Personality

[jaggedpixie]

What is it? What do you think it is? I'm writing a paper, and I have been dwelling on this question for a while now. I've read and studied the ideas of Freud, Adler, Jung, Maslow, Carl Rogers, R.D. Laing, Skinner, Watson, Wilson, Eric Fromm, Victor Frankl. Not all actually have a theory of personality, some just have a philosophy on human nature or

Comments

[hot_pants]

It's been a while since I've read Fromm, even though he's probably one of the only Western, First World Critical Theorists I trust/like (Arendt's more my speed), but it's awesome to see you dig him. I'm also not really a psychology person, so you'll probably see a lot of that reflected in my answers.

1. Personality is a performance (though, when I say performance, I don't mean to undermine personality, a performance is not innately bad or false, but rather simply the way one acts) composed of interweavings of desireable and non-desireable traits as decided upon by individual human and various levels of society. To add in, I believe the social effects on personality are deeply informed by the material mode of production about them, in following my political beliefs.

2. I personally believe we strive for Good. What we determine as Good is dictated on a variety of levels, but I guess, if I were to remove my religious base of perception, that Good stands in for self-actualization combined with meaning.

3. To me? Someone who is able to analyze what Good represents to them, and work their notion of Good into the world around them, with attention to both their own basic, healthy needs, and the needs of others.

4. An unhealthy personality is one that cannot reconcile their Good with the external world, alcoholism, drug addiction, violence, etc. are all manifestations of an unhealthy personality, further, an unbalance towards either the needs of others or the needs of oneself is a big indicator of a lack of health.

5. Er...I don't have a metaphor. I guess, um, the puzzle piece personality? Who knows...

[hot_pants]

Interesting answers... thank you very much for your input. Ahh, and I see a little Marxism in there as well as a bit of self-evaluation. It's funny how our personal experiences and strengths and vices tend to influence our theories and projections. Jung, Freud, Adler and many thinkers are guilty of it in some way or another, and I'm pretty sure my paper will do the same.

Thanks a lot... I really like these questions. I think our personal answers to them will be changing always...