Question

Discuss ways in which each of the major perspectives on personality has influenced some aspect of everyday life in modern society.

Answer 1

The most accepted, followed perspectives of personality are the psychoanalytic, trait, humanistic and social cognitive perspectives.

Psychoanalytic theories – These theories explain behavior in terms of early life experiences that lie dormant in the subconscious. Seeking psychological counselling has become a way of life around the world today. Mental health is a huge part of health budgets in many countries. Psychological counselling is a huge part of keeping populations mentally healthy. The psychoanalytic perspective of personality continue to influence process and practice of psychotherapy the world over. The initial steps in any psychotherapy or counselling situation is to have an initial interview, with the counselee. Here the counsellor gathers as much information about the patient, from the patient or from the significant others in his life. The counsellor searches for information about the person’s early childhood experiences to detect patterns. This practice is universal wherever there is psychotherapy of the long haul involved.

Humanistic theories – These theories believe that humans are designed to evolve to higher states of being through self-effort. Self-help books and programs are a huge part of our lives today. Across the globe we have self-help gurus, authors,social media  celebrities, podcast pundits are in the business of spreading knowledge. Such knowledge that would help people help themselves. The humanistic theories ae the basis of these self-help efforts.

Trait theories – Trait theories evaluate personalities based on traits that are manifested already. These theories form the basis of personality assessment in corporate settings, in governmental institutions, in educational settings and many many more institutions. The evaluation of personalities to find their suitability for jobs or training or other roles in modern times, can be attributed to these theories.

Social cognitive perspectives – These theories emphasize the role of the socio-cultural atmosphere on the personality. The others are quite important in shaping and behaving. Research in sociology by way of sociological labs is an ongoing research activity to understand societies better. These theories form the basis of such research. The outcomes of such research are used by governments, by corporates, bu business leaders, by educational institutions to enhance their services and functioning.