Changing Personality - Is it possible?

Personal Conclusions

Psychology is a combination of biological and physical interactions associated with environmental and internal factors, joining together to create a unique personality. Personality can be described as playing a role in certain situations or wearing a mask in certain situations. Most agree it is more than playing a role or wearing a mask but for some, that is exactly what must happen for survival. Personality is directly shaped by from both biological (nature) and environmental (nurture) influences.

Robert McCrae and Paul Costa developed the Five-Factor Theory on personality. They consist of five factors that comprise personality types; extraversion, agreeableness-antagonism, consciousness-undirectedness, neuroticism, and openness to experience (McCrae & Costa, 1987). Individuals develop personalities according to the environment and biological influences. Environments can directly influence the attribution of certain personality dispositions. Some people are more extraverted because this is what they learned from their social and cultural interactions. Others are more introverted because it meets a need to feel safe and secure. Various environments can develop a variety of personalities that individuals use to their advantage, satisfying a conscious or unconscious need.

If the environment is supportive of the behavior and the development of personality, the individual will develop a personality that reflects this growth. If the environment is harsh or impedes on the development of personality, the individual will likely develop a neurosis sometime during his or her lifespan. For instance, a child is learning to explore his or her environment. The caregiver or parents either encourage exploration with safety or they prevent exploration. If the behavior was rewarded with encouragement and support, the child will develop a healthy personality and self-esteem. If the behavior led to harsh punishment, the child may develop an unhealthy personality. Individuals who experienced trauma during childhood development are more likely to experience a mental illness in adulthood.

By changing our environments and perception of environments, individuals can influence changes in personality. The core of personality that is evident during infancy is unchangeable; however, personality is flexible, often interchanging with environments and other personalities to gain acceptance or meet a need. Some individuals learn throughout development that behavior can influence the receipt of rewards or consequences. Individuals who change their behavior often change some parts of personality as well.

McCrae, R. R. and Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 52(1), 81 – 90. PMID: 3820081 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3820081