Different Types Of Personality Characteristics
- Our actions are influenced by a desire to change certain feelings/emotions.
- Nobody knows everything, there is always more that you can learn.
- Don’t let people destroy your ego, you need it!
Notice For Ezine Visitors - Please go to the People Skills section for more detailed information on personality characteristics. Click here for People Skills Section
In Part 2 you were introduced to the first 3 personality characteristics and how they influence your habits. Now, let’s explore the final 3 characteristics.
4 - We Are All Selfish
We all act primarily from our own point of view. So the things we do are done for the benefit of ourselves and not necessarily other people. Even the act of charity is a selfish act.
If you decide to help someone it is usually because you feel some kind of emotion for them. Once you have given them help, you now feel better about yourself.
Therefore almost all the actions you carry out, are influenced by the feelings or emotions you experience and a desire to change them.
Let me give you another example.
Have you ever seen an advert on the TV or in the paper that said something like “Are you worried about your weight?” or “Do you have financial problems?” if so, then try/buy this product and all your worries will disappear!?
Advertisers know that by provoking a certain emotion or feeling in the audience (by using a trigger device, i.e. the product) they automatically stimulate the selfish desire.
By influencing how we feel they can then influence how we act. Which in this case, occurs as a purchase of the product. The key is to stimulate the right thoughts, in the right type of people.
This is why you see TV ads targeting certain types of people at different times of the day, such as advertising male products around sporting events.
Without this knowledge many of the things you do will be done automatically with little or no conscious thought, just like a reflex.
This is commonly seen with ‘impulse purchases’ where someone suddenly sees something, buys it, but later regrets it.
By understanding the ‘triggers’ in your life, you gain a greater control of not only your thoughts, but also your actions.
5 - We Are All Ignorant
Not even Einstein knew everything about the subjects he studied, so why do we often assume that we are experts on something?
No matter how much you learn, there is always more you can learn. In this sense, we are all ignorant and carry out our actions based on incomplete information. Recognising this characteristic encourages you to become a life long learner.
This not only stimulates and enriches the brain, but also allows you to carry out your actions with a greater degree of certainty as to how the results will unfold.
I am currently reading a book about the brain and it talks about this very subject.
The more you use your brain, the stronger it becomes. By constantly learning new information and skills, you can keep your mind healthy and agile throughout your whole life.
One of the best ways to do this is through reading, which you are doing right now. Reading not only fills your mind with new ideas, but is also excellent exercise for the brain and helps to improve concentration.
While I’m on the subject, have you ever heard the saying ‘TV rots the brain’? Well it’s true! Watching excessive amounts of TV has been shown to physically damage the brain and give the viewer a short term attention span.
Did you know your brain is more active during sleep than when watching TV!?
6 - We All Have An Ego
Freud described the Ego as the part of you that experiences and reacts to the outside world. Some people have big ego’s, whilst others a small ego. Ego’s have a lot to do with our self image and self esteem.
As I discussed In a previous article “The Principles Of Success” having a strong ego (or high self esteem) allows you to react positively to problems and criticisms you may face, thereby giving you the strength to keep trying rather than give up and quit.
Most people actually criticise you because they are jealous of something you have or are doing. So see it as a compliment and let it empower you!
If you have low self esteem, recognising this fact and then working to improve your self esteem, could perhaps be the biggest and most important change you make in your life.
What Have You Learnt About Your Personality Characteristics?
Well…you learnt that the world is full of 6 billion lazy, greedy, ambitious, selfish, ignorant and egotistical people! Is it any wonder the world is like it is!?
But with that said, it should be remembered that these personality characteristics themselves are neither good nor bad, it is how you use and balance them in your life what matters.
Take some time to reflect upon what you have learnt in this article and actively use it to improve your life. It is only through small, but constant daily improvement will one succeed.
If you can do this, you will be one step closer to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. You will then look behind you and be amazed at how far you have come!
“The Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Begins With A Single Step”
Email This
August 13th, 2007 at 8:39 am
You are making a great job in putting all this things in simple words so any one can follow it.
PD sorry about my spelling I’m mexican and me to am doing my best
August 15th, 2007 at 4:47 am
thank you Fernando, I am glad you enjoyed it!
May 7th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Hi Martin,
Just a few words related to your article.
I am not sure about the ambition trait: in fact the problem of many people is the lack of ambition; I think competitiveness is a more general trait, stemming from the inborn fight for survival;
Also, I think selfishness and ego are the same thing: it seems to me that what you call ego is just selfishness without shame.
Now, speaking about fear, a trait that we all share, the fear of criticism/rejection is the most debilitating to achieving your potential in life. This is my big fight which is far from being over..You know, I keep reading and learning about how it works, still I can’t control it despite being more aware of its causes…but I will never surender.
R
PS. great website, I enjoyed reading through!
May 17th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hi Radu,
Thanks for your comment.
I was using the term ambition in the sense that most people desire something more in their life, something that will enrich it and make it better.
This may be material goods, relationships or personal development. So in this sense i felt that all people are ambitious because they desire some kind of improvement/enhancement to their life.
The level of this ambition will vary, and some people may be ambitious for lots of things, whilst others may be content with getting a little extra.
Of course your right when competitveness comes into play this can fuel a persons ambition even more.
You are correct about selfishness and ago, although i divided the two to make two seperate points.
The first being that we all act from our own point of view, and as a result our external actions are the result of internally driven processes (emotions).
The second point being that your ego is linked to how well you handle criticism and your self esteem. With a strong ego you are unlikely to be dissuaded by other people who put you or your abilities down. This gives you the strength to continue forward, and achieve your goal.
You are right about fear. This is something which causes a lot of problems for people, and can be a big roadblock in peoples lives.
You have the right attitude to overcome it, by educating yourself and never giving in eventually you will overcome it.
I find that with most fears there is no magic cure that will make it suddenly go away. This is something that ultimately you will have to overcome yourself, although this does not mean that others cannot help you.
Can you tell me more about your fear? What is it you fear? What sort of things trigger fear in you? How do you react in a fear situation? What have you tried doing? Have you examined your childhood, for past experiences that may explain what you are fearing now? How is your nutrition? Are you eating well? do you eat junk food? Do you take any drugs?
June 30th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
What a follow up comments
this is awesome you did a great job Martin
very informative articles.
thanks peace be with you …
August 27th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
This was an enjoyable read! Thank you so much for posting these kinds of articles. Theyre so helpful, I just happened to be surfing the web when I came here, and now I’ve been reading about 3 or so posts! I like how its heartfelt and simple, and funny
August 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I think I may actually bookmark this site..!