The Development of Personality - Essay Example

Critical Thinking Layout and form In this research, the focus is on the development of personality from childhoodto puberty in relations to the adaptation to changes and personality extremisms, which is a deviation from the five principles of personality (Van den Akker et al 1038). The study involved children from a young age into adolescence, parents and teachers in which the reports suggested that children tended to internalize or externalize their problems, which explained why some of them developed personality extremity. When applied, the big five approaches were reported by parents in children of eight years at least four times implying that this approach is applicable to children as much as it is applicable to adults. The big five approaches help in explaining the ways in which personality develops in a person’s lifetime using this single framework. Other than that, the study also illustrates that the big five frameworks can be a useful tool in predicting how children will end up being and also the ways in which children can adjust as per the problems that they may face. Identification and summary of independent variables Essentially, the big five approach consists of five components that are mainly agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and openness that help in explaining the human personality (1039). Ideally, this five factor model helps in the accounting of the different personality traits without leaving out any of them and it can be visible in children of all ages and that are from different cultures. As per this study, children that may have low agreeableness and conscientiousness levels tend to register high likelihood to externalizing the problems that they may face while those that have unstable emotions and keep issues to themselves are prone to the risk of making their problems to be internal aspects. The five factor model began as a way of explaining personality, but this later changed to include the analyzing of personality problems in adults and also to include children that exhibited similar signs. Psychologists believe that the use of the Big five approach can essential in diagnosing personality disorders in both children and adults. Summary of background literature review In order for the study to be valid, the researchers use several articles and texts that complement their research. Essentially, the research features articles from the American Psychiatric association which highlights on the diagnosis of mental disorders and another one by De Clerq et al which explains problematic personality in adults and helps in understanding this problem. Other texts that give insights into the Big five approach is by Krueger et al Widiger both done in 2011. Summary of methodology The study was part of a larger research named the Flemish Study on Development, personality, and parenting in which the data used was from waves three to seven ranging from the year 2001to 2009 (1041). The age of the children involved in the study was between the ages of 6-9 years in which either of their parents reported the existence of personality present in one of the four measurement stages that sampled 598 children. The number of participants within the four study times differed as the first time witnessed 576 mothers, 510 teachers, and 539 fathers while in the second round 477 fathers, 507 mothers without having teachers. In the third time, the number of mothers that participated in the study was 469 and that of fathers was 435 while in the fourth time the number of teachers that participated were 271, fathers were 399, and mothers that participated in this round were 432 (1040). As for the children that participated in all the times gave different results as compared to those that attended the study by missing a few sessions in which the former registered low externalizing problems while the latter registered the opposite that was lower on internalizing problems. The reported study results for each time were by fathers and teachers and not by mothers while the educational levels of the parents that participated were also different in order for the study to capture the best results. Summary of results and discussion Most of the results were tabulated in two tables in which the findings were that personality traits were directly correlative to the internalization and externalization of problems as witnessed in the research participants. According to the study, the participants reported to have had internalization challenges in their childhood that influenced lower levels of father and mother emotional stability, conscientiousness, extraversion, and imagination as reported. The desire to do good had association to low levels of mother-reported and father-reported but not on teacher-reported forms of problem internalization and vice versa. In terms of vector length, most of them showed signs of considerable stability in ranks that spread over time, which was relatively after eight years that was the time that the study took. This study also unearthed that hose that belonged to the class of extremes had a high likelihood for having internalization and externalization problems as reported by their parents (1043). Critique As presented in the limitations segment of the study, the fact that the study only targeted the young children which could not give their own self reports meaning that it was more of an observation making it to somehow be inconclusive. Therefore, self reports can be essential in making a research valid as they can give insights on the real personality problems that a study participant could be experiencing (1047). Further, the sampling was communal, which may give general results and they also tend to be different making the adjustment to problems not to be the same, which makes the study to lack evidence for prospective predictions. Personal reaction and evaluation In my view, research has been able to establish a link between personality extremity and adjustment problems using the Big Five approach making the study to be relevant to the subject. The taking into account of the personality extremism helps in diagnosing and treating such an individual as much as this may involve a prolonged study time. Personally, the study is relevant in helping people understand that people have different personality traits that result from the environments they live and this grows onto their later stages of life. Works cited Van den Akker, L Alithe, Prinzie, Peter, De Haan, D Amarata, , Widiger, Thomas, and Asscher, J Jessica. “The Development of Personality Extremity From Childhoo t Adolesence: Relations to Internalizing and Externalizing Problems.” Journal of Personality and Social Phschology 105.6 (2013): 1038-1048. Print. Read More