Personality is believed to be possessed by all people in differing degrees. How people tend to think, feel, and behave and what causes individuals to have these tendencies are questions addressed by personality theory and research.
Whereas developmental psychology and social psychology have merged as a subject matter in psychology, personality has never truly found that unity. There has never been a fundamentally acceptable definition as to what personality is. .
These aspects have not prevented personality from being the subject of psychological research and theory-making. According to Dr. C. George Boeree "What makes personality theories so interesting, I think, is that we can actually participate in the process. You don't need labs and federal funding, just a bit of intelligence, some motivation, and an open mind" (http://www.ship.edu). .
After reading the text, Perspectives on Personalities, by Charles S. Carver and Michael F. Scheier, I have to say that I am most drawn to the disposition and biological perspectives of personality theories. I believe that personality is by some means the central part of who we are and it is this belief that I feel that has kept personality under scrutiny and under debate for years.
When comparing the two perspectives, it is easy to see how very interactive they are. Dispositional perspective is the most basic, traditional approach to personality. This perspective generates systems for categorizing and describing characteristics for which people differ, how they are consistent between situations, and how they are consistent over time (http://www.sci.csuhayward.edu).
With the biological perspective, I find it reasonable to assume that the cells and molecules that are used to form tissues and organs that make a human being play a role in shaping consciousness. In particular, I believe the nervous system, as well as the brain and spinal cord, the endocrine system, and the encompassing numbers of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream play a vital role in shaping the conscious.
