ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR TOPIC: PERSONALITY

SUBMITTED BYMEDHAVI JAIN MFM-I

Personality can be defined as a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or hercognitions, motivations, and behaviors in various situations.[2] The word "personality" originates from the Latin persona, which means mask. Personality embraces a person's moods, attitudes, opinions, motivations, and style of thinking, perceiving, speaking, and acting. Components of Personality So what exactly makes up a personality? As described in the definitions above, you would expect that traits and patterns of thought and emotion make up an important part. Some of the other fundamental characteristics of personality include:

Consistency - There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways or similar ways in a variety of situations. Psychological and physiological - Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by biological processes and needs. It impacts behaviors and actions - Personality does not just influence how we move and respond in our environment; it also causes us to act in certain ways. Multiple expressions - Personality is displayed in more than just behavior. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close relationships and other social interactions.

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY: A. TRAIT THEORY: the trait approach to personality is focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of various traits forms a personality that is unique to each individual. Trait theory is focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics. 1. Gordon Allports Trait Theory In 1936, psychologist Gordon Allport found that one English-language dictionary alone contained more than 4,000 words describing different personality traits. 1 He categorized these traits into three levels:

Cardinal Traits: Traits that dominate an individuals whole life, often to the point that the person becomes known specifically for these traits. People with such
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personalities often become so known for these traits that their names are often synonymous with these qualities. Consider the origin and meaning of the following descriptive terms: Freudian, Machiavellian, narcissism, Don Juan, Christ-like, etc. Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and tend to develop later in life.

Central Traits: These are the general characteristics that form the basic foundations of personality. These central traits, while not as dominating as cardinal traits, are the major characteristics you might use to describe another person. Terms such as intelligent, honest, shy and anxiousare considered central traits. Secondary Traits: These are the traits that are sometimes related to attitudes or preferences and often appear only in certain situations or under specific circumstances. Some examples would be getting anxious when speaking to a group or impatient while waiting in line. 2. Raymond Cattells Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire

Trait theorist Raymond Cattell reduced the number of main personality traits from Allports initial list of over 4,000 down to 171,3 mostly by eliminating uncommon traits and combining common characteristics. Next, Cattell rated a large sample of individuals for these 171 different traits. Then, using a statistical technique known as factor analysis, he identified closely related terms and eventually reduced his list to just 16 key personality traits. According to Cattell, these 16 traits are the source of all human personality. He also developed one of the most widely used personality assessments known as the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF).

3. Eysencks Three Dimensions of Personality British psychologist Hans Eysenck developed a model of personality based upon just three universal trails: Introversion/Extraversion: Introversion involves directing attention on inner experiences, while extraversion relates to focusing attention outward on other people and the environment. So, a person high in introversion might be quiet and reserved, while an individual high in extraversion might be sociable and outgoing. Neuroticism/Emotional Stability: This dimension of Eysencks trait theory is related to moodiness versus even temperedness. Neuroticism refers to an individuals tendency to become upset or emotional, while stability refers to the tendency to remain emotionally constant.
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Psychoticism: Later, after studying individuals suffering from mental illness, Eysenck added a personality dimension he called psychoticism to his trait theory. Individuals who are high on this trait tend to have difficulty dealing with reality and may be antisocial, hostile, non-empathetic and manipulative. 4. The Five-Factor Theory of Personality

Both Cattells and Eysencks theory have been the subject of considerable research, which has led some theorists to believe that Cattell focused on too many traits, while Eysenck focused on too few. As a result, a new trait theory often referred to as the "Big Five" theory emerged. This five-factor model of personality represents five core traits that interact to form human personality. While researchers often disagree about the exact labels for each dimension, the following are described most commonly: 1. Extraversion 2. Agreeableness 3. Conscientiousness 4. Neuroticism 5. Openness B. PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY The first of the modern personality theories was developed by Sigmund Freud and is known as psychoanalytic theory. The psychiatric practice of this theory is called psychoanalysis. Freuds ideas were plentiful, profound, and often controversial. His theory about personality has had tremendous influence on societies around the world through many different disciplines.

Freud suggested an analogy about the mind. He said that the mind is like an iceberg in the ocean, floating 10% above the water and 90% below. The unconscious, Freud proposed, makes up the vast majority of our mind. In Freuds view, o nly about 10% of our behaviors are caused by conscious awarenessabout 90% are produced by unconscious factors. According to psychoanalytic theory, most of what controls our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings is unknown to our aware minds. Normally, the unconscious guides us. Freud said that the mind could be divided into three abstract categories. These are the id, the ego, and the superego. 1. The id: Latin for the term it, this division of the mind includes our basic instincts, inborn dispositions, and animalistic urges. Freud said that the id is
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totally unconscious, that we are unaware of its workings. The id is not rational; it imagines, dreams, and invents things to get us what we want. The id aims to satisfy our biological urges and drives. It includes feelings of hunger, thirst, sex, and other natural body desires aimed at deriving pleasure. 2. The ego: The ego is partly conscious and partly unconscious. The ego operates according to the reality principle; that is, it attempts to help the id get what it wants by judging the difference between real and imaginary. If a person is hungry, the id might begin to imagine food and even dream about food. (The id is not rational.) The ego, however, will try to determine how to get some real food. The ego helps a person satisfy needs through reality. 3. The superego: This term means above the ego, and includes the moral ideas that a person learns within the family and society. The superego is a childs moral barometer, and it creates feelings of pride and guilt according to the beliefs that have been learned within the family and the culture.

C. HUMANISTIC THEORIES Humanistic psychology emphasises that people have free will and that this plays an active role in determining how they behave. Accordingly, humanistic psychology focuses on subjective experiences of person as opposed to forced, definitive factors that determine behaviour. Abraham maslow and Carl Rogers were prompted to this view.

1. The physiological needs. These include the needs we have for oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, calcium, and other minerals and vitamins. Maslow believed, and research supports him, that these are in fact individual needs, and that a lack of, say, vitamin C, will lead to a very specific hunger for things which have in the past provided that vitamin C e.g. orange juice. I guess the cravings that some pregnant women have, and the way in which babies eat the most foul tasting baby food, support the idea anecdotally.
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2. The safety and security needs. When the physiological needs are largely taken care of, this second layer of needs comes into play. You will become increasingly interested in finding safe circumstances, stability, protection. You might develop a need for structure, for order, some limits. Looking at it negatively, you become concerned, not with needs like hunger and thirst, but with your fears and anxieties. In the ordinary. 3. The love and belonging needs. When physiological needs and safety needs are, by and large, taken care of, a third layer starts to show up. You begin to feel the need for friends, a sweetheart, children, affectionate relationships in general, even a sense of community. Looked at negatively, you become increasing susceptible to loneliness and social anxieties. 4.The esteem needs. Next, we begin to look for a little self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs, a lower one and a higher one. The lower one is the need for the respect of others, the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation, dignity, even dominance. The higher form involves the need for selfrespect, including such feelings as confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom. Note that this is the "higher" form because, unlike the respect of others, once you have self-respect, its a lot harder to lose! 5 . Self-actualization The last level is a bit different. Maslow has used a variety of terms to refer to this level: He has called it growth motivation (in contrast to deficit motivation), being needs (or B-needs, in contrast to D-needs), and self-actualization. These are needs that do not involve balance or homeostasis. Once engaged, they continue to be felt. In fact, they are likely to become stronger as we "feed" them! They involve the continuous desire to fulfill potentials, to "be all that you can be."

D.Type theories Personality type refers to the psychological classification of different types of people. Personality types are distinguished from personality traits, which come in different levels or degrees. For example, according to type theories, there are two types of people, introverts and extroverts. According to trait theories, introversion and extroversion are part of a continuous dimension, with many people in the middle. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers found Jung's types and functions so revealing of people's personalities that they decided to develop a
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paper-and-pencil test. It came to be called the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator, and is one of the most popular, and most studied, tests around.. The test has four scales Extroversion - Introversion (E-I) Sensing - Intuiting (S-N) Thinking - Feeling (T-F) Judging - Perceiving (J-P), Each type is identified by four letters, such as ENFJ. These have proven so popular, you can even find them on people's license plates! Some of the examples are:

ENFJ (Extroverted feeling with intuiting): These people are easy speakers. They tend to idealize their friends. ENFP (Extroverted intuiting with feeling): These people love novelty and surprises. They are big on emotions and expression. ESFJ (Extroverted feeling with sensing): These people like harmony. They tend to have strong shoulds and should-nots. INFJ (Introverted intuiting with feeling): These are serious students and workers who really want to contribute. They are private and easily hurt. INFP (Introverted feeling with intuiting): These people are idealistic, selfsacrificing, and somewhat cool or reserved. INTP (Introverted thinking with intuiting): Faithful, preoccupied, and forgetful, these are the bookworms. They tend to be very precise in their use of language. ISFJ (Introverted sensing with feeling): These people are service and work oriented. They may suffer from fatigue and tend to be attracted to troublemakers.

1. Type A and Type B personality theory: During the 1950s, Meyer Friedman and his co-workers defined what they called Type A and Type B behavior patterns. They theorized that intense, hard-driving Type A personalities had a higher risk of coronary disease because they are "stress junkies." Type B people, on the other hand, tended to be relaxed, less competitive, and lower in risk. There was also a Type AB mixed profile.

TWO PERSONALITIES I ADMIRE: A. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th DALAI LAMA

" This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated
philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness

-The 14th Dalai Lama There are a lot of people that I respect and admire for their important deeds, and their strong will and perseverance, but what impresses me the most is the faith that they have in everything theyre doing in order to defend their causes and rights. Among them, one person has caught my attention, particularly for his ideas and what he symbolizes: The Dalai Lama.

I was in my Second Year of college when I came across this holy creature who visited my collge, CHRIST UNIVERSITY to pass his message to the young blood and I was spell bound to hear to every word coming out of him. When you hear him speak, it is pin-droppingly fascinating. I could feel his holiness spreading into the whole auditorium. Listening to his philosophies of life I felt the life is so much easier to live his way!

The fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born in 1935. He was proclaimed the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama at the age of three. On November 17, 1950, at the age of fifteen, he was enthroned as Tibet's Head of State and most important political ruler, while Tibet faced occupation by the forces of the People's Republic of China. After the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, Tenzin Gyatso fled to
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India, where he was active in establishing the government of Tibet in exile and preserving Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him. So I decided to write about The 14th Dalai Lama because, with so much war and hatred going around in the world, there still a idol who worships peace and charity. Although we dont speak or hear much about him, what hes doing deserves to be talked about. Indeed, he has devoted a major part of his life to carrying a message of peace and tolerance around the world for four decades now. And for this reason, I think hes as important as any peace icon, if not more! Moreover, its also important to note that he represents a universal role model as his commitment has enlisted the support of groups as diverse as Amnesty International and Hollywood celebrities such as Harrison Ford, which proves very well the global admiration that he inspires. To me, the fact that he had to assume all the political power at 16 and, at the same time, all the responsibilities which had been assigned to him as the Head of the State and Government of Tibet is very impressive, especially so since his exile. However, what impresses me the most is the number of people who have followed him in his exile which is undeniable evidence of his charisma.

His Holiness has travelled to more than 65 countries, receiving more than 150 awards and honorary doctorates in recognition of his messages of peace, nonviolence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. He has an inspiring presence that isn't religious, there is a realness, a tangibility to him. Even in somewhere like India, which is a melting pot of religions, the Dalai Lama brings a great calmness to it all. He doesn't preach religion in the way we might understand it. He preaches being good and kind to your fellow man but without that religious doctrine attached to it. Dalai Lamas spirituality and wisdom is the subject of admiration among his followers . In his book, The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Lama lays out his blueprint for achieving happiness through training the mind. He often emphasizes how important compassion is as a source of a happy life for every human being. The Dalai Lama has always been the incarnation and conductor of his ideas into the world and many people have changed their lives with the help of his teachings. Together with other great teachers of humanity, Dalai Lama prescribes us to be patient towards each other, to resolve conflicts peacefully, and to be tolerant of the flaws of other people. The simple strengths of these conceptions are multiplied by Dalai Lamas personal charisma, his ability to persuade, and his authority as a religious and philosophical guru. And try my best to inculcate these teachings in me, because Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.
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A.R. RAHMAN
No amount of stardom will ever consume my soul and I will always remain a common man, says Oscar-winning musician A R Rahman. The 48-year-old composer, who is the only Indian to bring home two Oscars, a Golden Globe and a Grammy award, says he is not overawed by fame and money. You cannot stop humming to his songs and taping your feet to his beats. Whether it be Taal, Roja, Ranjhana, Vande Matram and the counts go on.. its not only about the music but the purity in it! A R Rahman was at 9 when he composes a tone on piano where his father inspired and completed his tone as song and added his composition in film. He began music composition training at his age of 11th and gradually he grew up his talent, he played different kind of instruments, after his great creativity he got scholarship Trinity College of London, the institute of music where he graduated and got a grade marks also got diploma in Western Classical music. Achieving glories at such a young age is worth appreciating which inspires me to achieve the same.

Due to his creative brilliance, AR Rahman is often referred to as the Mozart of Madras by his fans in India and abroad. He has also become a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising money for beneficial causes and supporting charities. He is the most talented musician that his every music theme and composition is different then others. Having set up his own in-house studio called Panchathan Record Inn at Chennai, arguably one of Asias most sophisticated and high-tech studios, The reason why his personality appeals me is because of his sheer simplicity. According to him when you do something with a lot of honesty, appetite and commitment, the input reflects in the output. Success comes to those who dedicate everything to their passion in life. To be successful it is also very important to be humble and never let fame or money travel to your head. And by gods grace if I ever achieve such heights in life I want to follow the same mantra in my life. A R Rahmans journey of life was not bed of roses. Though AR Rahman is the undisputed leader in Indian contemporary music in the present times, he has seen his share of struggle in the professional life. His father, R K Shekhar, who was a composer, arranger and conductor for Malayalam films died when Rahman was just 9 years-old and his family rented out musical equipment as a source of income. A firm believer in God, Rahman remembers how he went into a spiritual vacuum while composing the tracks for 'Roja'

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Another interesting thing was like most people, Ive grown up on the idea that geniuses stay up for hours on end, focused on their goals to the exclusion of everything else. But here was this icon of brilliance who enlightened that it wasnt worth working for more than 20 minutes. This taught me a big lesson in life- ability to pause for a few moments when everything around seems completely out of whack. Amidst all this heady success, Rahman remains unchanged. He is as humble, modest, shy, low profile, unassuming, self-affacing, devout and down-to-earth as he was at the beginning of his career. A man of few words he believes in letting his work do all the talking. He prefers to save his energies for his work instead of fighting out numerous controversies. His personality is summed up in his favourite prayer which goes thus "O God, if I worship thee for fear of hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise, but if I worship thee for thy own sake, grudge me not thy everlasting beauty." The man has given immense pleasure to millions of music lovers world-wide with his compositions, music that brings a cheer to one's face and helps in forgetting one's troubles. It is probably these very divine qualities that made him the great man he is and the same will hopefully help him touch greater heights and touch newer glories and keep millions enchanted with his blissful music for years to come. I wish I will one day see and shake hands with him, my mentor and the only role model in person of A.R. RAHMAN !

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