Dimensions of Personality

 Meaning and Dimensions of Personality

In society, every person has different traits such as skin, color, height and weight. They have different types of personalities because individuals are not alike. Personality refers to the patterns of thoughts, feelings, social adjustments and behaviours persistently exhibited over time that strongly influences one's expectations, self-perceptions, attitudes and values. 

One cannot determine it of an individual exactly because it varies from culture to culture and time to time. For example, a killer is considered criminal in peace time and hero in war. The feeling and actions of an individual during interaction moulds the personality. It is the sum of total behaviours of the individual and covers behaviours, interests, mentality and intelligence. It is the sum of physical and mental abilities and capabilities. However, the following definitions can be beneficial for us to understand the clear cut meaning of personality.

"Personality is that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation."

"Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment."

"Personality is the organised system, the functioning whole or units of habits, disposition and sentiment that mark off any one member of a group being different from other members of the same group."

"Personality is the sum total of behaviour trends manifested in social adjustments."

"Personality is the expression of man's inner life, character is the expression of what he does or achieves."

As a matter of fact, all the above mentioned definition do not define personality completely. In brief it can be said:

(i) Personality is not related to bodily structure alone. It includes both structure and dynamics.

(ii) Personality is an invisible unit.

(iii) Personality is unique.

(iv) Every personality is unique.

(v) Personality refers to persistent qualities of the individual. It expresses consistency and regularity.

(vi) Personality is acquired.

(vii) Personality is influenced by social interaction. It is defined in terms of behaviour.

Dimensions of Personality

Personality is the collective as well as integrated image of various dimensions such as physical dimension, mental dimension, social dimension and emotional dimension. Each dimension of personality has its own area of operation.

Physical Dimension: The physical aspect of life includes our health and the way we treat our bodies. Usually, all individuals are impressed by persons who have good height, well proportionate body weight, good posture, sturdy body, bright face, etc. This includes what we consume, how often we exercise, keeping our bodies clean and fresh, as well as our posture and how we carry ourselves. Our body is the most precious gift we have and without it we can't exist. If we don't stay healthy we certainly can't enjoy all the other aspects of life. A healthy body is a healthy mind, and by taking better care of ourselves we will feel more confident, more motivated, and more controlling of our life situation.

Mental Dimension: Mental dimension is the most significant attribute of personality. Mental dimension is related to mental and intellectual strength and abilities and it is too vital to be ignored. Nobody can contribute to the society until and unless one is mentally sound and has acquired ample knowledge. How the person talks, the range of ideas he expresses, and the things he talks about, as well as his values and mental alertness give evidence of his intellectual capacity. Many great persons did not have good physical appearance but they possessed mental and intellectual qualities. They developed these qualities of thinking, reasoning, intuition and judgement, etc. through education.

Social Dimension: Social dimension is the next important dimension of personality. Our happiness expresses a need to connect to others. Even our personal identity can be dependent on how others see us within the realm of our social world. It is therefore important that we spend time with friends, family, other loved ones, and even strangers. The process of socialization starts right from the time of one's birth. Human child learns to behave because he is basically sociable. Firstly, he is influenced by customs, traditions, norms and standards and manners prevalent in the society he lives. The social qualities like character, morality, etiquettes, manners, work ethics, friendliness, good attitude, helpful nature, cooperation, sympathy, kindness, etc, play a major part in developing good personality.

Emotional Dimension: Man is an emotional entity. Emotion, being an integral part of the individual is an essential requirement for a balanced personality. The control and management of emotion are the important indicators for emotional development and balanced personality. It means that one must have proper control over various emotions such as fear, anger, disgust, distress, amusement, happiness, etc, in different situations.

In conclusion, it can be stated that personality is the overall impression that a person creates on others. It is the integrated image of all the dimensions, i.e., physical, mental, social and emotional.