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| Examination of the unique personality traits in individuals helps them define their identity and know how they compare to other people. |
favorite sub field of psychology.
Personality psychology is the study of comparing and contrasting the personality traits of people as well as how their personalities grow and change over time. The field can also deal with individuals who suffer from personality disorders, offering theories as to why their personalities have been distorted and solutions to provide balance for their lives.
The general minimum educational requirements for having a career in this field of study are:
- A Bachelor's degree in psychology
- 4 years of study
- A Master's degree in psychology
- 2+ additional years of study after receiving a Bachelor's degree
- NOTE: A Master's degree may be enough for some positions in this field
- A Doctoral degree in psychology or a specialist degree in personality psychology
- 2+ additional years after receiving a Master's degree
OR
- 4-5 additional years of study after receiving a Bachelor's degree
Some common career choices for someone in this field includes a personality psychologist, a mental health consular, or a clinical social worker.
Personality psychology has been expanded on by different psychologists over the last 200 years. Some notable contributors to the field are Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), an Austrian neurologist who designed the method of psychoanalysis and Carl Jung (1875-1961), the Swedish father of the psychological idea of the "complex". Psychoanalysis is the interpretation of the unconscious through analyzing the dreams and fantasies of the subject. A "complex" is a set pattern of behavior that someone often reverts to such as the Cleopatra complex in which a woman is so sure of her uniqueness and talent that she feels that the world owes her special treatment.
I've felt this way many times myself, especially during my childhood. From a young age, I noticed that I was significantly shyer and more reserved than other children. I couldn't relate to my peers very well, choosing instead to spend the majority of my time doing solitary activities like reading books, walking around to explore different places, and writing my own short stories.
One day, I got a glimpse as to why my social preferences were so. About 4 years ago, I found the Meyer-Briggs personality test online and I decided to take it out of boredom. I found out that I have an INTJ personality type, which is one of the rarest types (it's the least common type for women as well as the third least common type in the general population). I saw a side of me that I didn't understand before, a side that is systematic, introspective, and a starry-eyed visionary.
Since my discovery, I have been able to use my strengths more efficiently. I've used my organizational abilities to stay on top of my responsibilities and plan for future opportunities. My analytical mind set lets me understand the personalities of other people and know how to help them in the best ways possible.
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| Sigmund Freud |
Now that we've gone through all of the technical mambo-jumbo, I'd like to give my own reasons for enjoying personality psychology. Every person has at some point felt like they didn't fit in with their community, felt out of touch with others and even with reality itself because they thought they were misunderstood or too odd to be a part of this world.
One day, I got a glimpse as to why my social preferences were so. About 4 years ago, I found the Meyer-Briggs personality test online and I decided to take it out of boredom. I found out that I have an INTJ personality type, which is one of the rarest types (it's the least common type for women as well as the third least common type in the general population). I saw a side of me that I didn't understand before, a side that is systematic, introspective, and a starry-eyed visionary.
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| Knowing who you are and what your innate skill set is can help you find your own road to personal success |
My interest has allowed me to understand myself, interact with others, and grow as a person. Even though I don't believe I would want a career in this field, I find the information it contains to be good for anyone who wants to understand themselves, improve their relationships, and change their world.
Ciao!
Ciao!
Sources
Types of Psychological Complexes
https://analyticalpsychology.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/types-of-psychological-complexes/
5 Advance in how Psychologists view Personality
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-personality-analyst/201404/five-advances-in-how-psychologists-view-personality
Biography of Sigmund Freud
https://www.biography.com/people/sigmund-freud-9302400
Personality Psychology Careers: Job Descriptions and Salary Info
http://learningpath.org/articles/Personality_Psychology_Careers_Job_Description_Salary_Info.html
Types of Psychological Complexes
https://analyticalpsychology.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/types-of-psychological-complexes/
5 Advance in how Psychologists view Personality
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-personality-analyst/201404/five-advances-in-how-psychologists-view-personality
Biography of Sigmund Freud
https://www.biography.com/people/sigmund-freud-9302400
Personality Psychology Careers: Job Descriptions and Salary Info
http://learningpath.org/articles/Personality_Psychology_Careers_Job_Description_Salary_Info.html
Psychology School Guide
https://www.psychologyschoolguide.net/psychology-careers/personality-psychologist/
Very Well: Understanding Personality Psychology
https://www.verywell.com/personality-psychology-4013513
Theories of Personality
https://www.simplypsychology.org/personality-theories.html
What Are the Big Five Personality Traits
https://www.verywell.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422
The Myers & Briggs Foundation
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/isabel-briggs-myers.htm?bhcp=1
16 personalities: INTJ
https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality
Photo of Sigmund Freud
https://libcom.org/files/imagecache/article/images/blog/freud1.jpg
Photo of Man with a Magnifying Glass
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2363/2349098787_2cd660c18c_b.jpg
Photo of Career Paths
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/images/articleImages-850x492/career-path.jpg
Theories of Personality
https://www.simplypsychology.org/personality-theories.html
What Are the Big Five Personality Traits
https://www.verywell.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422
The Myers & Briggs Foundation
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/isabel-briggs-myers.htm?bhcp=1
16 personalities: INTJ
https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality
Photo of Sigmund Freud
https://libcom.org/files/imagecache/article/images/blog/freud1.jpg
Photo of Man with a Magnifying Glass
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2363/2349098787_2cd660c18c_b.jpg
Photo of Career Paths
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/images/articleImages-850x492/career-path.jpg
I'm starting to realize we are pretty similar, Emelia! Not only do we both like to compose music, I too found the Myers-Briggs type test a few years back. I am an INFJ. It was pretty awesome finally reading something so true for your being and finally feeling understood after feeling so different. I can also tell you are a very skilled writer. I look forward to reading your future posts. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteBirds of a feather flock together! It's intriguing that you're an INFJ because of the rarity of your type and the similarities that we share. It's a relief to find common interests with someone after being on your own island for a while.
DeleteIf you're interested in the more theoretical side of MBTI, I've found the cognitive function theory to be incredibly fascinating as it dives deeper into how the functions operate on a daily basis. I also have some sources of research that connects MBTI with neurology. I didn't want to get into the details here simply because I feel like the content needs at least one post all to itself! I might make one later just for fun if I get the chance.
I'm glad that we have similar interests! Us Music Theory and Composition Majors have to stick together! :D
Hi Emelia!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog and even found it very enjoyable and easy to read! Although I have not had the similar experiences with my personality type I found that we do in fact have similar personalities according to the Myers- Briggs test. I am an ISTJ so we are only one letter away from possibly being quite similar! I can't wait to get to know more about you and your interests this semester and I look forward to reading more of your blogs in the future because I can already tell you are a very unique and creative person with a personality alike!
Hey Sarah!
DeleteI'm glad that I was able to write a fluent blog post describing my interest. Have you ever found it difficult to describe a passion that you have for a certain topic? It took me a while to get all of this into words because I did have some trouble, but it's all good now!
It's true that we are very similar! Highly driven and down to business, am I right? If you want to learn more about MBTI, you should check out the cognitive function theory. You may or may not find it to be factual, but I believe that it's still worth the read.
I'm looking forward to creating more blogs in the future and getting to know all of you as well in the upcoming weeks!
I also have an interest in finding out the reasons people do what they do and why they behave in certain ways. One of the areas of the post that caught my attention was your comment about the Cleopatra Complex, I have never heard of that before and you have taught me something new.
ReplyDeleteHumans are fascinating! Their motives, their thoughts, their emotions, and everything in between are all interesting to many people. I didn't even know about the Cleopatra Complex until I did the research for this post. It just goes to show that you never know what you'll learn until you go looking for it!
DeleteHey Emelia! I have really enjoyed reading your blog so far! You are an excellent writer! I think that we are similar in the aspects that we are both quite shy, but also organized! I can relate with you about feeling out of place. I think everyone will feel that way at least one time in their life. I cant wait to get to know you better as this semester continues!
ReplyDeleteThat is very sweet of you to say! I think it helps that I love writing and psychology so much that it makes these blog post really fun! I'm finding out that there are actually a lot of introverts in our class (although it's hard to tell sometimes because, well, we're hiding most of the time). Thank you for your input!
DeleteHey group buddy! I wanted to check out your blog so I could get to know you better and see what you're interested in. I personally love personality psychology myself, because the human mind is very complex and I love studying the amazing impact it can have on how we act and think and see the world. My cases are the more dark ideals of personality psychology though, disorders like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. Anyways though, I love your thoughts on why this type of psychology is so important to you. I think it's really great that you want to use this psychology to help people, just like how you learned to help yourself. I know I could've definitely used some help figuring myself out when I was younger. Keep up these amazing blog posts!!
ReplyDeleteHey Ben! Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog post! The mind is a mysterious thing, which makes it all the more intriguing. I think the darker side of personality is even more interesting because it can become dangerous and there is still many unknown factors that cause the distortion. Maybe since we know more about personality psychology than our parents did, we can help the next generation with discovering themselves in a more effective way. Blogging has been really fun so far!
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DeleteLoved reading your post and also the comment threads. Great work here girl!
ReplyDelete