A. NYARKO
DOI: https://doi.org/Human beings differ widely in how they think, feel, and act. These individual differences are influenced by various factors such as race, social status, educational background, culture, and family upbringing. Beyond these external influences, psychological researchers have long emphasized that one’s personality- the relatively enduring patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors- plays a central role in shaping human life outcomes. As Schultz and Schultz (2013) argue, personality often supersedes other determinants of behavior, influencing achievement, interpersonal relationships, and overall well-being. Indeed, personality is a vital psychological asset that affects not only how individuals perceive and interact with their environment but also their success and satisfaction in life.
The term personality derives from the Latin persona, meaning “mask,” originally referring to the social face or role an individual presents to others. Modern psychology defines personality as the dynamic organization within the individual of psychophysical systems that determine characteristic behavior and thought (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). Myers (2010) describes it as “a person’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting” (p. 553). Over time, numerous theories have been proposed to explain how personality develops and operates.
