Personality

Understanding Personality

• Personality encompasses a range of characteristics including thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and individual differences that shape how a person interacts with the world.
• Inherent characteristics are traits that are biologically based and stable over time, such as temperament and certain cognitive abilities.
• Acquired characteristics relate to personality features shaped by experiences, environment, culture, and learning over time.

Factors Influencing Personality Development

• Brain development is influenced by genetic factors, early experiences, social interactions, and environmental stimuli, contributing to unique personalities.
• Inherent characteristics serve as a foundation for personality expression, while acquired characteristics reflect adaptability and personal growth through experiences.

Leadership and Personality Traits

• The Trait Approach to leadership posits that certain physical, social, and personal traits are inherent in leaders, suggesting predispositions for leadership roles.
• A physical trait often associated with leaders includes confidence in posture and presence, which can influence perceptions of authority.

The Big Five Personality Traits

• The 'Big Five' personality traits encompass openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; one trait not included is empathy.
• Conscientiousness is the trait referring to responsibility, dependability, and carefulness in performance.

Job Satisfaction and Workplace Dynamics

• Job satisfaction significantly impacts absenteeism; higher satisfaction typically leads to lower absenteeism and turnover rates.
• Positive relationships exist between attitude and performance; a favorable attitude often correlates with enhanced job performance and productivity.

Leadership Theories

• The Behavioural Approach to leadership aims to identify effective behaviors exhibited by leaders that impact group dynamics and performance.
• The 'Big Five' personality traits primarily focus on broad patterns of behavior that can predict how individuals may respond in varying situations.

Job Involvement and Commitment

• Job involvement refers to the extent to which an individual identifies with their job, affecting dedication and overall job satisfaction levels.

Perception and Locus of Control

• Perception involves the process by which individuals interpret sensory information and make sense of their experiences.
• 'Locus of Control' refers to the degree to which individuals believe they can control events that affect them; it influences job satisfaction and feelings of alienation in the workplace.