Personality case study essay

Personality can be defined as the attribute ways of thinking, feeling and acting which will make a person an individual (Fletcher & Garton, 2007). There are a variety of different individuality theories that aim to make clear an individual’s character, such as the Learning theory researched by W. F Skinner and the Trait theory analyzed by Expense and McCrae. By reviewing these character theories with regards to a particular case study, it is possible to comprehend how a person’s personality is definitely influenced and exactly how it grows.

Among the a character case study is that of Kate, a 20 year aged university student. The girl with described as kind, caring and constant and favors watching videos and reading rather than going to a get together. Kate functions hard learning psychology at university and volunteers to assist children with autism. Kate has a good relationship with her family and isn’t likely to contribute to home expenses. By examining the case study of Kate throughout the Learning and Trait individuality theories, it will be easy to have a greater understanding of Kate’s personality features.

The Learning theory of character is one theory which can be used to examine could be personality. Probably the most influential theorists in this area was B. Farrenheit Skinner who have believed actions people think reflects personality is simply behaviour that has been learned from earlier experiences with all the world (Fletcher & Garton, 2007). The theorists in the learning theory basically assume that if a person’s behaviour is positively paid, they are more likely to repeat the action. Nevertheless , if their behaviour was penalized, it is not as likely to happen once again.

This theory has been rebuked for being too simplistic by simply not taking into account a person’s genes and factors other than a person’s environment (such as thought processes, beliefs and motivation) that can impact their individuality. Another disagreement is that individuality consist of more than just behaviour. Nevertheless , the learning theory is still a very influential character theory and Skinner’s results are still widely used as the foundation for conduct modification approaches. In relation to the case study of Kate, Skinner would believe Kate’s persona and behavior is a result of the two reward and punishment since a child.

For example , the girl works hard in her studies to attain high benefits. It is possible that after she was younger, Kate’s parents paid her to get achieving very well at university or punished her for receiving a negative result. Skinner would argue that Kate shows a solid work ethics because she was rewarded for comparable behaviour previously in her life. One other theory of personality that is commonly used is definitely the Trait theory, studied simply by Costa and McCrae. This theory advises there a five main dimensions of personality. These are: extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

An individual’s personality is actually a combination of everywhere ratings in each of these measurements. This theory claims that these personality traits are stable and long lasting. Some criticisms are that theory just isn’t specific enough as to simply how much of an individual’s personality is a result of genetics or environment. Likewise, this theory does consider unconscious thoughts and techniques that may influence a person’s conduct. The Feature theory is definitely however a widely approved personality theory which has been the foundation for many studies and analysis. Costa and McCrae’s characteristic theory could be applied to the case study of Kate.

She is described as staying kind, patient and loyal. Kate also favors watching movies and studying rather than going. In terms of the Trait theory, Kate can be described as becoming introverted, conscientious, hard-working and well organised. The Attribute Theory and the Learning theory are two very different understandings of persona, both with their own advantages and restrictions, but both are relevant and useful when trying to understand an individual’s individuality. Each theory is applicable to the case study of Kate in attempting to look at her personality type.

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