Question

Your discussion board question comes from module 8.3, Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood.

Think about your personality.  According to McCrae and Costa, some basic elements of our personality do not change over the life span.  These five factors are described in the following chart:

Describe your personality.  Do you think it has been this way since you were young? Do you believe you will stay this way the rest of your life?  Explain why you agree or disagree.

FACTOR	LOW SCORE	HIGH SCORE
Neuroticism	calm, relaxed, satisfied with self, clear-cut personality, prides self on objectivity	thin-skinned, basically anxious, irritable, guilt-prone
Extraversion	emotionally bland, avoids close relationships, overcontrol of impulses, submissive	talkative, gregarious, socially poised, behaves assertively
Openness	favors conservative values, judges in conventional terms, uncomfortable with complexities, moralistic	values intellectual matters, rebellious, nonconforming, unusual thought processes, introspective
Agreeableness	critical, skeptical, shows condescending behavior, tries to push limits, expresses hostility directly	sympathetic, considerate, warm, compassionate, arouses liking, behaves in a giving way
Conscientiousness	eroticizes situations, unable to delay gratification, selfindulgent, engages in fantasy, daydreams	behaves ethically, dependable, responsible, productive, has high aspiration levels

Answer 1

My personality,according to McCrae and Costa rates high on neuroticism and conscientiousness. Due to the absence of primary parental figure in my childhood, I have developed a sense of guilt, as I believed that my primary caregivers were absent from my life due to the mistakes I might have committed. This is prpbably the reason why I am guilt prone and anxious in the face of any stressful event in my life. However, not all repeat the cycle of psychological trauma that result from the lack that they face during the developmental stages of life. I have become more responsible, ethical and kind in the ways i act and react to others. Because I know what it feels to not have, I prefer giving others. This has placed me on a high score in conscientiousness, according to MacCrae and Costa personality inventory. Although the personality of an adult results from the temperament he/she had as a toddler , I believe that basic personality of a person is incapable of changing but we can change the parts of our personality that we are unhappy with. For example, when the electricity goes off and you have to navigate the door of your room. You will use your sense of touch (most preferably) to reach the door as you cannot use your vision. You will change the channel to reach the door, in the absence of your regular channel(vision) for navigation. Similar is the case with personality.For example, if you are a shy and reserved individual who is grouped with other class members for a presentation. You will adhere to the demands to socialise in order to reach your target goal i.e. a well prepared class presentation.But, as soon as the class presentation is done, you will go back to your basic personality type,which is being reserved and shy.Thus, I believe that the basic personality of an individual cannot change. However, we can modify and make changes in the parts of the personality to cope up with the social settings.