Understanding Personality: Traits, Factors, and Perception
Personality is a set of characteristics that define and identify a person, establishing their difference from others. A more scientific definition, according to Gordon Allport, is: “Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.” In essence, personality is the sum total of the ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others.
Key Personality Traits
Traits can be categorized as follows:
- Physical (Biological): Race, height, complexion, hair type and color, eye type and color, and distinguishing marks (moles, warts, scars, etc.).
- Psychic (Psychological): Temperament, character, intellectual capacity, etc.
- Socio-Cultural (Axiological): Education, culture, beliefs, values, etc.
Factors Influencing Personality
Two primary factors decisively influence the shaping of our personalities: Heredity and Environment.
Personality is influenced by:
- Heredity
- Environment
- Situation
Personality Characteristics
Permanent characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior include: Shyness, Aggressiveness, Submissiveness, Laziness, Ambition, Loyalty, and Lack of Confidence.
Key Personality Attributes
- Locus of Control (LC): Where the perceived locus of control resides. This can be Internal (feeling in control) or External (feeling that one does not control what happens).
- Machiavellianism: Pragmatic, maintaining emotional distance; the belief that the end justifies the means.
- Self-Esteem: The degree to which a person likes or dislikes themselves.
- Self-Monitoring: An individual’s ability to adjust to situational factors.
- Risk Propensity: Willingness to take risks, related to the amount of information needed to make decisions.
The Big Five Personality Model
This model identifies five core dimensions of personality:
- Extroversion
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
- Emotional Stability
- Openness to Experience
Type A and Type B Personalities
Type A personality is associated with a high level of ambition, often linked to a focus on quantity and speed. Type B personality is associated with wisdom and calm reflection in various situations.
Perception in Organizational Behavior
Perception is the way individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions to give them meaning. It’s important to note that not everything we perceive is real, as our feelings do not always align with objective reality. As the saying goes, “In this treacherous world, nothing is true or false; everything is according to the lens through which you look.” People’s behavior is based on their perception of reality, not on reality itself. This highlights the importance of perception in the study of organizational behavior. To understand why people behave a certain way, we must understand their perception of a particular situation.
Factors Influencing Perception
- The Perceiver: The individual interpreting what they see, influenced by attitudes, motivations, interests, experiences, and expectations.
- The Target: The characteristics of the object being observed (sound, size, proximity, novelty, movement).
- The Situation: The context in which we see objects or events.
Attribution Theory
When observing behavior, we attempt to determine whether the causes are internal or external. This involves observing and interpreting to determine the cause.
Shortcuts in Judging Others
- Selective Perception: Judging based on one’s background, experience, attitudes, and interests.
- Halo Effect: Judging based on a single characteristic.
- Contrast Effect: Judging by comparing to others.
- Projection: Judging based on the assumption that others are similar to oneself.
- Stereotyping: Judging based on a reference group to which the individual belongs.
Applications of Perception
Understanding perception is crucial in various organizational contexts, including:
- Performance expectations
- Performance Evaluation
- Selection processes
- Stress management
- Employee Loyalty
- Assessing results