Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality

Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality

Introduction

This essay is based on the Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality. Personality is a pattern of reasonably permanent traits and idiosyncratic characteristics of individuals which are consistent over time and define the uniqueness of a person. Personality is a complex construct. Personality is not just the traits that describe a person, but also involves psychological mechanisms and processes that influence a person's interactions and adaptations to the environment (Deary, 1993). Personality includes an individual's motivations (e.g., needs, motives), cognitions (e.g., values, beliefs) and traits (e.g., Extraversion, shyness). Personality is often conceptualized into a hierarchical taxonomy in which lower-level, narrow traits (e.g., competent, orderly) are subsumed by broad, higher-level traits (e.g., conscientiousness).

Maslow's theory is an approach that seeks to improve the lives of people from a better understanding of their personality .The humanistic personality theory emphasizes the fact that humans are positively motivated and progress toward higher levels of functioning. This theory reveals that human existence is something more to fight for internal conflicts and existential crises. Any theory of personality that emphasizes the basic goodness of people and their struggle to achieve higher levels of knowing and operation falls within the group of humanistic theory of personality (Maslow, 1970).

Discussion and Analysis

Biological theories of personality trace the biological basis to explanations of human nature and personality. Eysenck in 1967 gave the inhibition theory. He proposed that the individual differences of extraversion and introversion are the determinants of heredity and relate to the central nervous system. Dispositional theories also define personality in terms of biological foundations. It is one of the most primitive and persistent approach to personality. Other theories that define biological perspective to human personality include theories given by Allport and Murray. Allport's theory defines personality in terms of traits which are dispositional. Alfred Adler appreciated a very different perspective of human nature in comparison with Freud .Adler wrote about the forces that contribute and stimulate positive growth and motivate personal improvement (Hayes, 2012).

The humanistic personality theory emphasizes the fact that humans are positively motivated and progress toward higher levels of functioning. Humanistic approach to personality includes two main theorists of personality; Maslow and Rogers. According to Maslow, humanistic psychology is like a third force in the psychology. He severely criticized the previous views of personality and offered his own view of personality. He explained human nature and personality in terms of motivation and its hierarchy. He supported positive aspect of a person and focused his attention on the positivity in humans. He says that human existence is something more to fight for internal conflicts and existential crises. The best known is represented by Abraham Maslow. Later appears the tendency to self-realization, which according to Carl Rogers is the urge of human beings to realize their self-concepts or images that has formed of himself, which is important and promotes the development of personality (Feist, 2009).

Fundamental approaches promptly emerged within these current theoretical and therapeutic approaches that it ...