12/1/13
1. Which one of the four personality theories discussed in Chs 19 & 20 do you favor and why?
I believe the humanistic theory has the most influence of our personality and determines our behavior, environment and circumstances. The human brain is the most powerful part of what makes us human by allowing a higher level of understanding of the environment we live in.
Problem solving and realizing the circumstances of a given situation, also distinguishes ourselves from other primates but also allows us to change our situations, even if we are predetermined to exist in a certain way of life. This higher level of; abstract reasoning, language and problem solving is due to a well-developed neocortex, prefrontal cortex, temperol lobes and the sociological learning process. This means that we are smart enough to change or alter any part of our environment if we choose to. Our ability to develop our own perspective about any given situation or the, phenomenological perspective, allows us to choose what should be, not only does this allow us to wish for change but also develop a thought of how to improve that idea. This means that if something is believed then that will become the reality, as in Lorenos case. Another factor that contributes to the development of personality is identifying a situation as a whole. A personality is more than the sum of its parts, but rather a combination of factors like desire, motivation, and ability. According to Maslow, desire is the primary factor of why we do what we do, so our wants dictate the environment that we learn in. Human desire to understand and influence their environment, and explain and manipulate phenomena, has been the foundation for the development of the strength of a humans personality, which ultimately defines us as homo sapiens sapiens. This defines the holistic aspect of what makes us, who we are, not just the fact that there are many different parts of how and why we choose a certain perspective of a personality, but the fact that we can choose is the most important part of how and why we develop our personality through changing our environment. This defines self- actualization which refers to the human ability to become any part of our potential