Personality development in children has been studied by many different theoretical schools of thought in psychology, each presenting convincing evidence to support its perspective. Traditionally, psychodynamic psychology has been the prominent voice in personality development. As of 2011, trait and evolutionary theories of personality development are also studied. The concept of personality, and how it is defined, changes with each approach, resulting in a collection of theories, rather than one theory, of personality.
What Is Personality?
Personality is typically defined by psychologists as relatively enduring characteristics that remain stable in a person over place and time. The field of personality psychology is comprised of many different theoretical positions which are not unified in their approach. The dominant approaches to personality are the psychodynamic theories and the evolutionary/trait theories.
Development of the "Self Concept"
A sense of self, or conscious awareness of one's own existence, is not present at birth. In his text "Child Development," Dr. Robert S. Feldman explains that most children develop a sense of self-awareness between 15 and 24 months old. In the classic "rouge test," a dab of red makeup is place on a child's nose or forehead. Sometime in the second year of life, a child will begin to see the rouge in a mirror and wipe it off, an indication for psychologists that the child has a concept of self.
The Self and Language
Thinking is done through the grammatical structure of language. The favorite words of a child in the second and third year of life include "me," "mine" and "no." These words indicate a sense of self separate from the environment. Psychologists including Lev Vygotsky have explored the link between language, thinking and the concept of self.
Heredity and Experience in Personality
In her book "The Nurture Assumption," Judith Rich Harris writes that heredity accounts for about half of personality similarities in identical twins. However, non-twin, biological siblings raised together share as few personality traits as biological siblings who were raised apart. This suggests that heredity and experience do not function in isolation, but rather are each dynamically shaping the other. For this reason, argues Harris, no two children can share the same environment.
Psychodynamic Personality Theories
Some psychodynamic theorists understand personality as the characteristic ways in which an individual deals with internal and external demands. Whereas Sigmund Freud focused on the personality as result of managing internal biological sexual drives that are in conflict with external social laws, for example, dynamic theorist Alfred Adler viewed personality as a striving for autonomy and individuality, escaping fears of inferiority to the parents and others.
Evolutionary Theories of Personality
Evolutionary psychologists understand personality as both heritable and behavioral traits that aid the individual in survival and reproduction. From this point of view, a child's personality will develop in a way which best suits survivability within a given environment. The traits that we see in an individual will thus be those that best served the child in his childhood and adolescent years.
References
- "Life Span Development: A Topical Approach"; Robert S. Feldman, Ph.D.; 2010
- "Child Development: Fifth Edition"; Robert S. Feldman, Ph.D.; 2009
- "Theories of Personality"; Duane P. Schultz, et al.; 2008
- "Thought and Language"; Lev Vygotsky; 1986
- "The Nurture Assumption"; Judith Rich Harris; 2009
- "How The Mind Works"; Steven Pinker; 2009
