Personality development is the growth of organized patterns of attitudes, behaviors and thought sequences which makes a person unique. This process occurs naturally by interaction of character, temperament and environment.
Personality of an individual makes him distinctive – different from others and this is recognized after birth. Specifically, personality is a sum total of temperament, character and environment. The temperament is a set of genetic coding that informs the behavior – actions and reactions; approach of people to the world as well as how they observe and learn from their environment. Interestingly, genes don’t necessarily indicate particular behaviors but some do influence growth of the nervous systems which ultimately controls human behaviors. If you are unsure, a simple temperament quiz can reveal your inclinations in this regards.
What is the role of the environment in Personality Development?
Another component of personality development is the patterns of adaptation related to the environment. Without doubt, environment and temperament best influence the development of personality the most. It is important to also mention that external influences can be classified under environment and parenting falls in this category.
The importance of parenting can never be overemphasized in the personality and personality development of a child up to adolescence. In fact, this informs the character of the adult at a later stage in life. Character is the set of emotional and behavioral patterns learned from personal and relatable experiences – which informs the thought patterns, feelings and behaviors. However, the character of an individual may evolve due to education, association or growth. Understanding the nexus between personality development and social adjustment is important particularly as it determines the level of tolerance – what is accepted and values required to be accepted in a society.
Social adjustment is the concerted efforts made by individuals to effectively match with the standards, demands, needs and values of the society in order to be accepted and remain accepted. Although, a psychological process, it simply entails a process of getting along with other members in a society; in the best way possible.
The concept of Social Adjustment
How best can individuals “socially adjust” in a society? Simply by “social skills”. Adjusting socially involve a series of psychological activities and patterns. Basically, social skills are determined by the level and quality of growth and development people possess. Social skills are particular sets of abilities such as verbal, cognitive and non-verbal behaviors that are much needed for performance and acceptance in a society. These skills relatively describe the level of social competency and functioning of an individual. In actual sense, the ability to get along with others (even in the face of divergent views and thoughts) remains interconnected with the personality development and social adjustment skills of people. In fact, an examination of societal growth and tolerance is always hinged on the level of personality development and social adjustment of its members.
