PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Managing Personal and Organisational Change



Managing Personal and Organisational Change

Personal Development In Relation To The Theories Of Change

Introduction

The individual's interactions with the environment and with other people shape their personality and behavior. As with other personality theories, the learning personality theories provide insight on personality development and behavior. Though the learning personality theories focus on the effects of the environment and individual experiences, concentration on environment varies among the theorists. While Skinner focused solely on environmental shaping of behavior, Bandura recognized the mutual influence of personal characteristics and the environment.

Environmental forces and what the individual learns from experiences affect interpersonal relationships. From childhood, the individual is learning about relationships and social expectancies while experiencing them. Throughout life, the individual's knowledge and perceptions of social interaction and relationships evolve.

Learning Theories OF Development and Individual Characteristics

Learning personality theories suggest that personalities grow and develop due to individual differences. A couple of these differences include environmental and situational factors.

These theories are easily testable through observational behavior of the individual within in his or her own environment. “The experiences of life change us, and they do so in ways that are lawful and predictable” (Carver & Scheier, 2000, p 310). Learning personality theorists looked at the internal perspective to personality as invalid because it could not be fully verified (Carver & Scheier, 2000). However, learning personality could be verified through observational data of the person in his or her own element.

Learning personality theories' primary perspective in relation to the individual is developed from both of the factors mentioned earlier. Learning theories are highly based on the interactions of the person within his or her own environment (Carver & Scheier, 2000). For example, when the person is younger and learning to interact with the environment, he or she will learn by touching everything to get an understanding of what objects feel like, such as when a child touches a hot burner. The child realized the burner hurts when touched and thus is less likely to burn him or herself again. B.F. Skinner explained how these consequences to actions shape future behavior in his concept of operant conditioning (Feist & Feist, 2006).

Learning Personality Theories and Interpersonal Relationships

Human beings are social creatures, constantly interacting with one another within familial, cultural, and societal settings. As per B.F. Skinner, an individual's interaction with others is based on the individual's personal history of reinforcement, natural selection, and the evolution of cultural customs (Feist & Feist, 2006). As an example referencing personal history, if while growing up in the family setting the individual receives positive reinforcement in fostering peaceful relations with other children, the individual will most likely develop an approachable, friendly disposition as a teen and adult.

Based on natural selection, it may be easier for the individual to make friends based on physical attractiveness, athletic ability, and physical strength. Applying evolution of cultural customs, the individual's acceptance or non-acceptance of cultural, religious, and other societal elements through positive or negative reinforcements will determine who the individual chooses to ...