Ellen McCormick

Discover Your Personality: An Overview



Posted: Monday, February 01, 2010

by Ellen McCormick

 It's time to stop and wonder… Why do some people like putting on make-up, or working out at the gym, or going to parties, while others like sitting on the couch and reading a book?  Why do some people love to share embarrassing moments, while others… really get embarrassed about it?  Why is it that some people can't say no to a challenge, love extreme sports, and will follow someone out into the parking lot to continue a debate, while others couldn't care less?  On a different note… Is self-improvement possible?  If someone is bothered by their weaknesses, is there any GOOD plan out there to help?  Why is it so hard to change?  What is it people need to change? 

Understanding a little about personality answers all of these questions.  Discovering your personality is the key to real self-improvement.  It lets you understand better why you are the way you are… why you think the way you think and act the way you act.   This empowers you to change, to improve yourself.  Once you know they way you work, you also discover how to make yourself work the way you want to work.  Take cooking as an example.  If you want to change a recipe, you need to first know the ingredients.  People are the same way.  If you want to change yourself, you first need to know the elements that affect how you act.  Then, you can decide what is good, and what you want to add or take out to become better.  Learning about personality can also help you understand how others think, and why some of them think differently from you.  In addition to helping with self-knowledge and improvement, understanding personality, will also improve your relationships with others.

What is PERSONALITY?

There are numerous meanings to the word personality, but the one that applies to personality as used in this article, is: "the complex or characteristics that distinguishes an individual or nation or group, especially the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics; a set of distinctive traits and characteristics" (Merrium-Webster online dictionary: Personality).

Elements of Personality

There are four main personality types, or groups: choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic.  Everyone falls into one of these main groups, or a combination of two of them.  Remember: each persona is individual and unique, with special strengths and weaknesses.  No personality type is better than any other.    Within each personality type, there are many variations, and no two people, even people with the same personality type, are the same.  There are as many personality variations as there are people.   The personality groups are a guide, a way to know and understand yourself and others better.

Three main elements define the personality types:

Introverted/Extroverted

An introverted person lives within their own minds.  They think, they reflect and ponder.  They tend to be more private people, more quiet people.  They like the comfort of their home, and close group of friends.  They like having alone time once in a while, so they have time to just think and sort through their though and emotions.

An extroverted person, on the other hand, lives to be with people.  They love to go out, to talk, to be at parties, to hear what other people have to say.  While an introverted person thinks things through, and extroverted person talks them through.  If an extroverted person is asked a question, that they've never thought of before, they may say, "I don't know," and then proceed to talk aloud nonstop until they reach their conclusion, or are distracted about something else. The extroverted person finds their fulfillment in being with people, and have a hard time being alone.  Even when working on their own, they would rather work in a room with other people than by themselves.

People centered/principle centered

This element refers to what influences each person in making large decisions. 

Some people are principle centered.  They have different ideas, values, and principles that govern all of their decisions.  If something is coherent with their principles, it is worth doing and supporting.  If it conflicts with their principles, it is something to be fought against, or simply not supported.  People who are principle centered will act based on their principles regardless of what other people think, and sometimes, regardless of how other people are affected.

People centered people are the opposite.  They base the decisions and actions very much based on what other people think.  For them, the first value is pleasing the person. People centered personalities often don't have their principles thought out or expressed as thoroughly as principle centered personalities.  Even when their principles are called into question, people persons are more likely to bend principle in order to please people.  Principle centered personalities bend people to please principle.  As we will see later, when discussing the different character types, both forms of influence have positive and negative points.

Primary/Secondary

A primary person acts first and thinks later – sometimes to their dismay.  The primary person is quick to reach conclusions, quick to act, quick to feel, and quick to forget and move on.  Their emotional resonance is sharp and intense, but frequently short lived.  The primary person can go from laughing to crying to angry, and back to laughing again in a short period of time.

A secondary person thinks firsts, and acts later.  They take longer to reflect, decide, act, and respond… but their response, particularly their mental and emotional response is of a longer, steadier duration. 

Personality Types:

The four personality types combine these elements in the following way:

Choleric: extroverted, principle centered, primary

Sanguine: extroverted, people centered, primary

Melancholic: introverted, people centered, secondary

Phlegmatic: introverted, principle centered, secondary

Please refer to the other personality articles I have written for an in depth explanation of each personality type.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Ellen was raised in both the Middle East and the United States. She visited numerous countries in Europe and the Middle East, to learn about culture, history, and contemporary society in an experiential way.  Ellen has a licentiate in Educational Development, and is a candidate for a licentiate in Religious Sciences, pending approval of thesis. Since graduating, Ellen has been engaged in the field of education as teacher, tutor, writer, editor, administrator and research assistant.  She is currently living in Lebanon.  More of her work can also be viewed here.
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