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My understandings of personality
Literature review on effects of birth order on personality
My understandings of personality
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Personality seems to be the common topic of interest in the department of psychology. The problem is, the definition of personality varies depending on the beliefs and assumptions of those who are studying it. (Olson & Hergenhahm, 2011.) There has also been a common debate as to whether there even is such a thing as personality since there does not seem to be clear evidence of it. If there is no such thing as personality, it is fathomable that a person changes over time as well from situation to situation. (Unit 1 Introduction.) If there is such a thing as personality, the influence would be the environment in which they are raised. Unfortunately, not everyone is raised in a healthy environment. Personality has been studied for many centuries, and since almost every theorist has their own take on personality, they discovered different theories which originated from it. First, lets take a look as the theorist that started …show more content…
According to Adler, birth order impacts personality. (Alfred Adler Psych of Personality.) He was the third of seven children and used himself as well as his family to help create the basis to one of his theories. (Alfred Adler News Film.) The oldest starts in a favored position and is in a constant conflict to keep his place. His older brother proved to be a great example of this because he was stronger and more domineering child. (Unit 4 Introduction.) The second child is in constant competition to catch up to the first child, but never seems to catch up. Because of this, the second child has better cooperation, so is more likely the peacemaker. (Olson & Hergenhahm, 2011.) The youngest child has siblings that came before, but none who came after. (Unit 4 Introduction.) This child may feel pampered because they have no rival with the other siblings. The theory revolving around the birth order was oriented mainly by his perspective of his
Personality is defined as the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character. Our personality has a huge influence on our enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors which influence how we adapt to our world. It’s how we define ourselves, and how others view you. Many psychologists have faced the challenge of trying to determine where our personality is derived from. Four main theories have been established on personality including psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, and social-cognitive. Using these theories, you can often better understand why people are the way that they are, such as Bill Cosby.
The achievers, the gamblers and visionaries, and the undefined, this is how Jeffery Kluger describes the oldest, youngest, and middle child in his article “The Power of Birth Order” (409). The birth order is a phenomenon, studied by many scientists, that has been impacting the way siblings think and act for years. The birth order classifies the oldest child, who is the achiever; the middle child, who is a hybrid of the oldest and youngest; and last but not least, the youngest child, who is the adventurer of the family. The fact that the birth order affects the personalities of siblings is becoming more and more evident and the classifications of the firstborn, middle child, and youngest child have been proved to be very accurate.
There are many theories about how an individuals’ personality develop or how different characteristics and traits are formed in people. Psychiatrist Alfred Adler was the first person to suggest that the order a person was born in had a profound effect on the development of his/her personality. He called his idea the Birth Order Theory. Adler’s work on this theory cover the oldest child, commonly referred to as the first-born, as well as, the middle, youngest, and only children. The work of other experts in the field have expanded on his theory to include multiplies (twins, triplets, etc.), step-siblings, siblings with disabilities, and siblings with more than a five years gap. So according to the Birth Order Theory, how does a person’s order of birth contribute to their personality, and what are the commonly shared characteristics in each birth position? Are there other factors that can contribute or influence an individual’s personality development in relation to the Birth Order Theory that needs to be considered? If so, than how accurate is the theory really? I will attempt to answer these question.
‘Birth order theory can help explain why children raised in the same family environment with a strong genetic relationship can have such different personalities’ (Drysdale, 2011). The birth order theory says that ‘first-borns are leaders, the drivers and the responsible type. They love to feel in control and feel uncomfortable with surprises or feeling out of their depth. They are conservative in their outlook’ (Grose, 2013). The personality theory says that last-borns are majorly different to first-borns in their characteristics and traits. It states that last-borns are ‘the
The patterns of birth order have been seen for centuries, although it was not studied exclusively until around the 1980s. There are many factors that play into a persons personality, such as their genetics, the way they are raised, and their environment. Birth order looks at a persons place in their family—if they are the oldest, middle, or youngest child—and provides commonalities between them and others in the same location in other families. While there are many variations, the general traits do apply. Research shows that the first born is typically a leader in the family and in other areas of life. The youngest child is usually light hearted and social. The one that is hardest to put a type to is the middle child. He or she will frequently try to blaze their own path, straying from the one that their older sibling made. I believe that birth order plays a part in a person’s personality, but that the way they were raised is also a very important variable. A child’s birth order, along with the way they were raised, is a major factor in the way they interact within their family and other groups.
An Adlerian is any person who applies the ideals and principles of Alfred Adler into their work; this does not restrict to just psychologists or counsellors, but instead applies to several occupations such as teachers or doctors. I’m an Adlerian because studying at Adler School of Professional Psychology I can rest assured knowing that once my degree is complete I will have a deep understanding of bringing together Adlerian principles into my counselling profession. Adlerian principles according to NASAP's (2004) newsletter “Adlerian Psychology-Theory of Human Behavior” can divide into different components: lifestyle, social embeddedness, phenomenology, teleology, creativity uniqueness, inferiority feelings, striving for superiority, vertical and level striving, and holism entrenched within all these components. As one notices, Adler had various principles and ideals, therefore if I was to pick just one that I hold dearly, it would be difficult to choose. Yet, in this paper, I will narrow my focus on addressing a few special components that are dear to me and finally select one that is most meaningful. I hope to use this as a base representation of the ideals I will apply in my work as an Adlerian practitioner.
As I said, I do not believe birth order has very much to do with the personality of a person. If a last child grows up penniless and has a lousy home life, he will not act like a last child who has a rich family and a marvelous suburban home. However, multiple of the things that many people said about how birth order affects the personality do describe me. The one that relates to me the greatest is definitely the fact that I am easy going. I never really let anything get too serious and I let things go once they are in the past. Also as Jocelyn Voo claims the middle child is very social, I would have to agree with her. I would rather be out with my pals having a wonderful time than be stuck at home doing nothing. Another quality that describes be excellently is the middle child takes pleasure in having a great time. If there is chance I can have good time, I will take that chance and expect for the best.
Personality can be accurately described by the American Psychology Association (APA) as “[the]individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving” (“Personality”, n.d.). A person’s personality is also the most complicated thing about them; it is a combination of all the qualities that could possibly describe a person. Therefore, one is bound to wonder what determines an individual 's personality, which brings us to the age-old argument of nature versus nurture.
Personality is patterns of thinking, behavior and emotional responses that make up individuality over time. Psychologist attempt to understand how personality develops and its impact on how we behave. Several theories attempt to explain personality, using different approaches. The social-cognitive and humanistic approaches are two of many theories that attempt to explain personality. This essay will identify the main concepts of social-cognitive and humanistic approach, identify perspective differences and discuss approach limitations.
Personality is a branch of scientific discipline that studies temperament and its variation among people. It is a dynamic and a set of characteristics possessed by their atmosphere, cognitions, emotions, motivations and behaviours in various things. Personality conjointly refers to the pattern of thoughts, feelings, social adjustments and behaviour consistently exhibited over time that powerfully influences one’s exceptions, self-perceptions, values and attitudes. It also predicts human reactions to different folks, problems and stress.
Human personality is a complex area of study. This is because in different situations, a human being will portray a certain behavior and this may be part of culture that is developed over a long time. There have been diverse observations on explanations regarding human personality. Over the time, theories have been developed attempting to explain this complex human phenomenon. Theories of personality have taken different approaches that try to make people understand the human personality. It is evident that no single theory can effectively describe personality in totality. This is because personality is not a stagnant thing but rather is an ever evolving thing. It evolves because it is an aspect of human being and naturally human beings change with time. What they used to be a 100 years ago is not what they are today. Even within a span of one week, a human being can decide to completely change his behavior due to an encounter with a compelling situation. Therefore, personality theories can be said or viewed to be valid for only a certain period of time. However, there are concepts embedded on personality theories that give them long term validity.
Personality can affect many things in a person’s life. This includes how a person will react to a situation. One can attribute different personality traits to different dispositional or learning theories, such as linking the dehumanizing of a victim to social cognitive theory. One can make an association between interpersonal relational aspects and some of these theories. Personality is an aspect of the self that people often think about but most never truly contemplate the meaning or depth of personality.
Alfred Adler, along with Jung, was an early disciple of Freud, even being nominated by the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society to succeed Freud as president in 1910 (Ryckman, 2013). However, Adler did not have a submissive personality and frequently questioned Freud’s concepts. Ultimately, he resigned from the society in 1911. He then focused on the individual as an indivisible identity and created the concept of individual psychology. Individual psychology is a scientific attempt to understand an individual’s experience and behavior as an organized entity.
Alfred Adler was born February 7, 1870 in Vienna, Austria. He was the second child of seven children. Adler became sick at a very young age, he was diagnosed with rickets. Rickets is a disorder caused by lack of Vitamin D and Calcium, which softens the bones. Adler was not able to walk until he reached the age of 4. Also, at the age of four, Adler developed pneumonia and was said by the doctors that he had very small chances of staying alive. At that moment it is when Adler decided that he wanted to be a physician. He became healthy as he grew older and went out to study at the University of Vienna. He graduated in 1895 with a medical degree, and began his career as an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor). He had his office across from the Prater in Vienna, which is an amusement park along with a circus all together. His clients were circus performers and from interacting with them, and by observing their strengths and weakness, that is where his insights on organ inferiorities theory began. As years passed on his interest in psychology grew and was invited by Freud in 1902 to attend a psychoanalytical discussion group. The group met every Wednesday at Freud’s home, was known as the “Vienna Psychoanalytic Society”, and that was the beginning of the psychoanalytic movement. After eight long years of serving as a member of the society, Adler became president of the society in 1910. But that only lasted another year, in 1911, Adler separated from Freud’s group due to his disagreements; Adler rejected Freud’s ideas emphasizing in sex. He was later known as a Neo-Freudian with many others. Neo-Freudian, were a group of theorists who were influenced by Sigmund Freud, but who extended his theories towards their own direction. ...
The distinctive characteristics and qualities of any one person is one way to define personality. According to Feist & Feist (2009) personality is described as a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior. These traits are the precursor of behavior as per individuality, and that of behavior that is consistent throughout life. Although a person can argue the fact that traits is a disposition of genetic predisposition of certain characteristics, the pattern in which these are characterized are different. Each person’s anatomy, intelligence, and temperament are differently and each owns a unique personality, different from parents, grandparents, and any other individual on this planet. Personality theorists’ however may not concur.