Definition of Personality

Although many psychologists have attempted to define personality, they do not agree with each offers a unique personal vision, and version. According to Schultz and Schultz (2009), personality is the uniqueness of an individual which is characterized by relatively enduring external as well as internal aspects. Personality has an impact on one’s behavior in various circumstances. Psychologists refer to personality as not only external but also visible characteristics which others can observe in an individual. The impression that one has on others define their personality. In defining personality, psychologists include many attributes that an individual possess but such attributes go beyond physical qualities. The word personality comprises subjective emotional as well as social qualities. That is, it includes those qualities which people cannot observe directly, those which an individual may hide from other people. This implies that personality is an impression people make of others or what they appear to be. Personality is also defined as one’s enduring characteristics suggesting that it is not only predictable but also stable. While personality is flexible, it is rigid to sudden changes. Besides enduring characteristics, personality is also defined as an individual’s unique characteristics. It has been suggested that personality comprise enduring as well as a unique collection of characteristics that may change depending on circumstances (Schultz and Schultz, 2009).

Methods Used to Study Personality

Psychologists employ various methods to study personality. Three of the most frequently used methods are experimental designs, case studies, and correlational designs.

Case Studies

Despite their controversy regarding the method used in data collection, case studies have been used as research methods. In the case of study, reports of past studies are used as sources of data. The method is regarded as a robust research method used in situations that demand rigorous investigations. Since it involves the use of qualitative and quantitative data, the method is suitable for explaining not only the process but also the outcome of an event through complete reconstruction, observation, and analysis of selected cases (Zainal, 2007). One major advantage of this method is that the examination of the research data is usually carried out with the context in which the actions occurs. Differences with regards to the collective, instrumental, and intrinsic approaches allow for not only qualitative but also quantitative analysis of the collected data. Another advantage is that the detailed qualitative data usually produced help to not only explore or describe data in real life scenario but also assist in the explanation of complexities encountered in real life circumstances which may not be featured in either survey or experimental research. The disadvantage of case studies, however, is lack of rigor. Since the subjects used are usually small, they are not suitable for scientific generalizations. Case studies are often too long, results in a lot of documentation, and are quite complex.

Correlational Designs

Correlation has defined as a link, a relationship or an association between two variables. Therefore, in a correlational study, the idea is to establish whether or not there is a link, a relationship or an association between two variables (Kalla, 2011). In some studies, it involves a study of a study of whether a manipulation such as increasing or decreasing one variable has a corresponding effect of increasing or decreasing another variable. Three types of correlations are a negative correlation, positive correlation, and no correlation. Unlike experimental design methods, correlational designs allow the investigators to collect sufficient data. Since the studies are conducted outside the lab, the results of the study apply to real-life. The method offers very little chance of determining or proving causation (Filipowich, 2018). A correlational relationship does not exhibit which variable is dependent on another. As with experimental design, they lack not only external but also internal validity.

Experimental Design Methods

Experimental design involves allocation of participants in a study to different conditions or independent variables in an experiment. The different independent variables or conditions include independent measures or between the groups, repeated measures or within the groups, and matched pairs (McLeod, 2007). In independent measures, different subjects are used for each condition, while repeated measures use the same subjects in each condition in the experiment. Matched pairs, however, use different subjects in each condition but they are paired in terms of key characteristics such as intelligence, age, gender, and so forth. Advantages associated with this method include its ability to be applied in many fields of research, high level of control over the variables used, clear conclusions, and ability to use many variations. However, some of its disadvantages are a greater likelihood of committing human errors, time-consuming, and the ability to control the variables may be prone to manipulation of data to suit researcher’s predetermined outcomes (Flow Psychology, 2016).

References

Filipowich, M. (2018). What are the advantages & disadvantages of correlation research? Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/advantages-disadvantages-correlation-research-8359597.html
Flow Psychology. (2016). Seven advantages and disadvantages of experimental research. Retrieved from https://flowpsychology.com/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-experimental-research/Kalla, S. (2011). Correlational study. Retrieved from https://quizlet.com/119686013/quiz-on-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-correlational-and-experimental-research-flash-cards/
McLeod, S. (2007). Experimental design. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/experimental-designs.html
Schultz, D.P. & Schultz, S.E. (2009). Theory of personality. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Zainal, Z. (2007). Case study as a research method. Retrieved from http://psyking.net/htmlobj-3837/case_study_as_a_research_method.pdf