The document provides an overview of several theories of personality development, including psychodynamic theory, neurobiological theory, trait theory, and cognitive theory. It discusses some of the key concepts within each theory, such as Freud's concepts of the id, ego, and superego in psychodynamic theory. It also examines theorists like Adorno and their contributions to understanding traits like authoritarianism. The document concludes that personality is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, and that language and cognition play important roles in personality development across the lifespan.

1. Running head: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT 6
Personality development
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to explain the concepts and theories
of personality development. People tend to think widely about
personality at the workplace, in schools, and in other social
events. People place immediate focus on the personality and
make judgments about shyness, helpful people. (Davis &
Panksepp 2018) Personality makes each individual the way they
are. Researchers in psychology and other fields have overtime
in history researched how the personality of individuals
developed. The development of personality refers to the
organization of human behavior patterns, which brings
uniqueness amongst various individuals. Many factors can result
in personality changes such as the genetic factors, the
environment one is living, styles of parenting, and other very
important variables. The development of personality allows
individuals to adopt an impressive personality and makes one be
unique. Various psychologists have developed various theories

2. that explain the development of human personality. Some of the
theories of personality development include the psychodynamic
theory, neural biological theory, the traits theory, and cognitive
theory. (Rohsenow & Pinkston-Camp 2016)
Psychodynamic theory
The development of personality takes place through a certain
series of stages. Each of these stages has unique conflict
features in psychology. The development of human personality
is developed from a number of components of the human mind.
Feud believed that the three components include the id, the ego,
and the superego. The id is concerned with the question "want
to do that now," it is characterized by the gratification of
certain basic needs and has an aspect of urgency. The superego
places focus on some essential rules and morals in society. This
is closely related to the commonly referred to as the human
conscience. The development happens as individuals grow from
childhoods to adulthood. The ego is mainly rational and part of
our inner personality. A number of psychologists have criticized
the feuds ideas about personality development and have rather
applied the effect that the child's environment and their culture
affect the development of their personality. (Rohsenow &
Pinkston-Camp 2016)Alfred explored and developed a very
comprehensive theory of psychodynamic personality.
The psychologists focused on the strong drive, which
compensates for inferiority feelings. He developed the idea of
an inferiority complex which described a situation where an
individual lacks their worth and perceive themselves below the
standards of other people in the society. Erickson was another
psychologist who was very instrumental in the development of
psychological development theory. (Brandes 2019) He argued
that the development of the human personality was based on the
life social relations that the human has been through. He
emphasized the importance of social relationships at every stage
of life. The analytical psychology of human personality
development was developed by Carl Jung; he generated the idea
of the collective unconscious. There was the development of a

3. conflict between the real character of a person and what society
expects the person to be. Neurobiological psychologists believe
that traits can be passed on from one generation to another. The
brain is a very critical component in the development of certain
personality traits which is further influenced by the
environment. (Davis & Panksepp 2018)
Neurobiological theory
The neurobiological psychologists focus on the development of
young adults than adults to explain human behavior. The human
brain undergoes development across the various stages of life.
Darwin was a psychologist who was instrumental in the
development of biological theories and their influence on
personality development. He discussed the evolution theory
suggesting that specific traits possessed by human beings are
present from their environment. According to the
neurobiological psychologists, the changes in the human brain
can lead to changes in human behavior and traits. (Davis &
Panksepp 2018)
Trait theory
The trait theory in psychology is also referred to as the
dispositional theory, which is a very important aspect in the
process of studying human personality development. The theory
measures the various traits, which are primarily the patterns of
habitual change. Traits can remain stable for a relatively long
period, and they tend to be different across various people. The
definition of traits in psychology takes two approaches. The
first approach develops the idea that traits lead people into
doing things in a precise manner, whic, in turn, influences their
behavior. Trait theory in psychology is also applied across
various cultures. Cultural traits are different across various
cultures. The trait approach theory to personality development
is determined by various stable traits that comprise fundamental
sections of an individual's personality. With less regard to
prevailing situations, traits determine how an individual acts.
(Davis & Panksepp 2018)
The difference in traits amongst various individuals is the

4. differences in generics. Some psychologists prefer the traits
theory as psychometric theories due to the application of
psychometric tests to measure personality. Adorno developed
the argument that personalities with authoritarian characters
tend to focus on themselves as more superior. The study
conducted by Adorno discovered that individuals who were
brought up in strict families by harsh parents tend to develop
authoritarian personalities. Children brought up in such families
could not express hostility towards their parents. Suh children
were likely to be authoritative when they found weaker people
and other ethnic minorities. The authoritarian traits that were
explained by Adorno predisposed some people into having
certain unique characteristics such as ethocentrism, the
likelihood of favoring people from one's ethnic groups, and
respect and submissiveness for authority. They also tend to
preoccupy themselves with power and a higher degree of
toughness.some people have very strong resistance in their
views; these characteristics have a close relation to individual
traits.
Cognitive theory
The cognitive theories tend to lay special emphasis on the
processes of thoughts that have an impact on our general
personalities. A very closely related concept is metacognition, a
term that focuses on how we think about our own thinking.
(Brandes 2019)Cognitive approaches play a critical role in
developing a good understanding of how we think from
language processing, our remembering capacity, and how we
perceive various situations. Chomsky explains the role that
language plays in cognition. He developed the argument that
human beings are always ready to learn and develop a speech
just as other living creatures like monkeys have the
preparedness to climb trees and birds in flying. His argument
emphasis the parallel development of the mental process and the
language. It is the language that is used to access the
construction of the brain and mental processes.
Fodor, who was psychologists advanced this idea by stating that

5. people's beliefs and their desires are mainly mental events that
are explained by the use of language. He saw beyond the minor
brain representations and claimed mental representations go
beyond explanatory tools to cover what the brain codifies. Well,
articulated sentences are developed through the mental process
but follow certain principles of grammar in the language. Miller
discussed the revolution of cognitive theories. He developed the
idea that mental processes can be structured in a way that
information can be processed. (Brandes 2019) Computers play a
critical role in understanding the thought principles and provide
a better platform to understand how the brain works and how it
processes information. The human brain can be compared to
computer hardware, while the mind can be compared to
computer software. A number of researchers have models the
similarity in functioning between human thought and computers.
The cognitive theory can be divided into social cognitive theory
(SCT) and the cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT).
Conclusion
In nearly all human populations, individual differences are
evident and are universal. The primary cause of these
differences in personality is based on psychology. Some
personalities have shown improvement in behavior, while others
show a decline in behavior change. It is the differences in
personality differences that generate the differences in human
personalities. The brain is very critical in influencing behavior
change. The human brain develops across the various stages of
human development. The human personality development is also
influenced by hereditary factors. Some personalities are
common in certain families and less common in others. The
development of the brain and language indicates an important,
interesting aspect of personal behavior development. Some
psychologists believe that the two develop together and have a
close relation. What is configured by the brain is spoken out by
the language all through the stages of development from
adolescence to adulthood.

6. References
Lorenzo-Luaces, L., Keefe, J. R., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2016).
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: Nature and relation to non-
cognitive behavioral therapy. Behavior Therapy, 47(6), 785-
803.
Rohsenow, D. J., & Pinkston-Camp, M. M. (2016). Cognitive-
behavioral approaches. In The Oxford handbook of substance
use and substance use disorders.
Davis, K. L., & Panksepp, J. (2018). The emotional foundations
of personality: A neurobiological and evolutionary approach.
WW Norton & Company.
Brandes, C. M., Reardon, K. W., & Tackett, J. L. (2019).
Personality Theories. The Encyclopedia of Child and
Adolescent Development, 1-12.
The Trait Model of Personality
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
March 10, 2020
Introduction
Personality theories have explained the personality traits of
humans in detail. This paper covers the Eysenck model of

7. personality, a comparison of its basic assumptions with those of
the psychodynamic model and also describes the five traits of
the big five model.
PART I
Traits refer to the way persons are described. An example of a
personality trait model is Hans Eysenck's trait theory. This was
developed by Eysenck who was a British psychologist. Eysenck
had been born in Germany, but later moved to Britain. He had a
Ph.D. in psychology and had studied much on psychotherapy.
His theories of intelligence and personality were widely known
and accepted. The personality model focused on the dimensions
of neuroticism, extraversion, and psychoticism.
The Eysenck trait model considered extroversion and
introversion as the two main dimensions of personality. His
personality model was based on these two traits. Extroversion
was linked to being sociable while introversion was linked to
being shy. “Introversion involves focusing energy on inner
experiences, while extroversion refers to focusing energy on the
environment and people” (Allemand et al, 2017). Those who are
extroverted are confident are more outgoing while those who
are introverted tend to shy away easily.
Eysenck also used the neuroticism/ emotional stability
dimension to explain personality. This dimension was related to
temperateness. “The dimension encompasses moodiness to even
temperedness” (Allemand et al, 2017). Neurotic individuals get
emotional or become upset easily while those who have
emotional stability remain relatively constant regarding their
emotions.
Eysenck also included the psychoticism dimension to his trait
theory. This dimension was added after a study was conducted
on individuals who were mentally ill. “People high on this trait
suggests that the individual might not be normal and might have
trouble dealing with reality” (Chmielewski et al, 2017). This
dimension was used to describe people with characteristics such

8. as being antisocial, non-empathetic and being hostile. Some
individuals may show various personality traits because of an
underlying condition such as a mental problem.
Some of the assumptions of the trait model are that the
personality traits are stable and predictable. The trait model
assumes that every person has different traits and the
personality traits are consistent. On the other side, the
psychodynamic model assumes that the behaviors of people and
their feelings are rooted in their childhood experiences.
"Psychodynamic theory states that events in our childhood have
a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality.
Events that occur in childhood can remain in the unconscious,
and cause problems as adults" (Chmielewski et al, 2017).
Personality development is shaped by the conflicts that occur in
different childhood times.
The psychodynamic model also assumes that personality is
made of three parts which are the ego, super-ego and the id. The
id consists of inherited or biological traits that are present at
birth. The superego entails the morals and values of a society.
the Eysenck theory, however, assumes that personality is made
up of the extroversion, psychoticism, and neuroticism.
Whereas the Eysenck model assumes that personality is shaped
by biological factors, the psychodynamic model assumes that
personality is shaped by environmental factors. The society that
a child lives in plays a major role in his/her personality
development. Personalities may be shaped by societal values.
The psychoticism dimension of the Eysenck model argues that
the mental illnesses of certain individuals influence their
personalities. mental illnesses may be hereditary.
The psychodynamic model argues that the unconscious is a
powerful effect of the emotions and behaviors of a person. "The
unconscious is one of the most powerful factors on behavior and
emotion". However, the Eysenck model assumes that the
behaviors or emotions of people are predetermined.

9. PART II
Extroversion
This consists of both extroversion and introversion.
Extroversion is a personality trait used to describe individuals
who are more confident and sociable. Extroverted people are
talkative and assertive. They are also friendly to people and
have merriness. “People high in extroversion tend to seek out
opportunities for social interaction, where they are often the
‘life of the party’” (Lecci, 2015). It may not be comfortable
staying with extroverted people if they talk too much to irritate
others. However, they may control how much they talk.
Extroverted people may be more suited to specific professionals
such as politicians and preachers.
Introversion is a personality trait associated with quiet people.
Introverts do not like to socialize with other people. They are
more focused on internal feelings and thoughts. They find more
enjoyment in staying alone. Their energy is drained by staying
with many people. Their perfect good times are when they
spend a quiet afternoon enjoying their interests and hobbies.
Introverts also tend to have few friends. "…they do enjoy
having a small group of friends to whom they are particularly
close” (Lecci, 2015). However, this does not mean that they
hate people. They just don’t like having many friends.
Agreeableness
This is a trait that describes how people get along with each
other. Some of the characteristics that describe agreeableness
include being warm, considerate, sympathetic, cooperative and
kind. People who get high agreeableness scores are altruistic
and empathetic. One is likely to be polite, loyal, helpful and
unselfish. “People high in agreeableness tend to be well-liked,
respected, and sensitive to the needs of others” (Lecci, 2015).
They may not have enemies because they are good for people
and affectionate.
Due to their politeness, people with the agreeableness trait may

10. get along with other people easily. They are also humble since
they can accept most of the outcomes. Most people can gain
trust in people with agreeableness. On the other side, people
with low agreeableness cores are very selfish and not loyal.
Most people do not like people who are not agreeable. "They
tend to be callous, blunt, rude, ill-tempered, antagonistic, and
sarcastic" (Zuckerman et al, 2016). They are not sensitive to the
needs of other people.
Conscientiousness
This is a personality trait that entails being aware of one's
behavior towards other people. it is being mindful of the people
around oneself such as families and others. Those who are
conscientious ensure that they make a good impression to new
people. They are always careful with their words not to hurt
other people. when conscientious people are organized, they
feel at ease. "Their organized tendencies also extend to other
areas of life: a conscientious person will often be careful to be
reliable, and to be on time for important meetings and
appointments” (Lecci, 2015). Conscientious people are,
therefore, more likely to be successful in life because they stick
to their plans.
Neuroticism
This trait relates to the ability of a person to have emotional
stability. It is the extent to which one perceives the world as
threatening and/or distressing. Neurotic individuals are
generally dissatisfied and face distress. They may experience
various emotions such as anger, guilt, depression, and anxiety.
"Empirical studies suggest that extremely high levels of
neuroticism are associated with prolonged and pervasive misery
in both the neurotic individuals and those close to them” (Lecci,
2015). Neuroticism is associated with negative emotions. On the
other side, individuals with high emotional stability are more
stable, calm and confident. They may not show negative
emotions or get upset easily. These individuals, therefore,
experience positive feelings.
People with emotional stability fit in many professionals. This

11. is because most employers want to hire a person that does not
get upset easily. They are also interested in people who can
control their emotions. "Employees with low emotional stability
may be more easily distracted from their work, by deadlines,
personal situations, and pressure” (Lecci, 2015). Employers,
therefore, have to ensure that employees have emotional
stability before they are hired.
openness to experience.
This trait describes the quality of a person to be open-minded
such that he/she can try new things. People with openness often
try new things. They are curious and imaginative. People with
high scores in this personality trait may be more innovative
because of their quality or ability to try doing new things. They
not like being tied down to a specific routine. People with
openness are also more creative. They are adventurous, liberal
and intellectual. On the other side, people who are not open to
experiences are less creative and innovative. They also enjoy
being tied down to specific routines.
Reflection
The score on openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and
agreeableness was all average. Creativity and adventurous
levels are, therefore, medium. The score on neuroticism was,
however, lower than the average value. This is because I rarely
experience negative emotions. When faced with difficult
situations, I try to maintain a positive attitude to solve the
problem. The average score on agreeableness means that I
sometimes put the needs of other people first, but still consider
my needs first during other times.
Conclusion
One can determine his/her personality traits using the big five
model. However, it is important, to be honest, while answering
the questions. This would ensure that the results reflect the true
characteristics of a person.

12. REFERENCES
Allemand, M., Steiger, A. E., & Hill, P. L. (2013). Stability of
personality traits in adulthood: Mechanisms and
implications. GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology
and Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), 5-13.
Chmielewski, M., Ruggero, C. J., Kotov, R., Liu, K., &
Krueger, R. F. (2017). Comparing the dependability and
associations with the functioning of the DSM–5 Section III trait
model of personality pathology and the DSM–5 Section II
personality disorder model. Personality Disorders: Theory,
Research, and Treatment, 8(3), 228.
Lecci, L. B. (2015). Personality. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu
Zuckerman, M., & Glicksohn, J. (2016). Hans Eysenck's
personality model and the constructs of sensation seeking and
impulsivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 103, 48-52.
Initial Assumptions About Personality Development
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
March 3, 2020

13. Explain your view of the impact of genetics and the
environment on the development of personality.
Both genetics and the environment have significant impacts on
personality. Genetics is, however, a stronger component than
the environment. Nature is more important than nurture in the
development of personality traits. This is because personality
tends to form in the early stages of life.
Genes may increase or decrease a certain characteristic in
humans. Both behavioral and molecular genetics is focused on
the study of genes that are associated with specific
personalities. "Behavioral genetics studies have found that, for
most traits, genetics is more important than parental influence”
(Lecci, 2015). Molecular genetics also identify the specific
genes that cause differences in personalities. However, a single
gene does not determine the personality. The action of multiple
genes that work together determine personality.
Environmental factors play an important role in shaping
personality traits. People who live together for long may start
behaving or acting the same way. Environmental influences
have huge impacts on personality. Personality is not inherited
from parents.
Discuss how understanding personality theory can help you to
be successful in your career.
Understanding personality theory can help one succeed in
his/her career in several ways. First of all, it helps one narrow
down his/her field. By understanding personality theories, one
can pick a career that aligns with their personalities. Personality
theories can help one determine their personality types. This is

14. because one can compare their traits to the ones listen to a
specific personality type. For those who are creative, they can
pick careers that align with creativity.
Understanding personality theory also enables one to identify
his/her strongest skills. Some people may be more organized
and analytical than others. Some may be good at networking and
socializing while others may be good at maintaining peace and
staying silent. If one realizes that he/she is good at networking,
they might take a career that relates to networking. “If you have
a deeper level of awareness of your strongest skills, it can help
guide you to a career that truly showcases those skills” (Stahl,
2017). Those who are analytical may take careers related to
science.
It is possible to reveal the best work environment for a person
by understanding personality theories. Extroverts are more
confident and may want to work with more people. On the other
side, introverts may only want to work with few people because
they are quite shy. “Certain personality types function better in
some environments than others…” (Stahl, 2017). Introverts may
also be more comfortable working alone rather than working in
a group.
Describe the four tools used for assessing personality outlined
in Section 1.5 of your text.
The four tools used for assessing personality are structured
interviews, self-report inventories and objective tests,
projective tests, and rating scales and checklists.
Structured interviews may be designed to assess a specific
personality trait or a wide range of traits. Predetermined
questions are asked to a subject, after which the answers given
to the interview questions are matched with DSM’s nosological
structure. Structured interviews are pathology-based. The
questions asked are focused on determining the reasons or
factors that could lead to a specific personality trait.
Self-report inventories and objective tests are also used in

15. assessing personality. Objective tests may be self-administered,
administered by researchers or clinicians. The scales used in
objective tests are mostly obtained from empirical research. An
example of an objective test is the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory® -2 which is extensively validated. “The
MMPI--2 has resulted in over 2,800 published journal articles,
book chapters, and textbooks, making it one of the most
extensively studied tools of assessment”. Computer scoring is
used because hand scoring is complex.
The personality assessment inventory is used to assess
interpersonal relations, harm potential complications for
treatment and behavior disorders. “The PAI® is a 344-item
measure that includes 22 scales focusing on psychiatric
disorders and several validity indexes”. It is applicable in both
nonclinical and clinical settings.
Projective tests are based on the idiosyncratic points of view of
humans. “These instruments are based on the assumption that
people perceive the world from their own, idiosyncratic point of
view” (Lecci, 2015). Individuals project unconscious fears,
thoughts, and wishes when showed ambiguous stimuli. The
Rorschach Inkblot Method is the most popular projective test.
The problem of using this test is that users must accept the
psychodynamic theory assumptions. The Thematic Apperception
Test is also used in clinical practice to assess personalities.
Ratings scales and checklists are also used in assessing
personalities. They ask subject matters to determine if a specific
item is appropriate. When a rating scale is used, subject matters
are asked their extent of agreement to various items. They are
mostly scored from zero to five. Examples of rating scales
include the psychopathy checklist-revised (PCL-R) and the
Positive Affect/Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
Discuss how your personality developmental journey impacted
these initial assumptions about personality development.
The personality development journey impacted the initial
assumptions about personality development. Most of my

16. behaviors today are influenced by my early behaviors as a kid.
For example, the trait of being organized was developed from
the parents. My positive relationships with parents as a kid had
a good impact on becoming respectable. The environment has
also impacted my personality growing up. Despite being
outspoken as a kid, this changed recently to balancing
extroversion and introversion. Not being exposed to violence
made me a more peaceful and unaggressive person. The
assumptions about personality development are true considering
my personality development journey.
REFERENCES
Lecci, L. B. (2015). Personality. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu
Lerner, H. (2013, March 5). Become successful by
understanding people's personalities (Links to an external site.).
Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannylerner/2013/03/05/understan
d-peoples-personalities-and-become-successful/#1f1c9fda6701
Stahl, A. (2017, April 30). 3 ways of knowing your personality
type can help you with your career (Links to an external site.).
Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2017/04/30/3-ways-
knowing-your-personality-type-can-help-you-with-your-
career/#311ed4c43a33