependent on a person’s moral development.