Personality, Temperament, & Emotional Intelligence

Sep 9, 2024

Personality and Nature vs. Nurture

Understanding Personality

  • Personality: Combination of traits or qualities making someone unique.
  • Culture: Defines who we are and includes subsets called co-cultures (e.g., pet ownership, punctuality, religion).
  • Personality is shaped by both nature (genetics) and nurture (environment).

Nature vs. Nurture

  • Nature: Genetic factors (eye color, hair color, blood type).
  • Nurture: Environmental factors (weight, diseases like autoimmune conditions).

Temperament vs. Personality

  • Temperament: Genetic predispositions affecting behavior and thought, biologically determined (e.g., patience, anxiety).
  • Personality: Shaped by social environments and learned behaviors, humanistic traits.

The Big Five Personality Traits

  • Surgency: Social dominance and assertiveness.
  • Agreeableness: Cooperative and compassionate in social situations.
  • Dependability: Reliability and conscientiousness.
  • Emotional Stability: Consistency in emotional experiences.
  • Culture: Accumulated experiences shaping personality through in-group or out-group membership.

The OCEAN Model of Personality

  • Openness: Willingness to try new experiences.
  • Conscientiousness: Attention to detail, mindfulness.
  • Extraversion: Outgoing, energetic around people.
  • Agreeableness: Similar to the Big Five, kindness, cooperation.
  • Neuroticism: Emotional instability, anxiety, tendencies to worry.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

  • Perception of Emotions: Identifying personal emotions.
  • Understanding Emotions: Comprehending the reasons behind emotions.
  • Managing Emotions: Using emotions constructively.
  • Using Emotions: Applying emotional understanding to achieve goals and self-actualization.

Communication Dispositions

  • Introversion vs. Extroversion: Spending energy in social settings; not inherently positive/negative.
  • Avoidance Traits: Shyness or reluctance to engage in communication.
  • Argumentativeness: Fighting for perspectives, not inherently negative unless aggressive.
  • Socio-Communicative Orientation: Responsiveness, assertiveness, versatility in communication.

Contextual Variations

  • Communication styles and personality can vary based on context, relationships, and culture.