Unlock 3 Determiners Of Personality for Fruitful Teaching

Determiners of Personality

1. Biological Factors:-

(A) Physical structure and physical health:- The personality of a person with a good physical structure such as a well-shaped body and good health is more impressive than the person with poor health and structure.

Health and structure are inherited by a child or a person through heredity.

(B) Body Chemicals & Endocrine glands :- Our body undergoes some chemical changes due to which we sometimes become active or inactive. Chemical changes are controlled by some glands.

Endocrine glands:-

The importance of endocrine glands is crucial in determining personality. The secretions released from them are called hormones. These directly mix in the blood and determine the personality.

(ii) Adrenal gland: – This gland is located above the kidney. This gland has two parts. The inner part is called adrenal medulla and the outer part is called adrenal cortex. The hormone of adrenal cortex is called Cortin. It controls carbohydrate and salt metabolism through this. If the cortex does not function properly, fatigue and insomnia increase in the person.

Two types of hormones are released from the adrenal medulla, adrenaline and nor-adrenaline. Of these, adrenaline hormone is more important. Through these, the emotional state of a person is controlled, such as fear, anger, etc. These are called emergency hormones.

(iii) Thyroid gland:- Its place is near the throat. The hormone released from it is called Thyroxin, which has an effect on the whole body.

(iv) Parathyroid gland :- The hormone secreted by it is called Paratharmone. Its location is next to the thyroid gland. It determines the amount of calcium and phosphate in the blood.

When its amount increases, the amount of calcium increases and activity increases. When it decreases, lethargy increases in the person.

(v) Pancreas :- Its location is below the stomach. The hormone secreted from its two main cells, beta, is called insulin, and the hormone secreted from alpha is called glucagon. Due to the secretion of insulin in the proper amount, the amount of sugar in the blood gets oxidized. In its absence, diabetes occurs.

(vi) Sex gland :- Secretion from these glands helps in the proper development of sexual organs. It affects sexual activities.

It affects metabolism. The development of the body depends on it. Due to its decrease, heart rate and respiratory rate slow down, and lethargy increases. Due to excessive secretion, activity increases in a person, weight decreases, and the person becomes irritable.

2. Environmental Factors

(A) Social Factors

(i) Parental attention: – Excessive love and affection lead to insecurity, anxiety, and lack of adjustment; excessive strictness leads to submissiveness; less love and affection lead to shyness and emotional instability.

(ii) Mutual relationship of family members:- Good relations develop qualities such as superiority, self-confidence, and trustworthiness.

(iii) Birth order:- Children born first are often solitary and introverted. Children born last in the birth order have a feeling of inferiority and lack self-reliance and self-confidence.

An only child has a feeling of dependence on others, self-centeredness, and selfishness. A child born in the middle order has more self-confidence and ego strength.

(iv) Teacher’s influence: – A teacher’s self-confidence boosts a child’s self-confidence. Due to the teacher’s praise for qualities such as adjustability and academic achievement, self-confidence and adjustment ability develop in the child.

(v) Educated and civilized neighbors in the neighbourhood:- Due to this, good qualities and adjustability develop, whereas the presence of thieves, dacoits, and criminals in the neighbourhood fosters anti-social qualities.

(B) Cultural Factors:- Psychologists have attempted to divide the influence of culture on personality into two parts.

(i) Experimental evidence:- Gardiner explained through a study that the trait of hostility is found more in Thai children than in American children because Thai culture is more hostile. Jensen proved in a study that American white children have more intellectual development than American Negro children because American white culture emphasizes factors that develop intelligence.

(ii) Anthropological evidence: – Cultural ideas about social superiority, i.e., gender equality, also affect personality. For example, in cultural areas where women are equal, a sense of equality, self-confidence, and sacrifice is seen.

3. Economic Factors:-

It is often seen that the personality of a child from a lower-income group shows less self-confidence, inferiority, emotional instability, and shyness than that of a child from a general-income group, but this is not entirely true – for example, Lal Bahadur Shastri belonged to a low-income group family.