How does personality from?
Personality development refers to the process of developing, enhancing, and changing one’s personality over time.
Such development occurs naturally over the course of life, but it can also be modified through intentional efforts.
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When we meet new people, it is often theirpersonalitythat grabs our attention.
This can include our genetic background and the environment where we are raised.
While personality tends to be pretty stable, it can change over time, especially as people get older.
What Is Personality Development?
Many factors influence personality, includinggenetics and environment,how we were parented, and societal variables.
While personality is relatively stable, Colella notes that it isn’t entirely fixed.
Perhaps most importantly, the ongoing interaction of all these influences continues to shape personality.
Personality development has been a major topic of interest for some of the most prominent thinkers in psychology.
Theories of Personality Development
Our personalities make us unique, but how does personality develop?
What factors play the most important role in the formation of personality?
According to Freud, the basic driving force of personality and behavior is known as thelibido.
According to Freud, these three elements of personality work together to create complex human behaviors.
The superego attempts to make the ego behave according to these ideals.
Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development
Erik Eriksonseight-stage theory of human developmentis another well-known theory in psychology.
The theory also extends beyond childhood to look at development across the entire lifespan.
Those who successfully complete that stage emerge with a sense of mastery and well-being.
Level three is the post-conventional level, it includes stages five and six, and takes place in adulthood.
Kohlberg’stheory of moral developmenthas been criticized for several different reasons.
However, we now recognize that personality can change over time.
Reflect on your behaviors and how they impact your life and relationships.
This self-awareness lays the foundation for personal growth.
A personality test can provide an assessment of your current traits.
This doesn’t have to be a big action either.
Even baby steps will move you in the right direction.
Keep a Positive Mindset
It is also important to work on forging agrowth mindset, Colella explains.
This allows you to recognize that personality is not set it stone and can instead evolve over time.
“Embrace challenges, learn from failures, and see setbacks as opportunities for growth,” Colella says.
Staying positive along the way helps you pay more attention to the pros versus the cons.
It also makes the journey more enjoyable for you and everyone around you.
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