The sum total of all the characteristics of a person---including the mental, moral, physical, and
social qualities---as they are
perceived by other people. The word may be used either in a
popular sense, in which the meaning is linked
simply to the type of person as seen by others, or in a psychological sense, in
which the meaning is more complex and sometimes less obvious.
Psychoanalysts
regard personality as the
result of the interaction
between instinct and the environment. Other schools of
psychology and psychiatry have more complicated explanations, combining the effects of heredity, upbringing, experience, and biochemical factors.
One of the most widely followed
divisions is Carl Jung's
categories of
extroverted and
introverted personalities. The distinction in technical terms is that the extrovert directs his libido and instinctual
energy toward the environment,
whereas the introvert has weak instinctual energy and
directs it inward toward himself. Most persons combine
aspects of both personality types, and the extreme
examples of either can be recognized by their behavior.
Personality may have no medical connotations at all. To describe a person as having an "unpleasant" personality or a "miserable" personality is not to suggest that he is in any way mentally ill. On the other hand, there are various defects in
behavior or life-style that are regarded widely as
personality disorders. These are
characterized by pathological trends in personality structure, with or without anxiety---in most
cases manifested by a
lifelong pattern of abnormal
action of behavior.
Sociopathic personality disturbance for instance, may be a
pathological relationship between the
person and the society in which he lives,
manifested by irresponsibility, inability to feel guilt, impulsiveness, and poor interpersonal relationships.
Various mental disorders
often are expressed in
terms of personality. Sufferers will be categorized as
paranoid personalities, borderline personalities,
schizoid personalities, or dependant personalities. There are also
authenticated cases of
multiple personality, which most authorities
believe are delusional in character. In all these
cases personality is distorted into an abnormal type by the underlying mental or emotional disorder.