7.2 Personality vs Behaviour
In this book, personality refers to the combination of characteristics, behaviours, thoughts, and emotional patterns that influence how an individual interacts with the world. Personality encompasses a broad range of factors such as gender, cultural background, psychological influences, and age. These traits shape how individuals handle stress, resolve conflicts, communicate, and form relationships. While certain personality traits are often rooted in one’s genetic makeup and remain relatively stable over time, they can also be shaped by life experiences, interpersonal connections, and personal development.
In contrast, behaviour refers to an individual’s outward actions and responses. These responses are a function (f) of both one’s personality traits (P) and situational factors (Sf). Erikson proposed that this relationship can be summarized by the formula (Erikson, 1968):
BEHAVIOUR = f (P × Sf)
This formula implies that knowing the situational context and personality of an individual can help us predict how they will behave. Depending on subconscious or conscious influences, individuals will choose behaviours that best suit, or seem to suit, their surroundings and internal states. You will learn more about specific examples (responses to stress and anger, for example) later in this chapter.
Understanding different personality types can help prevent major communication pitfalls and promote stronger, healthier relationships, which is essential for promoting social wellness. Recognizing and adapting to others’ diverse behaviours and communication styles can foster more effective collaboration and empathy in both personal and professional contexts.
Assessing Personality
People are not Excel spreadsheets; they are unique, dynamic, multifaceted, and intricate. No single system can fully capture or categorize the complexity of human personality. Attempting to create a model that accounts for every individual personality would be an overwhelming and perhaps impossible task.
Nonetheless, numerous frameworks and models are available to help us better understand and interpret personality traits.
Activity
Click on each card to view some of the most widely recognized models.
Text Description
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Categorizes individuals into 16 personality types based on preferences in four dimensions—Introversion vs. Extraversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving.
- Big Five Personality Traits: Focuses on five broad dimensions—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism—to describe human personality.
- Enneagram: Identifies nine core personality types, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and growth paths.
- StrengthsFinder: Highlights an individual’s top strengths and talents to help maximize personal and professional potential.
- 16 Personalities: A modern adaptation of MBTI that combines elements from multiple frameworks to provide a comprehensive personality profile.
- Holland Codes (RIASEC): Classifies people based on their career interests and environments—Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.
- Astrological Signs: Though not scientifically validated, many people look to their zodiac signs for insight into personality traits and compatibility.
- True Colours: A simplified system that categorizes individuals into four primary colour groups (often Blue, Gold, Green, and Orange). Each colour emphasizes different motivations, strengths, and communication styles, making it a user-friendly tool in personal development and team-building.
