Psych 341 Research Paper
Theory of Personality
Todd Overstreet
Liberty University
Abstract
Studies of personality have a varied and broad history within psychology. Some of these major theories include behaviorist, biological, evolutionary, humanistic, trait perspective, psychodynamic, philosophical, and social learning perspective. There are a lot of researchers and psychologists that do not identify themselves with a specific perspective. Many researchers also do not have a theory on personality that integrates it with the Bible. Through the theories shown below, integrated with the Bible, one can have a better understanding of how human personality works. Since all people are made in God’s image, it is important to understand that their personality came from him. (Comrey, 1988)
Theory of Personality “Personality is an organized set of characteristics a person has that influences his or her behaviors, cognitions, emotions, motivations, different situations.” (Fleeson, 2004, p. 7) Every person on the face of the planet has a personality that is different from another person. Everything from religion, genetics, experiences, and even our perceptions make up our personalities. All people are made of God, so it is only right to believe that human personality should be like his also. (Markus & Kitayama, 1998)
Philosophical Assumptions in Personality
Freedom versus determinism This asks the question as to whether or not people have control over their behavior and that they also understand the reasons for their behavior or if a person’s behavior is controlled by uncontrollable forces. Behavior is characterized as being biological, environmental, or unconscious by different theories. At the beginning of our lives, our behaviors are influenced by genetics, which would be labeled as biological. At the moment of conception, our personalities are built into what they will be throughout our lifetime. Even though
Todd Overstreet
Liberty University
Abstract
Studies of personality have a varied and broad history within psychology. Some of these major theories include behaviorist, biological, evolutionary, humanistic, trait perspective, psychodynamic, philosophical, and social learning perspective. There are a lot of researchers and psychologists that do not identify themselves with a specific perspective. Many researchers also do not have a theory on personality that integrates it with the Bible. Through the theories shown below, integrated with the Bible, one can have a better understanding of how human personality works. Since all people are made in God’s image, it is important to understand that their personality came from him. (Comrey, 1988)
Theory of Personality “Personality is an organized set of characteristics a person has that influences his or her behaviors, cognitions, emotions, motivations, different situations.” (Fleeson, 2004, p. 7) Every person on the face of the planet has a personality that is different from another person. Everything from religion, genetics, experiences, and even our perceptions make up our personalities. All people are made of God, so it is only right to believe that human personality should be like his also. (Markus & Kitayama, 1998)
Philosophical Assumptions in Personality
Freedom versus determinism This asks the question as to whether or not people have control over their behavior and that they also understand the reasons for their behavior or if a person’s behavior is controlled by uncontrollable forces. Behavior is characterized as being biological, environmental, or unconscious by different theories. At the beginning of our lives, our behaviors are influenced by genetics, which would be labeled as biological. At the moment of conception, our personalities are built into what they will be throughout our lifetime. Even though
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