In this paper I will be outlining my theory of human personality. I will explore the dimensions of my concept of humanity, human motivation, personality development, and pathological behavior, concluding with my vision of an ideal world.
Concept of Humanity
On the dimension of determinism vs. free choice, I take a limited freedom position. I agree with Allport’s claim (Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2013) that we have the ability to make conscious choices in the present as we act in and react to our environments, but that this freedom is limited to a degree by our capability to exercise this ability based on our intelligence, objectivity and willingness to use alternative problem-solving approaches. I believe, like Rotter and Mischel (Feist et …show more content…
Although these traits are fixed, I agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we have many social influences throughout our life which exert significant influence on our personality as we learn behaviors through the observation of those around us.
I tend to be optimistic about humanity, and agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we can grow and change throughout our lives and that we can overcome unhealthy behaviors by imitating more productive behaviors in others and using our cognitive abilities to develop new ways to solve problems. Like Skinner (Feist et al., 2013), I believe that we are very adaptable as a species and are capable of learning to live in harmony with our environment.
While traumatic events in a person’s past can have a significant influence his or her actions, I believe that most human behavior is future-oriented. Like Allport (Feist et al., 2013), I believe that our behavior is primarily motivated by our expectations of the future rather than being determined by influences in our childhood. I believe that we are goal-oriented and agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we create goals for our future and then proceed to consider the possible consequences of our actions and choose behaviors that are …show more content…
Many types of psychological pathology, such as bipolar disorder, seem to have their roots in genetics but biology alone is not enough to account for pathology. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Bipolar I Disorder is characterized by at least one major depressive episode lasting at least two weeks which includes symptoms such as depressed mood through much of the day, significant weight loss or gain, fatigue, loss of interest in pleasurable activities and suicidal ideation as well as at least one manic episode lasting at least one week which includes symptoms such as inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, intensified speech, distractibility and increased involvement in high-risk pleasurable activities. I believe that Eysenck’s diathesis-stress model (Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2013), which claims that it takes a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental influences for a pathological behavior to manifest, is the most accurate way to explain the existence of pathological
Concept of Humanity
On the dimension of determinism vs. free choice, I take a limited freedom position. I agree with Allport’s claim (Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2013) that we have the ability to make conscious choices in the present as we act in and react to our environments, but that this freedom is limited to a degree by our capability to exercise this ability based on our intelligence, objectivity and willingness to use alternative problem-solving approaches. I believe, like Rotter and Mischel (Feist et …show more content…
Although these traits are fixed, I agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we have many social influences throughout our life which exert significant influence on our personality as we learn behaviors through the observation of those around us.
I tend to be optimistic about humanity, and agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we can grow and change throughout our lives and that we can overcome unhealthy behaviors by imitating more productive behaviors in others and using our cognitive abilities to develop new ways to solve problems. Like Skinner (Feist et al., 2013), I believe that we are very adaptable as a species and are capable of learning to live in harmony with our environment.
While traumatic events in a person’s past can have a significant influence his or her actions, I believe that most human behavior is future-oriented. Like Allport (Feist et al., 2013), I believe that our behavior is primarily motivated by our expectations of the future rather than being determined by influences in our childhood. I believe that we are goal-oriented and agree with Bandura (Feist et al., 2013) that we create goals for our future and then proceed to consider the possible consequences of our actions and choose behaviors that are …show more content…
Many types of psychological pathology, such as bipolar disorder, seem to have their roots in genetics but biology alone is not enough to account for pathology. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Bipolar I Disorder is characterized by at least one major depressive episode lasting at least two weeks which includes symptoms such as depressed mood through much of the day, significant weight loss or gain, fatigue, loss of interest in pleasurable activities and suicidal ideation as well as at least one manic episode lasting at least one week which includes symptoms such as inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, intensified speech, distractibility and increased involvement in high-risk pleasurable activities. I believe that Eysenck’s diathesis-stress model (Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2013), which claims that it takes a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental influences for a pathological behavior to manifest, is the most accurate way to explain the existence of pathological