Discussion Post: Your Perspective on Personality
Are we, and our personalities, destined to be prisoners of our past? Personality developed from the Latin word 'persona' meaning mask. Are we simply wearing a mask of personalities? Does this mean our personalities are fixed? Why or why not? Are there determinants that lead to development, evolution, and change in our personalities? If so, what?
Read your chapter, then respond with reflective, personal thought and support from learned information.
Task
Why are people the way they are? Think about the number of times you have asked that question or some variation of it. You might be asking out of frustration or from admiration of a specific someone. It might be in reference to yourself. Wondering what shapes the way individuals feel, think, and behave is certainly a common question. It may be a question that links all human beings, perhaps from the time the first cave dweller confounded another!
There are answers to that question-in fact, more than one. As you may have noticed while reading the Learning Resources this week, there are multiple explanations for the development of personality, defined as psychological qualities that contribute to an individual's enduring and distinctive patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving. As you read, your own experiences with both the vast differences and the similarities among individuals may have made some explanations seem more plausible than others.
For this Discussion, you will review the factors that influence personality discussed Learning Resources. You will consider the rationale for each factor and provide your views on which individual factor-or combination of factors-has the biggest impact on personality.
To prepare:
o Review information in the Learning Resources related to each of the following factors that influence personality:
o Genetic determinants
o Environmental determinants
o Culture
o Social class
o Family
o Peers
o Reflect on your experiences that can help in evaluating the impact of these factors on personality.
o Consider arguments in the Learning Resources for each factor.
o Consider the factor(s) you view as having the most influence and the least influence on personality development.
Post a response that includes the following:
a. Explain the single factor or combination of factors that you view as having the most influence on personality. Cite arguments from the Learning Resources in support of your chosen factor(s).
b. Identify a factor that you view as having the least impact on personality development and explain your reasoning.
Respond to at least one of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
a. Ask a probing question and provide insight into how you would answer your question and why.
b. Ask a probing question and provide the foundation, or rationale, for the question.
c. Expand on your colleague's posting by offering a new perspective or insight.
d. Agree with a colleague and offer additional (new) supporting information for consideration.
e. Disagree with a colleague by respectfully discussing and supporting a different perspective.
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.