Personality

Carsinian Thau

With respect to pschology of personality, is it possible for a person to be completely devoid of personality? What I mean by this is that there would be nothing at their core (no values, desires or even opinions) but instead a personality constructed around their social setting. Almost as if they have an extreme adaptive personality whereby everything could be altered by their location + company and nothing real or genuine forms any part of them.

LilMrsDahamsta

Sounds like you're describing Walter Mischel's Situationist perspective on personality. Might be worth googling based on that.

Valmont

I suppose it could Skinner also, he stressed that personality is just a consistent pattern of behaviours that are reinforced through our environment.

JuliusCaesar

Carsinian Thau wrote:

What I mean by this is that there would be nothing at their core (no values, desires or even opinions) but instead a personality constructed around their social setting.

I would doubt this in the extreme. After all, there are basic heritable personality traits seen in newborns. Plus, physiological desires. People can try to be 'featureless' for whatever reason, but it has been found that as we grow older, we become more ourselves. When we are younger, we try to be other than ourselves, maybe aspiring to an ideal of what /how we think we shold be. (no ref for this unfort - if anyone knows, do stick it on!)

Valmont

JuliusCaesar wrote:

but it has been found that as we grow older, we become more ourselves. When we are younger, we try to be other than ourselves,

The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice, no joke! You have the first part word for word, funny coincidence:D Although I'm sure there is some peer-reviewed research on the subject!

JuliusCaesar

Good heavens! I'm an unwilling plagiariser! Tell your tutors it DOES happen! :eek: