Personality in Social Work PDF

PERSONALITY IN SOCIAL WORK SW 3  WHAT IS PERSONALITY? IT IS A SET OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND MECHANISMS WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL THAT ARE ORGANIZED AND RELATIVELY ENDURING. IT INFLUENCES HIS OR HER INTERACTIONS WITH AND ADAPTATION TO THE INTRAPSYCHIC, PHYSICAL...

PERSONALITY IN SOCIAL WORK SW 3  WHAT IS PERSONALITY? IT IS A SET OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND MECHANISMS WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL THAT ARE ORGANIZED AND RELATIVELY ENDURING. IT INFLUENCES HIS OR HER INTERACTIONS WITH AND ADAPTATION TO THE INTRAPSYCHIC, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. (LARSEN, R., AND BUSS D. 2010) IT ALSO PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN AFFECTING HOW PEOPLE SHAPE THEIR LIVES. IT INVOLVES PEOPLE’S COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT, HOW THEY COPE AND ADJUST THROUGH LIFE, AND HOW THEY RESPOND TO DEMANDS OF PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES.  WHY STUDY PERSONALITY IN SOCIAL WORK? UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS: KNOWLEDGE OF PERSONALITY THEORIES HELPS SOCIAL WORKERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR CLIENTS' BEHAVIORS, THOUGHTS, AND EMOTIONS. THIS UNDERSTANDING ALLOWS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORT. TAILORING INTERVENTIONS: DIFFERENT PERSONALITY TYPES MAY RESPOND BETTER TO CERTAIN APPROACHES. SOCIAL WORKERS CAN CUSTOMIZE THEIR INTERVENTIONS BY UNDERSTANDING PERSONALITY TO SUIT INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS. ASSESSING RISK AND RESILIENCE: PERSONALITY TRAITS CAN INDICATE POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS OR PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR VARIOUS ISSUES. THIS KNOWLEDGE AIDS IN PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES.  IMPROVING COMMUNICATION: UNDERSTANDING PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES HELPS SOCIAL WORKERS COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH CLIENTS, COLLEAGUES, AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS. ENHANCING SELF-AWARENESS: STUDYING PERSONALITY HELPS SOCIAL WORKERS RECOGNIZE THEIR TRAITS AND BIASES, LEADING TO MORE OBJECTIVE AND ETHICAL PRACTICE. INFORMING POLICY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: KNOWLEDGE OF PERSONALITY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CREATING MORE EFFECTIVE SOCIAL POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS DIVERSE NEEDS.  THEORIES OF PERSONALITY SANGUINE- THE SANGUINE TEMPERAMENT IS TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH AIR. PEOPLE WITH THIS TEMPERAMENT TEND TO BE LIVELY, FRIENDLY, CAREFREE, TALKATIVE, AND PLEASURE-SEEKING. THEY MAY BE WARM-HEARTED AND OPTIMISTIC. THEY CAN MAKE NEW FRIENDS EASILY BE IMAGINATIVE, AND ARTISTIC, AND OFTEN HAVE MANY IDEAS. THEY CAN BE CHANGEABLE; THUS SANGUINE PERSONALITIES MAY STRUGGLE WITH FOLLOWING TASKS ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND BE CHRONICALLY LATE OR FORGETFUL. PEDAGOGICALLY, THEY CAN BE BEST REACHED BY AWAKENING THEIR LOVE FOR A SUBJECT AND ADMIRATION OF PEOPLE.  CHOLERIC- THE CHOLERIC TEMPERAMENT IS TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH FIRE. PEOPLE WITH THIS TEMPERAMENT TEND TO BE EGOCENTRIC AND EXTROVERTED. THEY MAY BE EXCITABLE, IMPULSIVE, AND RESTLESS, WITH RESERVES OF AGGRESSION, ENERGY, AND PASSION, AND TRY TO INSTILL THAT IN OTHERS. THEY TEND TO BE TASK-ORIENTED PEOPLE AND ARE FOCUSED ON GETTING A JOB DONE EFFICIENTLY; THEIR MOTTO IS USUALLY “DO IT NOW”. THEY CAN BE AMBITIOUS, STRONG-WILLED, AND TAKE TO BE IN CHARGE. THEY CAN SHOW LEADERSHIP, ARE GOOD AT PLANNING, AND ARE OFTEN PRACTICAL AND SOLUTION-ORIENTED. THEY APPRECIATE RECEIVING RESPECT AND ESTEEM FOR THEIR WORK. PEDAGOGICALLY, THEY CAN BE BEST REACHED THROUGH MUTUAL RESPECT AND APPROPRIATE CHALLENGES THAT RECOGNIZE THEIR CAPACITIES.  MELANCHOLIC- THE MELANCHOLIC TEMPERAMENT IS TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ELEMENT OF EARTH. PEOPLE WITH THIS TEMPERAMENT MAY APPEAR SERIOUS, INTROVERTED, CAUTIOUS, OR EVEN SUSPICIOUS. THEY CAN BECOME PREOCCUPIED WITH THE TRAGEDY AND CRUELTY IN THE WORLD AND ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEPRESSION AND MOODINESS. THEY OFTEN PREFER TO DO THINGS THEMSELVES, BOTH TO MEET THEIR OWN STANDARDS AND BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT INHERENTLY SOCIABLE. PEDAGOGICALLY, THEY CAN BE OFTEN BEST BY AWAKENING THEIR SYMPATHY FOR OTHERS.  PHLEGMATIC- THE PHLEGMATIC TEMPERAMENT IS TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH WATER. PEOPLE WITH THIS TEMPERAMENT MAY BE INWARD OR PRIVATE, THOUGHTFUL, REASONABLE, CALM, PATIENT, CARING, AND TOLERANT. THEY TEND TO HAVE A RICH INNER LIFE, SEEK A QUIET, PEACEFUL ATMOSPHERE, AND BE CONTENT WITH THEMSELVES. THEY TEND TO BE STEADFAST, AND CONSISTENT IN THEIR HABITS AND THUS HAVE STEADY AND FAITHFUL FRIENDS. PEDAGOGICALLY, THEIR INTEREST IS OFTEN AWAKENED BY EXPERIENCING OTHER’S INTEREST IN A SUBJECT. PEOPLE OF THIS TEMPERAMENT ARE SLOW OR APPEAR HESITANT.  WILLIAM SHELDON (1898-1977) AN AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST AND PHYSICIAN KNOWN FOR DEVELOPING THE THEORY OF SOMATOTYPES, WHICH ATTEMPTED TO LINK BODY TYPES WITH PERSONALITY TRAITS. IT OVERSIMPLIFIED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSIQUE AND PERSONALITY AND LACKED EMPIRICAL SUPPORT. HIS IDEAS WERE INFLUENTIAL IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY AND CONTRIBUTED TO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE INTERACTION BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR. SHELDON CLASSIFIED PEOPLE INTO THREE PRIMARY BODY TYPES: 1. ENDOMORPH- CHARACTERIZED BY A ROUNDED AND SOFT BODY. SHELDON ASSOCIATED THIS BODY TYPE WITH A RELAXED, SOCIABLE, AND COMFORT-SEEKING PERSONALITY. 2. MESOMORPH- DEFINED BY A MUSCULAR AND WELL-BUILT PHYSIQUE. INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS BODY TYPE WERE DESCRIBED AS ASSERTIVE, ADVENTUROUS, AND ENERGETIC. 3. ECTOMORPH- MARKED BY A LEAN AND DELICATE BUILD. SHELDON LINKED THIS BODY TYPE WITH A MORE INTROVERTED, THOUGHTFUL, AND SENSITIVE PERSONALITY.  JOHARI WINDOW THE JOHARI WINDOW IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOL CREATED BY JOSEPH LUFT AND HARRINGTON INGHAM IN 1955. IT'S USED TO HELP PEOPLE BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. A FOUR-QUADRANT GRID REPRESENTS THE MODEL: 1. OPEN AREA: KNOWN TO SELF AND OTHERS 2. BLIND AREA: UNKNOWN TO SELF BUT KNOWN TO OTHERS 3. HIDDEN AREA: KNOWN TO SELF BUT UNKNOWN TO OTHERS 4. UNKNOWN AREA: UNKNOWN TO SELF AND OTHERS