Nomothetic Approach
Measurable and specific approach that looks at personality as a collection of characteristics. Environmental and social influences are seen as minimal and personality is consistent and inherited and resists change. It believes that personality can be measured and predict how a person would react in certain situations. Because of this it is used by managers in the selection and training process.
Idiographic Approach
Understanding the uniqueness of the individual. Personality is a development process and is liable to change. People respond to the environment and others around them and that these interactions play a crucial part in shaping an individuals personality. Personality cannot me measured and cannot be compared to another as each person is individual.
I think that personality can be a combination of both nature and nurture. I think that we inherit some personality from our parents, but we are definately affected by the environment we're in, our friends, etc. There is the experiment with splitting up twins at birth and then reuniting them years later to find out that they both have the same interests, which would suggest that nature is the stronger influence on personality.
I took the BBC personality test and here's my results:
- This trait is sometimes known as ‘Openness to experience’. People with scores like yours tend to have a less broad range of interests. They usually stick to what they know rather than being overly enthusiastic about trying new things.
You may find that generating lots of imaginitive ideas is not your biggest strength.
It has been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. People with low-to-medium Openness may therefore be less likely to believe in things like conspiracy theories. - Conscientiousness describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This may be the reason why, of all the personality traits, Conscientiousness is the most consistent indicator of job success. People with scores like yours can appear disorganised, but tend to be spontaneous and have a good sense of fun.
People with low Conscientiousness may be well-suited to investigative or artistic careers.
Some studies have shown the more Conscientious an individual is, the more disciplined they are likely to be about exercise and diet.
Extroversion is characterised by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities. People with scores like your are likely to enjoy their time away from lots of people. Social activities may well leave you feeling drained rather than energised, and your quiet time is probably where you recharge your batteries.
Agreeableness measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be. People with scores like yours are likely to show concern for the feelings of others and will be inclined to help those in need.
You probably find it easy to get along with most people, but you won't be averse to speaking your mind.
In the context of the Big Five personality traits, the term 'Neuroticism' relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. People with scores like yours are often seen as being calm and even-tempered. They cope well with stressful situations and may seem tranquil despite adverse circumstances.
Bibliography
- Mullins, L.J. (2010), Management & Organisational Behaviour, 9th edition, Essex, FT
- Personality Traits: Idiographic vs. Nomothetic. (2004) Available: http://wilderdom.com/personality/traits/PersonalityTraitsIdiographicNomothetic.html. Last accessed 2011.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/personality/
- Nomothetic Idiographic Debate. Available: http://www.simplypsychology.org/nomothetic-idiographic.html. Last accessed 2011.
- http://mkm4eva.blogspot.com/2010/04/introduction-to-psychology-of.html
Some good work but this needs to be finished.
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