Who are you?
“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are or, as we are conditioned to see it.” — Stephen Covey
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Have you ever found yourself becoming irritated because your day was not going as planned or impatient with a friend who always seems to show up late? What about that relative who talks so loudly all the time.
Have you ever thought about why you get along with some people and not so perfectly with others? Each of these scenarios show how we are all different from one another. I don’t thrive well in chaos and clutter.
In my perfect environment, there is order and structure. So while I may find some traits in others annoying, I am sure there are some who will find my need to have everything where it belongs a bit frustrating. You know why? We all have different preferences that makes up our personality type.
What makes one person happy might not necessarily be the same thing that makes another happy. Some of us are reserved and some of us give in quite easily to emotional situations. Some of us are sociable while some of us would rather stay at home.
There are some who like talking and there are those who are quiet. All these are reflections of our personality. Our personality is made up of a combination of characteristics or qualities that make us who we are.
These characteristics control our emotions, thoughts, feelings, actions, attitude and behaviour and personality theorists refer to them as personality traits.
Over the last few weeks, the subject of personality has come up a few times in conversations I’ve had with close associations. That is why this week, I have decided to explore the psychology behind personality types. Moreover, I think it is an important topic because it affects every aspect of life.
What is personality anyway? We often make statements such as “I like his personality”. What do we mean when we make such statements?
First of all, let’s start by defining what personality is and what it is not.
Personality is definitely not the way we talk or how we dress. Personality can be defined as the sum total of a person's qualities and traits that makes them a unique individual. It is the behaviour that we display under different circumstances.
Personality is formed by a combination of genes and experience, it defines us and make us the way we are. We carry our personality into every situation and relationship.
Why is this important? We all benefit from knowing our personality type. By understanding your personality type, you can learn to appreciate your strengths and recognise your weaknesses, as well as those of the people around you.
Besides, it is a well-established fact that those who operate out of their ‘strengths’ are usually the most successful ones. Whether it is to do with career choice, financial decisions, learning style, lifestyle modification, relationships or how you deal with problems.
What works for someone else might not for you, and if you try to conform to a system that’s not in tune with your personality, you are going to have a harder time staying on course.
We all need to learn how to control our emotions, feelings and habits, and how to deal with life itself and with other people. When you recognise patterns in yourself, then you can take control of yourself by choosing to react differently, more positively, I hope.
Do you know yourself? Who are you? Whether we are aware of it or not, we all belong to one or more personality types.
In the coming weeks, I will attempt to cover the various components of personality types how they, show up in your life and how you can use this information to improve personally and professionally.
I hope you will come along with me over the next week or two as we explore this fascinating topic.
The more knowledge you have on this topic, the better you will be able to understand yourself, your motivations and behaviour and that of others.
The writer is the author of The Seduction of Food
Email: [email protected]
