Psychology

Personality
Unit-5
The word personality itself stems from the Latin word which refers to a theatrical mask
worn by performers in order to either project different roles or disguise these identities.
It is the totality of one's behaviour towards oneself and others as well. It includes
everything about the person, physical, emotional, social, mental and spiritual makeup. It
is all that a person has about him.

Definition of Personality According to American Psychological Association

Personality refers to individual differences in characteristics, patterns of thinking, feeling
& behaviour.
Personality usually refers to the distinctive patterns of behaviour (including thoughts, &
emotions) that characteristics each individual, adaptations to the situations of his life. -
Walter Mischell (1961)
Personality is a dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical
systems that determine his adjustment to his environment. - Au Patt

Characteristics of Personality
 Personality is something that is unique in each individual.
 Personality refers particularly to the persistent qualities of an individual.
 Personality represents a dynamic orientation of an organism to the environment.
 Social interactions greatly influence personality an organism to the environment.
 Personality represents a unique organization of persistent dynamic and social
predisposition.
 Consistency.
 Psychological and Physiological.
 It impacts behaviour and action.
 Multiple expressions.
Classification
Hippocrate Classification
a) Phlegmatic: Temperamental characteristics - cold, calm, slow & indifferent
b) Melancholic: Sad, depressed, pessimistic, self-involved
c) Choleric: Imitable, passionate, strong, active, imaginative
d) Sanguine: Optimistic, happy, hopeful, accommodating, lighthearted.

Kretschmer Classification
a) Pyknic: They are sociable, jolly, easy going & good nature.
b) Athletic: energetic, optimistic & adjustable.
c) Asthenic: Unsociable, reserved, shy sensitive & pessimistic.

Sheldon's Classification
a) Endomorphic: Person having highly developed viscera but weak somatic structure
(fat, soft and Round). They can be easy going, affectionate, sociable, fond of eating.
b) Mesomorphic: Balanced development of viscera and somatic structure, muscular,
Strong (as athletic type). They can be self-assertive, assertive, energetic and bold
tempered.
c) Ectomorphic: Weak somatic structure as well as undeveloped visceral thin, fragile
Pessimistic, unsociable, reserved and introvert.

Jung's Classification
a) Extroverted: They are interested in the world around them. They are involved in
social participation, they are sociable, not easily upset by difficulties. They are
successful in adjusting to the realities of their environment, socially active & more
interested in leaving a good impression on others.
b) Introvert: They are interested in themselves, their own feelings, emotions and
unable to adjust easily to social situations. Socially they are aloof and withdrawn.
They prefer to work alone and avoid social contact, they are inclined to worry and
get easily embarrassed.

Golden Allport's Classification

a) Ascendant: The ascendant type tends to dominate a situation. They are easy,
outgoing and is interest in the world around him.
b) Descending: The person is inclined to be self-critical, self-analytical and indecisive.
He is day dreaming and withdraws from social or competitive situations.

Han's Classification
a) Type A: Competitive drive, restlessness, hostility, sense of urgency impatience, e,
live under constant pressure. Seek recognition and advancement, multiple activities
with deadliness to meet and cope up more constructively.
b) Type B: They are calm muse philosophical, easy going, non-competitive, little dull,
longer life, struggles to control situation but when they fail to do so, they stop coping.
Measurement of Personality
Measurement of Personality refers to methods or techniques designed to assess or
measure the characteristic pattern or traits that person exhibit during various life
situation. Personality can be measured through a variety of test. As personality is a
complex idea, the scales of personality test varies and often are poorly defined for
measuring personality, following 4 types of methods are used

Subjective Personality
1. Case Study: In this method, of Personality measurement, detailed measurement
about the person of whom the personality study is conducted, are collected from
infancy up to adult. The information is collected from parents, friends, relatives
teachers, or in orderly way. Personal diaries, letters and other does are also used for
this purpose. After collecting information, these are analyzed and conclusions are
drawn. In the medical field, this method is used to study to identify causes of
diseases mainly.
2. Observation: In this method, of measuring one's personality, his behaviour is
observed over a long period. Usually, this method is used collect primary data.
3. Interview: In this method, both the interview & interviewee sit face to face. Interview
ask questions & interviewee replies. Thus, interviewer collects the information. The
interviewee can be observed by body language in addition to what is said. Interview
may be structured or un structured (structured). In structured interview the
interviewers asks predetermined questions & answers given by the interviewee are
highly specific.
4. Questionnaire: It is the formal and written form of interview. In this method, of
personality measurement the subject is instructed to give answers of the questions
in written form. The questions are related to various aspects of individuals
personality such as intelligence, emotions, thinking, behavior, values, ideas, etc.
Questionnaire is a list of printed questions, open ended & close ended.
5. Autobiography: In this method of personality measurement, the person of whom
the personality study is being conducted is asked to write his own autobiography &
certain personality characteristics. Personality of the individual is measured on the
basis of description given by him.
Objective Method
1. Rating Scale: This method is used to rate the various personality traits, emotions,
attitude of an individual. Experts or significant individual are asked to estimate the
degree to which the subject possesses a particular personality trait.
2. Controlled Observation: In this method, observations of certain aspects of one's
personality is done under controlled conditions.
3. Personality Inventory: Personality Inventories are test which are specifically
designed to study one or more well defined characteristics of an individual's
personality. These are generally based on trait approach to the personality
investigation. In these tests, an attempt is made to measure the presence & strength
of these traits. Personality inventories deals with not only one's overt behaviour, but
with his internal personality also.
Some popular personality inventories are,
- Minesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Woodworth Personal Datasheet
- Edward's Personal Preference Schedule
- Bell's Adjustment Inventory
- 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire
- Temperament Survey

Projective Method
Projective techniques are a group of psychological techniques and procedures that
claim to disclose the basic personality structure & motivations of a subject by having
him organize, respond to D, or deal with materials or stimuli in a free, unlimited way
without reference to a preconceived system of correct & incorrect answer.
1. Rooschech Inkbolt: This projective test was first developed by Herman Rorschach
Inkblot test. This test has 10 standardized ink bolts each printed on a separate white
card. About 18-24cm in size, 5 inkblots are of black ink, 2 of Black & Red ink & 3 are
multicolored on a white background. These inkblots are shown to the subject in a
prescribed order, one at a time. According to his personality structure, every subject
perceived various things in these inkblots such as men, animal or any other object.
2. Thematic Apperception: This test is abbreviated as TAT. This test was developed
by CD Morgan and Henry A. Murray in 1935. In this test the subject is asked to look
at ambiguous pictures and to describe it by telling the story in this test, 31 picture
cards serve as stimuli for stories. Cards include specific subject Subset for boys,
girls, women & men. This test is useful for comprehensive study of personality.
3. Children Apperception: This projective test is abbreviated as CAT. This was
developed by Leopold Bellak for measuring personality. This test is used in the
children from the age of 5-11 years. This test consists of 10 pictures which are
shown to the children one offer another. Responses from the children are
interpreted. On the basis of responses, children's habit, behaviour, family selections
& personality associated problems de identified.
4. Sentence Completion Test: In this test, a series of incomplete sentences are
presented before subjects & are asked to complete the sentences in one or more
word. Response from the subject ore analyzed & interpreted & conclusions
regarding.
Personality Disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder
The individuals with paranoid personality suspect that other people will harm them or kill
them. They may be suspicions of their family members (such as wife or brother),
neighbor or co-workers. These individuals are tensed, rigid and insecure. They think
that some of their close persons are planning against them to harm them.
Nursing Management -
- Provide a secure environment to express their feelings.
- Provide an opportunity to develop a trusting relationship.
- If the person has Suspicious ideas that someone wants to kill him, then ask them to
go outside and confim if someone is hiding to kill him.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

The person may have social withdrawal, emotional coldness, detachment or flattened
affectivity, no reaction on face, lack of close friends, lack of desire to develop social
contacts, poor social spills
Nursing Management -
- Gradual involvement in Group Therapy.
- Encourage the patient to verbalize his feelings by which he can bring a change in his
behaviour.
- Encourage him to react to others happiness and sorrow.
- Help the patient in assessing his positive points, like how sincere worked he had
been in his office.

Schizotypy Personality Disorder

Odd and eccentric or peculiar behaviors. They have inability to make and maintain age
appropriate relationship and appear cold and aloof. They have presence of Magical
Thinking. They believe that they have some magical powers. They feel anxiety in social
situations.
Nursing Management -
- Assist the patient in m maintaining personal hygiene.
- Encourage their patient to verbalize his feelings.
- Listen to his delusional thoughts, and identify its relationship with withdrawn
behaviour.

Anti- Social Personality Disorder

They have very low tolerance to frustration. They are impulsive. They have persistent
attitude of irresponsibility for social norms. They lack of guilty feeling for destructive
action. They have low threshold for discharge of aggression.
Nursing Management -
- Encourage him for appropriate dressing and grooming.
- Assist him in maintaining adequate personal hygiene.
- Take necessary steps to protect the patient from injury to self and others.
- Provide non-stimulating environment.
- Do not argue with the patient.
Borderline Personality Disorder
They have unstable emotions and identity and they deliberate injure their body. They
have outburst of intensive anger. They have unstable relationship and behaviour.
Nursing Management -
- Individual & group cycle therapy.
- Take necessary steps to prevent injury to self and others.
- Provide safe and supportive environment
- Do not argue with the patient.

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

They pervasively desire perfection. They have preoccupation with order and rules. They
have feeling of excessive doubt and precautions. Their inefficiency caused by constant
worry, overdoing thing correctly. They have the feeling of anger for anyone who does
not agree with them.
Nursing Management -
- Behavioural therapy is useful encourage the patient to set limits, himself for
behaviors.
- Assist the patient in copying with obsessive compulsive.
- Assist the patient to decrease need for perfection.
- Do not punish the patient for his abnormal activities.

Role of Nurse in Identification of individual personality & improvement in Altered

Personality.
 Nurses need to help patients to express their thoughts & feelings and provide care
that helps the patient effectively cope with the change.
 Feeling of insecurity should be lessened by straight forward explanation of Hospital
conditions and procedure.
 Withdrawn patients should be given gentle encouragement to tale, express feelings
and relate to the nurse,
 Reasons for anxiety should be explored.
 Communication should be cleared.
 Patient's negative feelings must be replaced by feelings of hope, courage and
willingness to cooperate
 Healthy personal relationship such as confidence and cooperation with the parent
should be build up.
 Patient should be encouraged to participate in recreational activities, either
individually or in groups.
 Patient should be helped in verbalizing feelings and perceptions about their
problems.