VIEWS OF HUMAN PERSONALITY: DESCRIPTION AND COMPARISON
The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare genetic, learning-environmental, cultural, psychodynamic and humanistic views of personality. Regarding these models of personality, Wright (1999) states that while no research has shown that genes can perfectly describe all human behavior, the genetic model of personality does hold that there is a thread of genetic determinism in almost all behavior. Sometimes, the genetic contribution is weak while at other times it is strong. Thus, the model holds that certain personality traits are, to varying extent, genetically based.
Whereas genetic models of personality emphasize body and biological mechanisms, the psychodynamic model is almost the direct opposite in that it postulates that personality is a function of unconscious processes within the structure of the mind which is said to be composed of id, ego, and superego (Ryckman, 2003). According to Ryckman (2003) personality growth and development involves tension among the structures or components of the mind that create anxiety. Anxiety is, in turn, reduced through various defense mechanisms. This plus other mental components result in the production of a healthy or maladaptive personality.
Learning-environmental models of personality, according to Carver and Scheier (2000) drawn on the traditions of behaviorism and social psychology. The model holds that personality is molded and polished as a function of the fact that all behavior is learned through experiences and by interaction with the environment. The learning-environment perspective views a person as entering the world as a tabula rasa (blank slate), although it acknowledges that there are instincts and pre-set responses to stimuli, as well as a preference for pleasure and a desire to avoid pain. However, the learning perspective differs from perspectives that propose that a person is born with an innate nature...