Personality

Hi All,

In this article we shall be discussing about what is Personality,the classification of personality and what is it that you need to consider before you choose your career.

Personality is "Totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics. Personality embraces a person's moods, attitudes, opinions, motivations, and style of thinking, perceiving, speaking, and acting. It is part of what makes each individual distinct/unique”.Personality is determined by three sets of factors. These are bio-logical factors, psychosocial factors, and socio cultural factors.There is some evidence to show that heredity plays an important role in temperament.Each person has their own personality. If everyone had the same personality type, the world would indeed be a boring place to live. There are many factors that define a person’s personality type.

As we know that each one of us have personality that is distinct and different from the others in some way or the other.The difference in personality also leads to difference in "Perception".This is the reason why each one of us perceive a given situation from a different point of view.What might be right for Mr.X, might be wrong for Mr.Y because they hold different personalities.

Personality can be classified into two extremes:

Extrovert:Extroverted people are in the more outgoing group of people. They are the “social butterflies”.An extrovert loves to be around other people. In fact, they often thrive on it. Slower jobs that take a long time to complete frustrate these types of people. They do not possess the patience to complete these tasks efficiently. They like a variety in their work with lots of change and lots of action. Extroverts are also very good communicators especially verbally.

Introvert:Introverts are the exact opposites of extroverts in many ways. They are the shyer, quieter people of the world. They often have trouble remembering names and/or faces of people they have met. They prefer to work alone lost in their own thought rather than working with other people on a project. Introverts are often seen as the “loners” of society. Introverts enjoy working on jobs that require a lot of thinking and that take long periods of time to complete. They are very detail oriented and think everything through thoroughly rather than making quick judgments about something. An introvert does not mind working on a single project for a long period of time and prefers to do so without any interruptions. Introverted people are better communicators through writing and other non-verbal techniques.

No matter which of these categories a person falls under, it is not a set stereotype. Many people carry attributes from both categories with varying degrees. A person labeled as one or the other does not need to hold true to the stereotype. Everyone is different.

Identify your personality type and then look for a career that suits your personality.If you take on a career that does not suit your personality type and provide some sense of personal fulfillment, you will constantly struggle to stay motivated and enthusiastic about your job. In other words, you may perform your job in a satisfactory manner but you probably hate it and have to force yourself to meet your job performance requirements.If you take on a career that fits with your personality type, you will have far fewer troubles staying motivated, fulfilling your responsibilities and feeling satisfied with your job. Even during difficult times and the inevitable challenges of life, if your career fits well with your personality you will do well.

Personality preferences to consider:

Everyone has certain personality preferences and attributes that affect their likes, dislikes, and motivation.So what personality preferences should you consider? Here are a few examples:

Structure - Do you like working in a structured, rules-oriented environment? Or would you prefer to be in a more flexible, variable environment?

Rules - Do you follow the rules no matter what? Do you follow the rules for a while until you get bored with them and then start to ignore them? Or do you detest(deny) any kind of rules and prefer to make up your own as you go along?

Creativity - Do you like the freedom to be creative and come up with new, innovative ideas? Or would you rather leave that "dreaming" up to someone else?

Regimen - Do you get a sense of safety and satisfaction from following a particular routine each day? Or does doing the same thing more than one day in a row bore you out of your mind?

Freedom - Do you have the motivation and self-discipline to handle the freedom to set your own schedule, develop your own performance goals or work from home? Or do you need someone else to set the boundaries for you and perhaps even guide you along the way?

Formality - Do you like being in formal situations with specific etiquette and behavioral expectations? Or do you prefer a more casual environment where you can be more relaxed and let your personality emerge?

The Importance of Self Knowledge-Assessing your personality type is all about self knowledge. Nobody else can do this for you; it takes honest and sometimes brutal examination of your inner self to truly uncover your personality type and preferences. Once you do this, though, you will be well on your way to matching your personality with a career that is rewarding and successful.

Skills and motivation are simply not enough because eventually your personality preferences will take hold and cause you grief. It is far better to balance personality, skills and motivation right from the start to make a good career choice that will lead to success for you.

The above is just a simpler classification of "Personality" and how one can identify his/her personality to find a suitable career.Personality can actually be classified into 16 types which we would be discussing in the next article.Till then, try to introspect (look within yourself) and identify your personality type to look for a career that suits you.

Regards,
Kavita