Definition; Factors of Personality; Types of Personality; Matching Personalities and Jobs; Measurement of Personality.

1. Business Psychology
Personality
Topics Covered:●Definition ●Factors of Personality ●Types of Personality
●Matching Personalities and Jobs ●Measurement of Personality
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2. PERSONALITY
Personality is known by the conduct, behavior, activities,
movements and everything else concerning the individual.
The most characteristic integration of an individual’s
structure, modes of behavior interests, attitudes, capacities,
abilities and aptitudes.
It is the organization of the internal and external activities.
Some people are quiet and passive; others are loud and
aggressive. When we describe people in terms of
characteristics such as quiet, passive, loud, aggressive,
ambitious, loyal, or sociable, we are categorizing them in
terms of personality traits.
An individual’s personality is the combination of
psychological traits we use to classify that person.
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3. Psychologists have studied personality traits extensively, resulting
in the identification of sixteen primary personality traits.
1. Reserved Vs. Outgoing
2. Low intelligence Vs. High intelligence
3. Affected by feelings Vs. Emotionally Stable
4. Submissive (Obedient) Vs. Dominant
5. Serious Vs. Happy-go-lucky
6. Expedient Vs. Conscientious
7. Timid Vs. Venturesome
8. Tough-minded Vs. Sensitive
9. Trusting Vs. Suspicious
10. Practical Vs. Imaginative
11. Forthright Vs. Shrewd
12. Self-assured Vs. Apprehensive
13. Conservative Vs. Experimenting
14. Group-dependent Vs. Self-sufficient
15. Uncontrolled Vs. Controlled
16. Relaxed Vs. TenseSMS Kabir, smskabir@psy.jnu.ac.bd;
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4.  Natural Factors
 Heredity: Potential abilities of children tend to show similarities
with those of their parents.
 Physical Structure: Physical disabilities change the personality of a
person. For example, a blind man is bound to depends on others.
 Environmental Factors
 Family: Healthy atmosphere of the family helps to form of a child’s
personality.
 Institution: Institution plays the role to build the personality right
after the family.
 Group: Like as playmate, schoolmate, social groups, colleagues in
work place, religious group etc. each group has its own unique
principles. The personality depends on these unique principles.
 Culture: The person who grows up in a social class where his/her
sense of value, expectations, behavior, norm etc. is being influenced
by the same social class that gives a shape of his/her personality.
FACTORS OF PERSONALITY
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5. Introvert Personality: Introvert people are very silent and
self centered in every case. They don’t want to express
themselves. They feel shy to mix with others. They don’t
like to mix with others. So this people lack the sense of
social belongings.
Extrovert Personality: They are very curious for the outer
world. They want to mix with others and they don’t like
silence and loneliness. They like their work and they are
lively. They are busy with much kind of social activities.
They are not interested for themselves. They can adjust at
any situation in their life.
Ambivert Personality: Some people have mix personality
of introvert or extrovert. They are very self-conscious.
TYPES OF PERSONALITY
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6. Big Five factors
Extroversion: Sociable, talkative, assertive
Agreeableness: Good-natured, cooperative and
trusting
Conscientiousness: Responsible, dependable,
persistent, and achievement oriented
Emotional Stability: Calm, enthusiastic, secure
(positive) to tense, nervous, depressed, and
insecure (negative).
Openness to Experience: Imaginative, artistically
sensitive, and intellectual.
TYPES OF PERSONALITY
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7. Holland’s Typology of Personality and Sample Occupations
Type Personality Characteristics Sample Occupations
Realistic: Prefers physical activities
that require skill, strength, and
coordination
Shy, genuine, persistent, stable,
conforming, practical
Mechanic, drill press operator,
assembly line worker, farmer
Investigative: Prefers activities
involving thinking, organizing, and
understanding
Analytical, original, curious,
independent
Biologist, economist, mathematician,
news reporter
Social: Prefers activities that involve
helping and developing others
Sociable, friendly, cooperative,
understanding
Social worker, teacher, counselor,
clinical psychologist
Conventional: Prefers rule-
regulated, orderly, and
unambiguous activities
Conforming, efficient, practical,
unimaginative, inflexible
Accountant, corporate manager,
bank teller, file clerk
Enterprising: Prefers verbal
activities where there are
opportunities to influence others
and attain power
Self-confident, ambitious, energetic,
domineering business manager
Lawyer, real estate agent, public
relations specialist, small
Artistic: Prefers ambiguous and
unsystematic activities that allow
creative expression
Imaginative, disorderly, idealistic,
emotional, impractical
Painter, musician, writer, interior
decorator
MATCHING PERSONALITIES AND JOBS
The most researched personality job-fit theory is the six-personality-types
model. This model states that an employee’s satisfaction with and
propensity to leave his or her job depend on the degree to which the
individual’s personality matches his or her occupational environment.
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8. 1. Case History Method: Case history supplies all the facts
related to man’s environment and heredity. This method
can be employed to study both normal and abnormal
personality but it needs experienced testers.
2. Interview Method: Widely used in the selection of people
for government, semi-government and private services. In
this, the subject and the tester sit facing each other and
the former answers questions asked by the latter.
3. Questionnaire Method: It is a list of selected questions the
answers to which throw light upon different traits of
personality. Questionnaires are used to gain knowledge of
traits like self-confidence, sociability, introversion or
extroversion, tendency to dominate or be dominated, etc.
MEASUREMENT OF PERSONALITY
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9. 4. Performance Method: The subject is given a variety of specific jobs to
be performed and the particular trait of his personality is examined.
5. Rating Method: Procedure is of two types. One, the subject is asked
to answer questions related to traits of personality. The answers,
which the subject offers or selects, exhibit his personality. Another
way of applying the rating method is to place the subject in real
situations and then study his behavior and reactions.
6. Situation Test: The subject is placed in some specific situations and
the traits of his personality are ascertained. Actually, it resembles
the performance method; the difference laying in the fact that in this
case the person is placed in a situation while in the performance
method he is given some work to do.
7. Projective Technique: The most popular of all the methods for the
investigation of personality is the projective method. Its name
suggests the fact that it is founded upon the element of projection.
Two tests in the projective techniques are more widely used- (a)
Rorschach ink blot test and (b) Murray’s Thematic Apperception
Test.
MEASUREMENT OF PERSONALITY
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10. 4. Performance Method: The subject is given a variety of specific jobs to
be performed and the particular trait of his personality is examined.
5. Rating Method: Procedure is of two types. One, the subject is asked
to answer questions related to traits of personality. The answers,
which the subject offers or selects, exhibit his personality. Another
way of applying the rating method is to place the subject in real
situations and then study his behavior and reactions.
6. Situation Test: The subject is placed in some specific situations and
the traits of his personality are ascertained. Actually, it resembles
the performance method; the difference laying in the fact that in this
case the person is placed in a situation while in the performance
method he is given some work to do.
7. Projective Technique: The most popular of all the methods for the
investigation of personality is the projective method. Its name
suggests the fact that it is founded upon the element of projection.
Two tests in the projective techniques are more widely used- (a)
Rorschach ink blot test and (b) Murray’s Thematic Apperception
Test.
MEASUREMENT OF PERSONALITY
SMS Kabir, smskabir@psy.jnu.ac.bd;
smskabir218@gmail.com 9