Definitions Of Personality

According to Allport (1961) personality is the “dynamic organisation within the individual of those psycho-physical systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment”. It suggests that a person’s personality “resides” within him or her and that these systems are intertwined into an organisation.
Personality is dynamic rather than static, and the organisational pattern affects the type and degree of adjustment that an individual makes to his environment, and this pattern is unique to each individual.

With the Latin meaning of the term personality falling out of favour and acceptance of personality as an all-encompassing concept, scientists from all fields of the study examined personality from a variety of perspectives. The following headings might be used to summarise their efforts:

Popular Definitions of Personality

This includes personality classifications that place a strong emphasis on social ideals. In popular parlance, a person who is handsome and good-looking is believed to have the greatest personality since he or she is liberal, readily mixes up in social situations, and demonstrates socially desirable attributes. This term, however, does not apply to everyone.

Following this notion, some people would have no personality at all. Furthermore, you are well aware that in real life, we frequently face people who have all the attractions, show all the socially desirable features, but have antisocial tendencies, such as infamous criminal Sobhraj. He has an outwardly appealing personality, but he has a criminal inclination. He assassinated a large number of unarmed civilians.

Political Definition of Personality

A person has personality, according to political definition, only if he is captivating, appealing, and represents the masses. In a public argument, he should be able to present himself in a compelling manner. His personal life should be tainted by controversies. Even this description is insufficient because if we adopt it, the bulk of political leaders should be devoid of personality.

Biophysical Definition of Personality

Personality is seen as an inherent internal element of a person in this category of definitions. It considers personality to be made up of traits that can be measured objectively. Sheldon, for example, categorised people based on their physical characteristics. He identified three personality types: endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic, with endomorphic being plump and meaty, mesomorphic being athletic and muscular, and ectomorphic being lean and bony.

Omnibus Definition of Personality

This category comprises all notions that place a strong emphasis on describing a person’s personality. This method is best shown by Morton Prince’s (1924) definition. Personality, he claims, is the sum of an individual’s biological, natural dispositions, impulses, tendencies, appetites, and instincts, as well as acquired dispositions and tendencies acquired via experiences. Despite being all-encompassing, it is critiqued for being exceedingly subjective and complex.

 Integrative Definition of Personality

The essence of this concept is to find order and consistency in an individual’s behaviour across a variety of settings. As a result, personality is a structure or pattern. Cagan and Haveman, for example, describe personality as the complete pattern of distinctive ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that make up an individual’s unique style of relating to the world.

 Psychological Definition of Personality

This description encompasses all personality types that are defined by factors such as adaptability, temperament, distinctiveness, and dynamic organisation. We could include a lot of definitions in this category, but for our purposes, we’ll simply look at a handful. Personality is the dynamic organisation of those psychophysical processes within an individual that define his particular adjustment to his environment. Allport (Allport, 1938).

l Personality is the more or less stable and long-lasting organisation of a person’s character, temperament, intelligence, and physicality that determines his individual response to his surroundings. 1952 (Eysenck). l Personality refers to the distinct patterns of behaviour (including thoughts and emotions) that characterise each individual’s responses to the settings in which he or she finds himself or herself. Walter Mischel (Walter Mischel, 1981).

Read more:- Characteristic Features of Personality