Question

Discuss the concept of supervision/mentoring as applied to personal theory development. Do you agree that this is a necessary step? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Personality comes from the Greek word - “persona”, meaning ‘mask’.
It is the totality of qualities and traits that are associated to a specific person.
Personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that make a person unique.

Supervision or mentoring is most often defined as a professional relationship in which an experienced person assists another in developing specific skills and knowledge, that will enhance the less experienced person’s professional and personal growth.

Mentoring in Personality Development theory

Personality development is the relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that distinguish individuals from one another. Personality emerges early and continues to change in meaningful ways through out the lifespan. As personality continues to change, supervision/mentoring has got a great role in the personality development process.
The following are the functions of a mentor, in the personality development process

• Teaches the mentoree about a specific issue.
  Coaches the mentoree on a particular skill.
• Facilitates the mentoree’s growth by sharing resources and networks.
• Challenges the mentoree to move beyond his/her comfort zone.
• Creates a safe learning environment, for taking risks.
• Focuses on the mentoree’s total development.

To put it in a nutshell, mentoring or supervision is an inevitable part of personality development.