Personal Development and Adolescence Quiz

Study Notes

A lifelong process of self-improvement and growth
Includes acquiring new knowledge, skills, and experiences
Enhances potential, performance, and overall well-being
Belief that we are worth the effort, time, and energy needed to develop ourselves (Dennis Waitley, 2001)

Knowing oneself is important for personal development
Transition from childhood to adolescence is a defining journey
Adolescence is a critical period marked by continued development of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional abilities
Adolescents grapple with self-doubt and strive to define their identity (Erikson, 1982)
Socrates believed self-knowledge should be the foundation of all knowledge and that true wisdom begins with confronting our own ignorance
Plato, a student of Socrates, believed self-knowledge unlocks the essence of all knowledge
Self-concept in psychology is a collection of characteristics used to describe oneself

Self-ideal: a collection of images, emotions, and thoughts representing the person we aspire to be, embodying our idealized version
Self-image: the mental pictures we hold of ourselves as we engage in various activities or performances; serves as an inner reflection that influences and guides our external behavior and performance
Self-esteem: our emotional evaluation and perception of ourselves, representing how we feel about ourselves

Originated from the Latin word persona, which referred to theatrical masks used by Roman actors in ancient Greek dramas to portray a fabricated appearance.
There is no single, universally accepted definition of personality among theorists
A pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person's behavior (Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2013)

Traits: Contribute to individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and stability of behavior across situations. Traits may be unique, common to some group, or shared by the entire species, but their pattern is different for each individual.
Characteristics: Unique qualities of an individual that include attributes such as temperament, physique, and intelligence.
Psychologists who focus on the study of personality use the term to refer to "psychological qualities that contribute to an individual's enduring and distinctive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving." (Cervone and Pervin, 2024)
Enduring: Qualities are at least somewhat consistent across time and situation of one's life
Distinctive: Personality features differentiate persons from one another.
Larsen and Buss (2005) define personality as a set of psychological traits and mechanisms within individuals that are organized and relatively enduring, influencing their interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments.

Psychological traits: Characteristics that describe ways in which people are similar or different from each other.
Psychological mechanisms: The processes of personality; fundamental processes that help explain human behavior and personality.

Personality is not solely determined by a singular cause, but by the interplay of both genetic or hereditary (nature) and environmental factors (nurture).
Personality is also influential in one’s interactions with the environment.
Our ancestors had to develop strong personalities as part of the “survival of the fittest” paradigm.
Prenatal conditions and hormonal factors also impact the shaping of our personality in the future.
Social environment (friends, family, classmates, and even strangers) also impacts personality
Personality has adaptive functions (Larsen and Buss, 2005) and includes an inner or mental environment within the mind (memories, dreams, desires, and fantasies) (Larssena nd Buss, 2005).
Finally, personality is also impacted by the environment (one's physical and social environment)