Personality

Personality refers to an individual's overall pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. It is believed to develop from a combination of biological and environmental influences. Someone’s personality is believed to remain relatively stable throughout life despite certain circumstances, although it can evolve over time. Each person's personality is unique, and some characteristics can be more or less dominant than others. Psychological assessments are often used to measure certain personality traits, and researchers have identified several primary dimensions of every individual's personality. The most widely accepted theories of personality include the Big Five trait theory and the Psychodynamic approach. The Big Five trait theory posits that personality is composed of five dimensions: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Openness to experience refers to a person's degree of curiosity and willingness to try new things. Conscientiousness refers to how responsible a person is, while extraversion is related to the amount of energy and enthusiasm a person has, and how social they are. Agreeableness is reflective of a person’s trustworthiness and compassion, while neuroticism is associated with how easily someone is emotionally aroused. The psychodynamic approach is based on the Freudian idea that personality is based on an inner-conflict between unconscious forces. This approach relates personality to unconscious desires called the id, the ego, and the superego. According to this approach, an individual's behavior is based on the complex negotiations between these components. Though research that argues for the existence of a true underlying personality constructs continues to be conducted, there is no consensus as to how many true personality traits exist and what they encompass. Personality is a complex phenomenon, and research on the subject is highly ongoing.