PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

Children Learn What They Live
by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a
goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn
respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves
and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice
place in which to live.
 Chapter 1
Concepts of Personality
Learning Objectives: After studying this chapter, one should be able to:
1. Be familiar with the concepts and meaning of personality
2. Explain why a knowledge of personality is important
3. Discuss the purpose of personality measurements

One of the interesting subjects in the study of human behavior is that

which we call personality. This is because it concerns each one of us
directly and intimately. It deals with what we are as an individual and what
we would like to be. It relates with our association with others and the same
time protect our own selves. It involves “character building”.

How do different authorities describe the nature of personality?

1. According to the three Filipino authors: Tuason, Santamaria, and
Tiongson, personality is the dynamic organization within the individual
of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique
adjustment to his environment.

2. According to Hilgard, Atkinson and Atkinson: Personality refers to an

individual’s social effectiveness. We often hear from some people
say, “He has a lot of personality.”

It also refers to one’s most striking characteristics as in, “He has a

shy personality.”

Personality is also concerned with individual differences or

characteristics that distinguish one individual from another.

Characteristic pattern of behavior imply some consistencies in

behavior regardless of the situation. These patterns determine a
person’s adjustment to the environment.

A complete description of personality would include intellectual

capacities, motives, emotional states, attitudes, beliefs, moral
values, likes and dislikes
3. Another authority, Laurence Pervin, says that in psychology, the
field of personality is concerned with the total individual differences
that is recognizing that all people are similar in some ways but still
differ with one another as in some people achieve while others do
not. Other people perceive things in one way but still others in
another way. Some people vary in their talents.
While there are many aspects of human functioning like learning,
perception, and motivation, personality theorists are interested in how
these processes interact with each other and how these relate to their
total behavior.

4. According to Sferra, Wright and Rice, personality has a technical

meaning for experts in human behavior. It refers to the total person,
the expression of what you are and what you do.
It is the product of all the responses that are expressed in
everyday living, wherever you are- in the home, school, canteen,
office, in the street and the like.
It includes what you think or speak. In short, it is the expression of
your inner self to the other people. Your behavior causes others to
act favorably or otherwise. This process can also be reversed.

5. B.Van Haller Gilmer characterizes personality to include physique,

intellectual and other abilities, interests and how others respond to
that personality.
According to him all personality traits vary continuously in degree.
Individuals cannot be classified as being exclusively aggressive or
submissive.
Most people fall between these extremes and all stages of deviation
from the average can be found.
Personality has a quality of uniqueness that is no on person is quite
like another. Formally then, we define personality as the whole
person his external appearance and behavior, his inner awareness of
self, and his unique pattern of measurable traits which are fairly
permanent.
Can personality be determined?
In everyday life, traits of personality are roughly determined by
watching the person directly, by asking others about him, or by asking
him as to what he would do in certain situations.
What are the purpose of measuring personality?
According to Kleinmuntz, there are four major purposes, settings
and functions of personality measurement. These measurements are
objective tests, inventories and projective tests.

They are used for diagnosis, counseling, personnel selection and

research.

Diagnosis is done in a mental-hygiene clinic, hospital. Counseling is

usually done in a clinic, hospital, school or counseling center.
Personnel selection is done for job classification in industries,
government, military or some special training setting. Research uses
all the above setting. The psychologist can also use direct
observation or indirect observation for personality evaluation.
Psychological tests are useful in measuring personality. Self-report
inventories are useful in tabulating responses about personal habits,
attitudes, beliefs or fantasies. Projective tests are used to obtain
response to ambiguous or unstructured situations. Other forms for
measurement of personality are rating scales, personality
questionnaire and personality inventories.
Computers have been used to simulate personality and its
development. The computer has helped bring to the field of
personality measurement a system approach for collecting data and
making interpretations.

SUMMARY
Personality is defined as the whole person, his external appearance,
his inner awareness of self, and his unique pattern of adjustment
which are fairly permanent.

There are individual differences in personality.

Personality measurement employs objective test, inventories, and
projective tests for diagnosis, counseling, personnel selection and
research. Personality evaluations are made by means of direct and
indirect observations. The computer can also be used in diagnostic
interviewing.
“Watch your thoughts, they become words
Watch your words, they become actions
Watch your actions, they become habits
 Watch your character it becomes your destiny”

ACTIVITY 1:
REFLECTION PAPER ON CHILDREN LIVE WHAT THEY LEARN (20PTS)
DUE DATE: APRIL 13, 2022
 CHAPTER 2
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY

Learning Objectives: After studying this chapter one should able to:
Describe the development of personality from prenatal to postnatal period.
Explain how heredity and environment interact in human development
Discuss the influence of environmental events on early development
Be familiar with the sequence of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and
Kohlberg’s level of moral judgments
Present some practical tips on early parenting
Describe some of the influences that create and maintain sex role
Describe sexual development and development as a lifelong process

When does human life begin?

Individual life can be said to begin when the female ovum is fertilized by the male
sperm. At this moment of conception we have the zygote.
This single fertilized cell divides into many cells, thus the bone cells, the hair
cells, and all types of cells develop, which gradually assume specialized forms and
functions. In this state, we speak of the embryo, which lasts until around the second
month of prenatal life and which takes a human form. From this time it is called fetus.
Behavior begins with bodily movement at about the beginning of the fetal period,
some 8-9 weeks after fertilization.

How is development from prenatal to the newborn infant explained?

What sense organs function actively at birth?
How is the development from general to specific movements and from head-to-toe
seen?
How may the saying, “the child is father of the man” be explained? What are its
implications?

What factors govern development?

How may the sequences and stages in development to be described?

What are some practical tips on early parenting?

One of these is helping children stick up for their rights with confidence

SUMMARY
The single fertilized cell divides into many cells which gradually assume specialized
forms and functions.
The growth of behavior follows a sequence of development from general to specific.
Some reflexes are present at birth. Others appear after birth.
Human development involve a continuous interaction between heredity and
environment. The development proceeds in orderly sequences.
 Physical skills depend largely on maturation. Early deprivation have profound effects on
the development of motor skills, language, intelligence and personality.
Environmental factors may accelerate or retard development. Cognitive development is
described in Piaget’s theory while Kohlberg described the development of moral
reasoning and judgment.

There is a big difference between being assertive and being aggressive. Early social
attachments form the basis for close interpersonal relationships in adult life. Children
acquire attitudes and behaviors expected by society largely through the process of
identification.
On the whole self- identity is shaped by, powerful influences.
Failure in the search for personal identity leads to role confusion.
Development is a lifelong process from birth to old age. There are 8 stages that Eric
Erikson described as psychosocial stages in which the development is seen at different
point’s life through social relations.

The sequences of motor development that leads to walking

Quiz on Psychological Development of Personality

True or False

1. Growth behavior follows sequence of development from general movements to

specific movements.
2. At the fourth month of prenatal life, the head constitutes half of the body.
3. The sucking reflex is present at birth.
4. The Babinski reflex is shown in the movement of the infant’s head.
5. At 10 months old a normal baby can stand-alone.
6. Maturation is relatively independent of experience.
7. The concept of developmental stages implies that behavior is concerned with the
importance of cognitive development.
8. Erikson proposed eight stages of development described as psychosocial.
9. Child-rearing practices differ from one social group to another.
10. Much of life has its problems but middle adulthood has less than other periods in a
lifetime.
11. According to Piaget, a child who can correctly predict that a ball of clay and a similar
ball rolled out to a long sausage will balance or a scale must have achieved
conservation of weight.
12. In developing a sense of identity, adolescents may experience role confusion.
13. Very young infants are unresponsive to taste.
14. On the average, boys mature earlier by two years than girls.
15. Infants’ first social contacts occur while they are being fed. If experience is
unpleasant and hurried, infants may learn to mistrust others.

II. Discuss fully the importance of the childhood stage for personality development (5pts)
III. Discuss the tips on early parenting.
 Chapter 3
Biological Basis of Personality

Learning Objectives: After studying this chapter, one should be able to:
Gain some knowledge of the underlying biological processes of human behavior and
mental functioning
Describe the basic units of the nervous system, its organization, and functions
Identify the hierarchical structure of the brain, its divisions, and functions of these structures
Realize the influence of the endocrine system on behavior.
Be familiar with some knowledge on genetic influences on behavior

Behavior depends on the integration of numerous processes within the body. This
integration is provided by the nervous system with the help of the endocrine glands.

What are the basic units of the nervous system? How do they work?
The brain is composed of some 10 to 12 billion specialized nerves cells called neurons.
These form the basic units of the nervous system whose functions influence learning and
mental functioning, emotion, and thought. Neurons are also responsible for the
transmission of impulses.

Neurons receive stimulation by the way of their dendrites and cell bodies and transmit
impulses via their axons. The junction between the axon of one neuron is called a synapse.
Neurons that carry messages from the sense receptors to the brain and spinal cord to the
effector organs, the muscles and glands are the efferent neurons. Axon fibers group
together to form nerves; nerve cell bodies are grouped together into ganglia.

How may the organization of the nervous system be described? How is it divided?
The nervous system is divided in to the central nervous system and the peripheral
nervous system.
The central nervous system includes all the nerves in the brain and the spinal cord.
The nerves leading from the brain and spinal cord to the other parts of the body
compose the peripheral nervous system.
Subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system are the somatic system and the
autonomic system. The nerves of the somatic system carry messages to the central
nervous system from the sense receptors, muscles and body surface. They make us aware
of pain, pressure and temperature variations. They also carry impulses from the central
nervous system back to the body parts where they initiate action. The muscles we use in
posture and balance are controlled by these nerves. The nerves of the autonomic system
run to and from the internal organs, regulating such processes as respiration, heart rate,
and digestion. The autonomic system plays a major role in emotion. The nerve fibers
running from various parts of the body to and from the brain are gathered together in the
spinal cord. Simple reflexes, such as the knee jerk, are carried out within the spinal cord by
a three neuron arc consisting of afferent and efferent neurons and interneurons.

How is the hierarchical structure of the brain described? What are the functions of each
part?
The human brain is composed of three concentric layers: a central core, the limbic system,
and the cerebrum. Each of these is described:
1.Central core- includes the medulla responsible for respiration and postural relexes; the
cerebellum concerned with motor coordination; the thalamus, a relay station for incoming
sensory information; and the hypothalamus, important in emotion and in maintaining
homeostatis. The recticular system, which crosses through several of the above structures,
controls the organism’s state of arousal.

2. Limbic system – controls some of the “instinctive” activities like feeding, attacking,
fleeing from danger and mating. These are regulated by the hypothalamus. The limbic
system also plays an important role in emotion and memory.

3. Cerebrum – is divided into two cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum is more highly
developed in human beings than in any other organisms. It is covered by a thick layer of
nerve cell bodies, the cerebral cortex. In Latin, cortex means “bark”, hence the term “gray
matter”. The cortex is convoluted and controls discrimination, choice, learning and thinking
referred to as the “higher mental processes”. Certain areas of the cortex represent centers
for specific sensory inputs or for control of specific movements. The remainder of the cortex
consists of association areas.

How is the brain said to be divided?

The two cerebral hemispheres are connected by nerve fibers, the corpus callosum. The
major, left hemisphere which is almost always larger than the minor, right hemisphere, is
skilled in the use of language while the right is specialized for mental imagery and the
understanding of spatial relationships. The left cerebral hemisphere controls the right side
of the body and the right hemisphere, the left.

As early as 1861, the anthropologist, Paul Broca examined the brain of a patient with
speech loss and found damage in an area of the left hemisphere. This region, known as
Broca’s area, is involved in the production of speech sounds.

Behavior depends on the integration of numerous processes within the body. This
integration is provided by numerous system with the help of the endocrine glands.

How can unique thought patterns in sexual variations between boys and girls be
explained?

In the brains of apes, monkeys, birds, rats and chicken, Dr. Frank Duffy of Boston’s
Children Hospitals discovered sexual variations. He recorded the brain activity of boys and
girls still in the womb and found that even there they were on two different wavelengths.

Medical studies have shown specifically that the 18 th and 26th week of pregnancy,
something happens that forever separates the sexes.
Using heat- sensitive color monitors, researchers have actually observed a chemical bath of
testosterone and other sex-related hormones wash over a baby boy’s brain. This causes
changes that never happen

Does this mean that men basically brain damaged?

SUMMARY
Behavior depends on the integration of numerous processes within the body by which is
provided by the nervous system with the help of the endocrine glands.
The human brain is composed of neurons which are the basic units of the nervous system
and is divided into the central and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous
system consists of the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system consists of the
somatic and the autonomic system. The autonomic system has two divisions: the
sympathetic and the parasympathetic divisions
The human brain is composed of 3 concentric layers: the central core, the limbic system,
and the cerebrum.
It is also divided into 2 cerebral hemisphere connected by nerve fibers called the corpus
callosum. The left hemisphere is larger than the right hemisphere.
The endocrine glands are important regulations of our behavior. These are the pituitary
gland, adrenal glands, thyroid, gonads and pancreas.
Behavior is influenced genetically, that is through the chromosomes and genes. These
influence behavior psychologically and physically.

Hereditary influences are studied by using a method called selective breeding. Another
method is by twin studies.
Biological Basis of Personality Development

1. The three main parts of the neuron are the body________________ and
______________.
2. Neurons that inform the brain that your skin is pierced by a needle would be
called________________________neurons.
3. The brain and spinal cord form the __________________nervous system.
4. A part of the brain that controls our state of arousal from sleep to wakefulness is the
_________________________.
5. A part of the brain that controls our state of arousal from sleep to wakefulness is the
_________________________.
6. The hypothalamus plays on important part in emotion and maintaining
_________________________.
7. The optimal level of functioning to maintain the body in a state of normalcy or
consistency is called________________________.
8-9 A fertilized ovum level contains a number ____________________chromosomes or a
number of ______________________ genes.
10. The chromosomes carry the basic units of heredity which are called
_______________________.
11. Twins that share heredity and are alike in many respects are called
_______________twins.
12. If an individual develops into a giant, we can suspect that a malfunctioning of the
__________________glands is involved.
13. The two cerebral hemispheres are connected by nerve fibers called the
_________________.

II. Enumeration:

1-5 The different bodily systems are:

6- 10. The endocrine glands are: