LESSON I

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

Personality Development - is the development of the organized pattern of behavior and attitudes that makes a
person distinctive. Personality development occurs by the ongoing interaction of temperament, character, and
environment. Personality development is a systematic and continuous attempt to create and promote key work-
related personality traits within you so that you become an effective and efficient university administrative officer.

Personality - is what makes person unique person. And it is recognizable soon after birth. A child's personality has
several components: temperament, environment, and character.

Temperament- is the set of genetically determined traits that determine the child's approach to the world and how
the child learns about the world. There are no genes that specify personality traits, but some genes do control the
development of the nervous system, which in turn controls behavior.

A second component of personality comes from adaptive patterns related to a child's specific environment. Most
psychologist agree that these two factors, temperament and environment, influence the development of a person's
personality the most. Temperament, with its dependence on genetic factors, is sometimes referred to as “națure”
while the environmental factors are called “nurture.”

While there is still controversy as to which factor ranks higher in affecting personality development, all experts agree
that high-quality parenting plays a critical role in the development of a child's personality. When parents understand
how their child responds to certain situations, they can anticipate issues that might be problematic for their child.
They can prepare the child for the situation or in some cases they may avoid a potentially difficult situation
altogether. Parents who know how to adapt their parenting approach to the particular temperament of their child
can best provide guidance and ensure the successful development of their child's personality.

The third component of the personality is character, the set of emotional, cognitive and behavioral patterns learned
from experience that determines how a person thinks, feels and behaves. A person's character continues to evolve
throughout life, although much depends on inborn traits and early experiences. Character is also dependent on a
person's moral development.

TODDLERHOOD- the second stage occurs during early childhood, between about 18 months to two years and three
to four years of age. It deals with Learning Autonomy or Shame (Wil).Well-parented, the child emerges from this
stage with self-confidence, elated with his of her newly found control. The early part of this stage can also include
stormy tantrums, stubbornness, and negativism, depending on the child's temperament.

PRESCHOOL-the third stage occurs during the "play age," or the later preschool years from about three to entry
into formal school. The developing child goes through Learning Initiative or Guilt (Purpose). The child learns to:

 Use imagination
 Broaden skills through active play and fantasy
 Cooperate with others
 Lead as well as to follow

If unsuccessful, the child becomes fearful, is unable to join groups, and harbors guilt feelings. The child depends
excessively on adults and is restricted both in the development of play skills and imagination.

SCHOOL AGE - The fourth stage, Learning Industry or Inferiority (Competence), occurs during school age, up to and
possibly including junior high school. The child learns to master more formal skills:

 Relating with peers according to rule

 Progressing from free play to play that is structured by rules and requires teamwork (team sports)
 Learning basic intellectual skills (reading, arithmetic)
 At this stage, the need for self-discipline increases every year. The child who, because of his or her successful
passage through earlier stages, is trusting, autonomous, and full of initiative, will quickly learn to be industrious.
However, the mistrusting child will doubt the future and will feel inferior.

ADOLESCENCE-The fifth stage, Learning Identity of Identity Diffusion (Fidelity), occurs during adolescence from age
13 or 14. maturity starts developing during this time; the young person acquires self certainty as opposed to self
doubt and experiments with different constructive roles rather than adopting a negative identity, such as
delinquency. The well adjusted adolescent actually looks forward to achievement, and in later adolescence, clear
sexual identity is established. The adolescent seeks leadership (someone to inspire him or her) and gradually
develops a set of ideals to live by.

Another environmental factor of importance is culture. Researchers comparing cultural groups for specific
personality types have found some important differences. For example, Northern European countries and the United
State have individualistic cultures that put more emphasis on individualistic cultures that put more emphasis on
individual needs and accomplishments. In contrast, Asian, African, Central American and South American countries
are characterized more by community-centered cultures that focus on belonging to a larger group, such as a family,
or nation. In these cultures, cooperation is considered a more important value than competitiveness, which will
necessarily affect personality development.

Common Problems:
 Activity level (how active the child is generally)
 Distractibility (degree of concentration and paying attention when the child is not particularly interested)
 Intensity (how loud the child is)
 Regularity (the predictability of biological functions like appetite and sleep)
 Sensory threshold (how sensitive the child is to physical stimuli: touch, taste, smell, sound,light)
 Approach/withdrawal (characteristic response of a child to a new situation or to stranger)
 Adaptability (how easily the child adapts to transitions and changes such as switching to a new activity)
 Persistence (stubbornness, inability to give up)
 Mood (tendency to react to the world primarily in a positive or negative way)

Parental Concerns:
Most children experience healthy personality development. However, some parents worry as to whether
their infant, child, or teenager has a personality disorder. Parents are usually the first to recognize that their child
has a problem with emotions or behaviors that may point to a personality disorder. Children with personality
disorders have great difficulty dealing with other people. They tend to be inflexible, rigid, and unable t respond to
the changes and normal stresses of life and find it very difficult to participate in social activities.