Self and Personality

Self is the totality of an individual's conscious experiences, ideas, thoughts and feelings about herself or himself. It develops through interaction with other people and is shaped by personal and social identities.

The Indian notion of self differs from the Western notion in these ways:
- In the Western view, the boundary between self and other is relatively fixed. The self and the group are seen as separate entities with clearly defined boundaries.
- In the Indian view, the boundary is shifting. The self may at one time expand to include others or even the cosmos, and at another time withdraw into individual concerns.
- Western cultures tend to be individualistic, stressing individual boundaries and individuality.
- Indian culture is more collectivistic, where the self is generally not separated from the group and both co-exist harmoniously.

Delay of gratification means delaying or deferring the satisfaction of a need instead of meeting it immediately.

It is important for adult development because:
- it is a part of self-control,
- it helps a person resist immediate temptations and situational pressures,
- it supports the fulfilment of long-term goals, and
- it reflects the ability to regulate one’s behaviour in a mature and purposeful way.

The chapter also notes that Indian cultural traditions such as fasting in vrata or roza and non-attachment help in developing this ability.

Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations. It includes unique and relatively stable qualities that characterise a person's behaviour across different situations and over time.

The main approaches to the study of personality are:
1. Type approach
2. Trait approach
3. Psychodynamic approach
4. Behavioural approach
5. Cultural approach
6. Humanistic approach

These approaches explain personality from different viewpoints and each highlights some aspects of personality.

The trait approach focuses on the basic psychological attributes along which individuals differ in consistent and stable ways. A trait is a relatively enduring quality that can be present in different degrees in different people.

It differs from the type approach in this way:
- The type approach places people into broad categories or types based on overall behavioural patterns.
- The trait approach does not group people into fixed types; instead it identifies specific traits such as shyness or friendliness and measures the degree to which they are present.

So, type approach uses categories, while trait approach uses dimensions or qualities along which people vary.

Freud explains personality as being made up of three structural elements:

1. Id
- The source of instinctual energy.
- Seeks immediate gratification of primitive needs, sexual desires and aggressive impulses.
- Works on the pleasure principle.

2. Ego
- Develops out of the id.
- Tries to satisfy instinctual needs according to reality.
- Works on the reality principle.
- It is patient, reasonable and helps the person behave appropriately.

3. Superego
- The moral branch of personality.
- It tells the ego and id whether an act is morally right or wrong.
- It is formed through socialisation and internalisation of parental authority.

According to Freud, these three forces operate mainly in the unconscious. The balance among them determines personality stability.

Horney and Adler explain depression differently:

- Horney would link depression to disturbed interpersonal relationships during childhood. If parents are indifferent, discouraging, erratic, or give too much or too little approval, the child develops basic anxiety and basic hostility, which can contribute to later depression.

- Adler would explain emotional problems in terms of feelings of inferiority. In his view, every person has an inferiority complex arising from childhood, and failure to overcome these feelings properly interferes with healthy personality development.

So, Horney emphasises insecure and harmful early relationships, while Adler emphasises inferiority feelings and the struggle to overcome them.