Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, extra MCQs, PDF for Personality: NBSE Class 12 Education, which is part of the syllabus for students studying under NBSE (Nagaland Board). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
Summary
Personality is the unique combination of a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It includes everything that makes you who you are, from your physical appearance to your inner self. The word “personality” comes from a Latin word, ‘persona’, which was the name for a mask worn by actors in ancient Greece. In those times, personality was seen as just the outward appearance a person showed to others. Today, we understand that personality is much deeper, covering all the traits a person has.
A person’s personality is always changing and growing as they interact with the world. It is an organized system where different traits work together. It is also unique to each individual; no two people, not even identical twins, are exactly the same. Personality develops from a combination of what we are born with and what we experience.
Several factors shape our personality. Biological factors include the genes we inherit from our parents, which can influence our physical features and temperament. Our nervous system and glands, which produce hormones, also play a part in our energy levels and emotional reactions. Psychological factors are also very important. A child who receives plenty of love and affection is more likely to develop a healthy personality. Friendship and good social relationships help a child learn to be considerate and cooperative. However, parental attitudes like neglect or over-protection can harm a child’s development, making them feel insecure or become overly demanding.
Our social and cultural environment also has a strong influence. The family is the first place where a child learns about the world. The school, neighborhood, and cultural traditions all teach a child how to behave and what to believe. Personality can be understood as having three parts: the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego. The Id is our basic, instinctual desires. The Super Ego is our moral conscience, which learns rules from parents and society. The Ego is the part that balances the desires of the Id with the rules of the Super Ego in a realistic way.
People can be broadly categorized into types, such as introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts. Introverts are often quiet and reserved, get their energy from being alone, and prefer deep conversations with a few people. Extroverts are outgoing and sociable, get their energy from being with others, and enjoy group activities. Ambiverts have a balance of both introverted and extroverted traits. To understand someone’s personality, psychologists use methods like observation, questionnaires, interviews, and special tests
Textual
Very Short Answer Questions
1. What is ‘persona’?
Answer: ‘Persona’ is a Latin word from which the word personality has been derived.
2. What did ‘persona’ mean in ancient times?
Answer: In ancient times, ‘persona’ meant the mask which the Greek actors commonly used to wear on their faces before coming to the stage for acting. These masks would hide the real faces of the actors before the audience. Thus, in the olden days, personality was meant to be the outward appearance of a person.
3. What do you learn about personality from J.B. Watson’s definition?
Answer: From J.B. Watson’s definition, I learn that “Personality is the sum of activities that can be discovered by actual observations over a long enough period of time to give reliable information”.
4. How can a child be called as ‘withdrawn child’?
Answer: A child can be called a ‘withdrawn child’ if they sit in the last bench, never ask a question in the class, do not speak much with other children, and are hardly seen participating in games, dramatic, or other cultural activities.
5. Jung classified people into
(a) Extrovert (b) Introvert (c) Ambivert (d) All of these
Answer: (d) All of these
6. Persona is the
(a) basic core of human personality (b) attitude towards self (c) the role played by an individual in his/her life (d) self-image
Answer: (c) the role played by an individual in his/her life
7. Which of the following is not a tool of personality assessment?
(a) Projective tests (b) Non-projective tests (c) Observational methods (d) Interaction methods
Answer: (d) Interaction methods
Short Answer Questions
1. What factors affect personality?
Answer: The personality of an adult is generally considered to be made up of hereditary and environmental factors and moderated by situational conditions.
Heredity argues that the ultimate explanation of an individual’s personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes. Characteristics like physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are generally considered to be influenced by one’s parents.
The environment to which we are exposed plays a substantial role in shaping our personalities. Environmental factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends, social groups, and social interaction.
Situation influences the effects of heredity and environment on one’s personality. An individual’s personality, although generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations. Some situations, like an employment interview, constrain many behaviours, while other situations, like a picnic in a public park, constrain relatively few behaviours.
2. How does heredity and environment influence personality?
Answer: Heredity influences personality through characteristics that are generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by one’s parents. These include physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms. Evidence also demonstrates that traits such as shyness, fear, and distress are most likely caused by inherited genetic characteristics.
The environment plays a substantial role in shaping our personalities. Culture, for example, establishes the norms, attitudes, and values that are passed along from one generation to the next, creating consistencies over time. The environmental factors that exert pressure on personality formation include the culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, and the norms among our family, friends, social groups, and social interactions that we experience.
3. Why is heredity considered as an important factor that affects personality?
Answer: Heredity is considered an important factor because the hereditary approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an individual’s personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes. Evidence demonstrates that traits such as shyness, fear, and distress are most likely caused by inherited genetic characteristics. It suggests that some personality traits may be built into the same genetic code that affects factors such as height and hair colour. If personality characteristics were completely dictated by heredity, they would be fixed at birth and no amount of experience or experiments could alter them.
4. What is the role of adrenal glands?
Answer: Adrenal glands are two in number, surrounding the two kidneys separately. They secrete two separate hormones: cortin and adrenalin, which exercise great influence over the nervous, muscular, and sexual functions. The excess of adrenaline produces a rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure, and its under-secretion results in weakness and lethargy in the body. The excess of cortin results in exaggerated masculinity.
5. What is the role of culture in a child’s personality?
Answer: The cultural environment of a child possesses a vital potential for shaping and determining his/her personality. This environment is characterised by the mode of living of the people of the society, caste, and social group to which the child belongs. How these people think, eat, dress, feel, behave with each other, deal with strangers, respect members of the other sex, and observe rituals and ceremonies—their style of living and philosophy of life—cast a strong influence on the behaviour of developing children. Their personality is almost fashioned and tailored according to the pattern of the cultural environment.
6. How is neighbourhood important for well developed personality?
Answer: The neighbourhood’s proximity to the child and his/her family makes it a potent factor for casting its influence on the behaviour pattern and personality of the developing child. Whatever a child observes in his/her neighbourhood, he/she tries to imitate. The playmates chosen from the neighbourhood not only provide the child with company but also affect his/her behaviour and set the direction of his/her personality development.
7. How helpful is the observation under controlled condition to understand personality?
Answer: Observation under controlled conditions, such as in a playroom in a child guidance clinic, is very helpful for understanding personality. For instance, it may be observed that a child picks up many toys, throws some on the ground, kicks some, and breaks the legs of some male toys or the neck of an elephant. Such a child is very aggressive. This observation can lead to further investigation, where a case study might reveal that the child is suffering from deprivation of love, perhaps due to the loss of a real mother and being looked after by a step-mother. The destructive and aggressive behaviour is the child’s way of wreaking revenge on everything he/she comes in contact with. Thus, controlled observation helps to spot such traits and understand their underlying causes.
8. What is personality? Explain its nature in detail.
Answer: Personality is the external appearance of a person, but it also covers the inner self. It is a very inclusive concept covering each and every trait that a person possesses. One definition states that “Personality may be defined as the most characteristic—integration of an individual’s structure, modes of behaviour, interest, attitudes, capacities, abilities, and aptitudes”.
The nature and characteristics of personality are as follows:
- Personality is dynamic: Personality goes on changing and evolving due to interaction with the environment. One has to struggle with the environment as well as inner forces throughout one’s life. As a result, the individual modifies and changes. The nature of personality is dynamic instead of static.
- Personality is organised: Personality is made up of a very great number of traits put in an organised way. Each trait has a relationship with the whole system of personality. A normal healthy personality is organised.
- Personality is within the individual: Personality consists of both psychological and physical elements that act in a coordinated way. The psychological system includes habits, attitudes, values, emotional status, and motives, while the physical system includes neural, glandular, and general body states.
- Personality is unique and specific: Each human is unique; no two individuals, not even identical twins, behave in precisely the same manner over a period of time. Every one of us has specific characteristics for making adjustments.
- Personality is the product of heredity and environment: Every personality is the product of heredity and environment. Both contribute significantly towards the development of the child’s personality.
9. Discuss in detail various determinants of personality.
Answer: The things and patterns that play a determining and decisive role in the development of one’s personality can be categorised into three types: Biological, Psychological, and Social and Cultural determinants.
a. Biological Determinants: These include factors like:
- (i) Heredity influences: Genes and chromosomes provide the base and structure for future development, including somatic structure, the nervous system, intelligence, and abilities.
- (ii) Nervous system: Our behaviour is controlled to a great extent by our nervous system. The autonomous nervous system controls involuntary processes like blood circulation and digestion. How one behaves depends upon the judgment of one’s brain.
- (iii) Ductless glands or endocrine glands: These glands and their specific hormones have a great influence on personality. This includes the Thyroid Gland (thyroxin), Pituitary Gland (growth hormones), Adrenal Glands (cortin and adrenalin), and Gonads (sexual glands).
- (iv) Physique or somatic structure: Physical characteristics like height, weight, appearance, strength, and health influence the development of personality.
- (v) Body chemistry: Chemical changes in our body, such as converting sugar to glucose and food digestion, provide essential energy. Irregularity or malfunctioning in body chemistry can seriously affect our behaviour and personality.
b. Psychological Determinants: These include:
- Love and Affection: A child who gets plenty of love and affection has better opportunities of becoming a good mixer and a socially efficient person. A child denied these blessings finds it difficult to adjust.
- Friendship and Social Relations: The bases of friendly relations, social interaction between friends, and the quality of contacts contribute immensely to the growth of a child’s personality.
- Parental Attitudes: Unhealthy parental attitudes like parental negligence and parental over-protection can adversely affect a child’s personality development. Negligence can lead to rejection, while over-protection can lead to dependent and aggressive attitudes.
c. Social and Cultural Determinants: These include:
- (i) Family/Home: It is the primary agency for personality development. A healthy atmosphere at home helps a child develop in the right direction, while a poor and uncongenial atmosphere can lead to a maladjusted personality.
- (ii) Parents: Their education, personality, emotional and social behaviour, mutual affection, and interests all play a major role in the child’s personality development.
- (iii) Size of the Family: The number of siblings and the child’s birth order affect personality development.
- (iv) Economic and Social Status: The family’s economic and social status casts a desirable impact on the personality development of children.
- (v) School: The school atmosphere, including teachers, classmates, teaching methods, curriculum, and co-curricular activities, influences the child’s personality.
- (vi) Neighbourhood: A child imitates what he/she observes in the neighbourhood. Playmates from the neighbourhood affect behaviour and personality development.
- (vii) Religious institutions: Institutions like temples, churches, and mosques influence and shape a child’s personality according to their ideals.
- (viii) Culture: The cultural environment, including the mode of living, beliefs, and rituals of a society, has a vital potential for shaping and determining personality.
10. How are psychological determinants responsible in the development of personality?
Answer: Psychological determinants are responsible for personality development through factors like love, affection, and social relationships. Affection is the positive emotion towards persons, pets, and objects. A child who receives plenty of love and affection has better opportunities to become a good mixer and a socially efficient person. Conversely, a child denied love and affection during infancy and childhood finds it difficult to adjust to others.
Friendship and social relations also influence a child’s personality development. The quality and duration of friendly contacts, similarity of interests, and social interactions contribute immensely to personality growth. However, undesirable tendencies like over-attachments, selfishness, and jealousy can also develop in friendships and should be watched by parents and teachers.
Parental attitudes are another key psychological determinant. Wrong attitudes like parental negligence or parental over-protection are injurious to personality growth. Negligence can make a child feel rejected, while over-protection can lead to the development of dependent, aggressive, and demanding attitudes.
11. What are the adverse impacts of parental rejection on a child’s personality?
Answer: Parental rejection, which is the extreme form of parental negligence, has several adverse impacts on a child’s personality, as revealed by prominent studies:
- Levy’s Studies: These studies reveal that some children react to parental rejection by adopting attitudes of extreme indifference or apathy. They might even develop a diminished ability to respond to any affection whatsoever.
- Bender’s Research: This research highlights cases of rejected children who have developed compulsive dependency and clinging attitudes.
- Symond’s Investigations: These investigations point out the possibility of a rejected child becoming an over-aggressive and hostile person who might occasionally resort to truancy, lying, and stealing.
12. What are the differences between extrovert and introvert?
Answer: An introvert is a person who limits his acquaintance to a few, is conservative, suspicious, not social, reserved, self-centered, introspective, and hesitant to take the initiative. An extrovert is socially adaptable, interested in people, likes to make friends, is talkative, self-assertive, and has a keen sense of observation.
The differences can be understood through the following points:
| Introverts | Extroverts |
| Like to be alone with their thought | Like to talk things out with others |
| Think things through before they speak | Like to dive in immediately |
| Get energised by being alone | Get energised by being with others |
| Like advance notice of changes | Like surprises |
| Like to get feedback in private | Like public acknowledgement |
| Work better alone | Teamworker |
Further differences include:
- Recharging: Introverts prefer to stay alone to recharge after a social event, while extroverts like social events and are enthusiastic about interacting with people.
- Connecting: Introverts like one-on-one, deep conversations, whereas extroverts like group discussions.
- Relationships: Introverts like forming deeper relationships and getting to know someone well. Extroverts like being friends with many people but hardly form deep relationships.
- Communication: Introverts listen more than they speak and are deep thinkers who need time to process. Extroverts might be the loudest ones in the room.
- Change: Introverts are very comfortable with their habits and routines and might be a little more resistant to change.
- Opening Up: Introverts are not shy but are thinkers. They are selective about who they open up to, but when they do, they form deeper connections. Extroverts are ready to open up more easily.
- Focus: Introverts are reflective and need time to reflect before making a decision. Extroverts want and thrive on attention.
Long Answer Questions
1. Why is the family called as the ‘Primary Agency’ of development of personality of an individual?
Answer: The family is called the primary agency of development of personality of an individual because it is in the family that the child is initiated into the social setup. From the very birth of the child, the parents and the home and family atmosphere provide the foundation for the normal growth and development of his personality. If the child finds a healthy atmosphere at home, he or she has all the chances to develop his or her personality in the right direction. On the other hand, a poor and uncongenial atmosphere develops him or her into a maladjusted personality.
2. Describe any two situational tests that are considered more accurate.
Answer: Two situational tests are the Character Education Inquiry and the Leaderless Group Discussion.
The Character Education Inquiry was conducted by Hartshorne and Mark May in 1928. In one investigation, students were allowed to mark their own examinations, which, unknown to them, had already been scored by the investigators. Differences in these two sets of scores were used as evidence of cheating. In another study, money was placed in boxes and distributed to children who believed that their box would not be identified. These studies were carried out in different classrooms, at home, and in Sunday schools to determine the extent of cheating, lying, falsifying, stealing, and self-aggrandisement that take place when the opportunity presents itself.
The Leaderless Group Discussion (LGD) is an observational method used to select executives, military officers, teachers, and others who must work with others. The procedure requires that a group be formed of potential hirelings. They are given an unstructured, job-related task to solve and are told how much time they will have to discuss its solution. No other information is provided, except for some vague directions, and no one is appointed the group’s leader. These discussions are observed by an evaluator who might rate each person on characteristics such as teamwork, originality, acceptance of a leadership role, and willingness to consider the opinions of others.
3. Do you agree with the statement ‘Every individual is a unique being’?
Answer: Yes, I agree with the statement that ‘Every individual is a unique being’.
Each human is unique; no two individuals, not even identical twins, behave in precisely the same manner over a period of time. Every one of us has specific characteristics for making adjustments. No two persons are born exactly alike; each differs from the other in natural endowments. All individuals differ from each other in many respects, and even children born of the same parents and twins are not alike. These individual differences are what distinguish or separate one person from another, making each one a single, unique individual.
4. Elaborate the limitations of the Questionnaire Method.
Answer: The Questionnaire Method is objectionable because it demands answers either in the affirmative or in the negative, while the vast majority of individuals would prefer an intermediate answer. It also has other limitations.
Firstly, the replies to various questions can be easily faked. Secondly, pupils may lack sufficient insight into themselves to be able to give objectively true responses, even if they want to be frank and honest. Finally, terms like ‘often’, ‘frequently’, ‘sometimes’, etc., do not mean the same thing to every individual. Such limitations lower the validity of the inventory.
5. How does the Indian culture influence the bond in the family?
Answer: In Indian society, ancient cultural values of respecting the old age are present. This influences the bond in the family by shaping the behavioural patterns and personality of the young and old generations. They are tailored differently with a respect and a feeling of obligation towards each other. This happens in an environment of mutual love, cooperation, and trust.
Additional
Extra Questions and Answers
1. How did the meaning of ‘persona’ relate to Greek actors?
Answer: The word personality is derived from the Latin word ‘persona’. Persona at that time meant the mask which the Greek actors commonly used to wear on their faces before coming to the stage for acting. These masks would hide the real faces of the actors before the audience.
2. How has the modern meaning of personality changed from its older meaning?
Answer: In the olden days, personality meant the outward appearance of a person and was thought to be the effect a person had on others. Now, the meaning has changed, and the word personality is used in a very wider sense. Today, personality is a very inclusive concept covering each and every trait that a person possesses.
3. What is the main idea behind the characteristic ‘Personality is dynamic’?
Answer: The main idea is that personality goes on changing and evolving due to interaction with the environment. An individual has to struggle with the environment and inner forces throughout life, which results in the individual modifying and changing. Therefore, the nature of personality is dynamic instead of static.
4. What is the main idea behind the characteristic ‘Personality is organised’?
Answer: The main idea is that personality is made up of a great number of traits put in an organised way. Each trait has a relationship with the whole system of personality, and a normal healthy personality is organised.
5. What does it mean that ‘Personality is within the individual’?
Answer: It means that personality consists of both psychological and physical elements that act in a coordinated way. The psychological system includes habits, attitudes, values, emotional status, and motives, while the physical system includes neural, glandular, and general body states.
89. What do you understand by individual differences? Discuss the various causes responsible for bringing about these differences among individuals?
Answer: Individual differences refer to the variations or deviations among individuals concerning a single characteristic or a number of characteristics. Plato stated over 2000 years ago, “No two persons are born exactly alike; but each differs from the other in natural endowments.” Every person has emotions like love and anger, but no two persons are alike. Even children of the same parents and twins are not identical. These differences, which in their totality distinguish one individual from another, make each person a single, unique individual. Individuals can be distinguished by their gestures, way of talking, acting, and appearance.
The causes responsible for bringing about these individual differences are broadly classified into inherited and acquired traits. The main causes are heredity, environment, and race and nationality.
Heredity (Nature): Individuals have various endowments, abilities, and capacities provided by heredity, which decide their path of progress and development. Heredity also puts limits on an individual’s growth in various dimensions and contributes to sex, intelligence, and other specific abilities. An individual’s height, size, shape, hair colour, and the entire structure of the body are determined by hereditary qualities. Intellectual differences are also influenced to a great extent by hereditary factors.
Environment (Nurture): The environment also plays a key role in individual differences. No person from birth to death gets the same environment. The environment brings individual differences in behaviour, activities, attitude, and style of life. It refers not only to physical surroundings but also to the different types of people, society, culture, customs, and traditions one is exposed to. Individual differences occur based on the stimulation received from one’s internal and external environment, which includes family setup, peer group, and economic status.
The ‘Nature versus Nurture’ Debate: The discussion of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) leads to the classic debate about which factor is more influential. It is debatable whether nature or nurture plays a vital or stronger role in the development of an individual in any specific direction. Both are presented as strong contenders in distinguishing one individual from another. Heredity provides the raw material and sets the limits for development. For example, an individual’s entire physical structure and intellectual potential are largely determined by genetic inheritance. On the other hand, the environment shapes how that potential is realised. The family, culture, and social experiences a person has will influence their behaviour, attitudes, and personality. Therefore, both nature and nurture interact to produce the unique individual.
Race and Nationality: Race and nationality are also a cause of individual differences. For instance, it is mentioned that Indians are very peace-loving, Chinese are cruel, and Americans are very frank due to their race and nationality. Every race has its specific features and habits, which contribute to the differences seen among people.
Extra MCQs: Knowledge-Based
1: The word “personality” is derived from the Latin word ‘persona’, which originally meant:
A. An individual’s thoughts
B. A person’s character
C. A mask worn by actors
D. The inner self
Answer: C. A mask worn by actors
54: Individual differences can be broadly classified into two categories: inherited traits and __________ traits.
A. learned
B. developed
C. acquired
D. environmental
Answer: C. acquired
Extra MCQs: Competency-Based
1: Assertion (A): The word “personality” originates from the Latin term ‘persona’.
Reason (R): ‘Persona’ referred to the mask worn by Greek actors to conceal their true identity from the audience.
A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C. A is true, but R is false.
D. A is false, but R is true.
Answer: A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
67: A person’s eye color, natural temperament, and muscle composition are traits largely determined at birth. In contrast, their political beliefs, social manners, and educational level are developed through life experiences.
These two sets of traits can be broadly classified into which two categories of individual differences?
A. Physical and Mental
B. Social and Cultural
C. Inherited and Acquired
D. Emotional and Temperamental
Answer: C. Inherited and Acquired
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