Personality Theories - Essay Example

Reaction paper of the module 9 December Reaction Paper Walter Mischel expresses his disagreement on trait theories by challenging the cross-situational consistency of traits. I do not trust traits theory as I do not believe that there are any unconditional stable characteristics in any person. A person can be very out-going when facing one’s friends while being shy and quiet with strangers. Similarly, how a person reacts to a certain situation at the age of 25 differs considerably from his reaction to the same situation when he is 55 years old.

Another factor that negates the trait theories is individual differences. Mischel (1985, p. 517) points out that “individuals organize and pattern their behaviors in terms of their subjectively perceived equivalences and their personal meanings, not those of the psychologists who categorizes them.” I also agree with Mischel’s idea that everyone is unique and can barely be categorized into groups or labeled. Similarly, each individual is beyond predictions as each one has his own unique perceptions and reactions on given situations.

It is also true that situations never remain stable and allow little scope for predictions. However, in his marshmallow experiment, one finds Mischel generalizing and predicting the academic success of children by measuring how long the kids can endure until they achieve the highest degree of satisfaction. I cannot agree with this conclusion because the development of these children will have larger differences in accordance with their unique experiences and controlling environments. For instance, a quiet pre-school kid can be very outgoing later.

The first reaction I had after I saw the video was what if someone who ate the marshmallow became a Buddhist? The life he wants and the success he desires would no longer be about pursuing material gain or pleasures. Sensory pleasure is not what such an individual looks for as it is not lasting and only eventually brings sense of loss. He would choose to attain a peaceful mind instead of physical wealth. It is an extreme and strange example but it could happen. One should always bear in mind that life is dynamic and people can easily change even through a dream or a book.

Mischel asserts that people know themselves the most, not anyone else. He postulates: “If you want to know about people, ask them about themselves” (Allen, 2003, p. 278). This shows that people can predict themselves better than others, no matter how hard the situations. However, I disagree with this postulation as I strongly feel that there may be others who are better equipped to know me. For instance, in many cases, I do not know myself better than my mother. This echoes the Chinese who hold that “the outsiders see more clearly.

” People often get confused when they are actually involved in something. For example, a person who claims to be punctual may fall short of his own description. Similarly, people make plans all the time but those plans tumble down as they cannot see themselves clear enough. It is also worthwhile to analyze the question: does personality exist and what is its relationship with behaviors? Some people regard personality equal to behaviors as the latter is visible to others. Behaviors tell others who we are but get changed over time.

Does this mean that our personality also undergoes changes over time? I do not know the answer. But I know that one’s personality can never be separated from one’s environment. For example, a person who thinks himself as shy might not go to parties even when he is invited. His friends who invite him several times will also see him as a shy person who is uncomfortable with strangers. This reinforces his introvert nature in social gatherings even when he naturally wants to meet his friends.

References Allen, B.P. (2003). Personality Theories: Development, Growth and Diversity (5th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon. Mischel, W. (1985). Looking for personality. In. Sigmund Koch & David E. Leary (Eds.) A century of psychology as science (pp. 515-526). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.