Personality Psychology

Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.(1)

Personality psychology is the study of human personality and how it varies among individuals and populations.(2)

Theoretical Approaches to Personality

There are several different theoretical approaches to studying personality. The major theories include the psychodynamic, neo-Freudian, learning (or behaviorist), humanistic, biological, trait (or dispositional), and cultural perspectives.(2)

Psychodynamic theory, originating with Sigmund Freud, posits that human behavior is the result of the interaction among various components of the mind (the id, ego, and superego) and that personality develops according to a series of psychosexual developmental stages.(2)

Neo-Freudian theorists, such as Adler, Erikson, Jung, and Horney, expanded on Freud’s theories but focused more on the social environment and on the effects of culture on personality.(2)

Learning theories, such as behaviorism, regard an individuals’ actions as ultimately being responses to external stimuli. Social learning theory believes that personality and behavior are determined by an individual’s cognition about the world around them.(2)

Humanistic theory argues that an individual’s subjective free will is the most important determinant of behavior. Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers believed that people strive to become self-actualized—the “best version” of themselves.(2)

Biological approaches focus on the role of genetics and the brain in shaping personality. Related to this, evolutionary theories explore how variation in individual personalities variance may be rooted in natural selection.(2)

Trait theorists believe personality can be conceptualized as a set of common traits, or characteristic ways of behaving, that every individual exhibits to some degree. In this view, such personality traits are different from person to person but within an individual are stable over time and place.(2)

(1) American Psychology Association: Personality

(2) Lumen: Introduction to Personality