Personality contains characteristics inside people that explain why they do the things they do. Although, personality can be divided into two parts, the first, personality from the inside, which is called identity. Much of it involves things that are only accessible to the person him- or herself -- your inner thoughts and feelings. Some of it is thought not to be available even to yourself-- your instincts and unconscious motivations. This is the person you think you are. In other words, personality is still very much in a "pre-scientific" or philosophical stage, and some aspects may well always remain that way.
The second is personality from the outside, otherwise known as your reputation. This is the person others think you are, and can be best defined in terms of self confidence, integrity, charm, sociability and creativity, or their opposites.
From a more scientific point of view personality can be divided into seven categories which are psychodynamic, phenomenological trait/factor biological behavioral, cognitive, and social .
Research in personality ranges from analyses of genetic codes and studies of biological systems to the study of sexual, social, ethnic, and cultural bases of thought, feelings, and behavior. Personality research includes studies of cognitive abilities, interpersonal styles, and emotional reactivity. Methods range from laboratory experiments to longitudinal field studies and include data reduction techniques such as factor analysis and principal components analysis, as well as structural modeling and multi-level modeling procedures. Measurement issues of most importance are those of reliability and stability of individual differences.
Personality theories attempt to account for individual behavior. A theory is a model of reality that helps us to understand, explain, predict, and control that reality. In the study of personality, these models are usually verbal. The word “theories” is used as we all have pretty direct access to our own thoughts and feelings, and plenty of experience dealing with people. The scope of such theories is vast. They describe how genetic tendencys and biological mechanisms combine with experience as children develop into young adults who will show behavioral patterns over their life span. Personality researchers report heritability coefficients, relate MRI scans and EEG activity to intellectual performance and emotional reactions, and predict job outcomes and lifetime satisfaction. They examine the dimensions of self description and the many ways feelings, knowledge, and beliefs combine in behavior. Personality research ranges from tests of evolutionary theories of jealousy to analyses of the structure and content of one's life story.
Usually when we talk about someone's personality, we are talking about what makes that person different from other people, perhaps even unique. This aspect of personality is called individual differences. For some theories, it is the central issue. These theories often spend considerable attention on things like types and traits and tests with which we can categorize or compare people: Some people are neurotic, others are not; some people are more introverted, others more extroverted; and so on. Personality theorists are interested in the structure of the individual, the psychological structure in particular. How are people "put together;" how do they "work;" how do they "fall apart."
Some theorists go a step further and say they are looking for the essence of being a person. Or they say they are looking for what it means to be an individual human being. The field of personality psychology stretches from a fairly simple empirical search for differences between people to a rather philosophical search for the meaning of life!
Personality disorders are lifelong conditions in which personality traits are so inflexible and maladaptive that they cause social and occupational impairments and considerable distress, to others if not to the people themselves. Many different types of personality disorders are recognized. The paranoid personality, for example, is unduly suspicious and mistrustful. Histrionic personalities are characterized by overly dramatic behavior and expression. People with narcissistic personalities tend to be self-important and need constant attention and admiration. Those with antisocial personality disorders have a history of violating the rights of others and of failing to observe social norms.
