Own Theory of Personality

The perception of personality varies from person to person. The conclusion of what an individual's personality may be is based upon the criteria of the person observing another.

Our profile--our personality--stands in dialectical relationship to perception. What we are as a personality, our motives, goals, temperaments, and so on, influence what we perceive as a situation; and this perception itself will influence our personality.

Each person is a unique personality, a profile of motivational, temperamental, and ability dispositions and powers. This profile is what we know as another's character, personality, nature, constitution, caliber, or style. This profile is not static nor set on its course; perception and experience can radically alter a person's profile (as systematic communist interrogation shows), since it is only one aspect of the dynamic psychological equilibrium which comprises the self.

Our profile--our personality--stands in dialectical relationship to perception. What we are as a personality, our motives, goals, temperaments, and so on, influence what we perceive as a situation; and this perception itself will influence our personality. Nonetheless, personality and will on the one hand and perceived situation on the other are clearly distinct.

One of the most important features of personality is the conscious and the unconscious. Freud, of course, was the one responsible for making these terms popular. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about consciousness is that it is personal. And it is in this personal consciousness where everything takes place. To be conscious, you have to know yourself and you have to be capable of reflection. You have to be aware of yourself.

To have awareness does not mean to avoid social constructs or personal ones or the use of symbols or words -- only to know these things for what they are and to use them appropriately. And conversely, awareness means having a particular capacity for experiencing immediately reality fully and clearly.

Awareness also means presence, that is, "being-in-the-present," the ability to focus on the here-and-now and to understand the past, whether in the form of memories or second-hand information, and the future in the form of hopes and intentions, as being of a different quality than the present. Again, this is not to say that the aware person must avoid memories, ignore history, deny responsibilities, suppress fantasies, and so on. They must, in fact, be aware of the past and future, but as such, without confusing them with immediate reality.

And because you are conscious you have to figure out your essence. Most things in the world have an essence -- a nature, a plan by which to live, a "program" to "run." Rocks are what they are. Tables are designed for certain purposes. Woodchucks live by instincts and conditioning. No career counseling is needed. Human beings don't have an essence. Or, perhaps we should say that they create their own essence over a life-time. Or we could say their "essence" is freedom from essences. We are not born like mushrooms who just simply sprout out of nowhere. We figure out our essence as we grow up as a part of the society and to know our roles and purpose.

For me, there are many factors that may influence a personality. These factors are the following: (1) social reality, (2) biological factors, (3) accidental influences, and (4) own choices. Having stated these, each would be discussed in the following paragraphs

The world is an infinite collection of qualities - colors, sounds, images, movements, and so on. We, the perceiver, on the other hand have individualized perceptions which can be used to differentiate one event from another. The perceiver constructs his own understanding of reality which guides his behavior. To put it in simpler words, you act according to the reality you believe in.

The most important reality that have the greatest power to influence us is social reality. This social reality was provided to us by culture, passed on to us by our parents, teachers, peers, etc. Each individual's social reality is somewhat different, but our social realities are similar, and mutually validating, to the extent that we share common cultural traditions, meaning common symbolic differentiations. If we share socio-cultural traditions, we are "cut from the same cloth," so to speak. This shows us how important culture is in shaping the personality of a person. Culture evidently dictates the norms on how people should behave.

Other than culture, religions are also one of the social realities that have a tremendous influence on the behavior of a person. Religion, like the Catholic religion has an established set of rules which is called the "Ten Commandments" on what a person should believe and in turn, they should act the way that accords to the rules. Actions that do not accord to these rules is a way of turning against your religion.

Government, on the other hand, has a set of laws for the citizens to follow. Not abiding by the laws may result to persecution and severe punishment depending on the severity of the crime.

We are at the center of these great forces such as history, culture and society. These forces influence us through the mediation of our family, peers, and media.

In everything you do, you must first ask yourself whether your actions would fit the norm or not which in turn may influence the way you act and behave towards other people. Or you must at least put yourself in the shoes of another person to see and understand beforehand the consequences of your actions.

We also have the idea of biology, evolution and genetics which may also influence us by means of our physiology. For example we have this certain hormone which may cause the irritability of a woman during her period. So biology per se may also contribute to how a personality is shaped and why we behave in certain ways which are different to other individuals.

Accidents also influence how the person behaves. These accidents may be physiological or experiential. Not everything that happens in our environment is part of some great historical or evolutionary movement! Sometimes these things happen. Accidents cannot be predicted to happen. No one expected these events. These are unforeseen events that may change the flow of a person's behavior which may bring about change in the individual's personality itself. This can also be seen in Bandura's fortuitous events which are unforeseen events that can alter a person's life. For example one, a person got in a car accident. This event may lead the person to change his behavior maybe not intentionally but just the sense that the accident happened, something in