Unit 1 Personality Useful Information In a general sense,the term personality refers to all the personal and moral characteristics that determine the way a person thinks,feels and acts in his or her social and personal relations. These traits include a vast variety of attitudes and attributes such as shyness,generosity,patience, flexibility,sadness,humor,cheerfulness,selfishness,independence and aggressiveness.Most people are a mix of positive and negative traits.Personality traits that are valued in one culture may be frowned upon in another culture.Similarly,qualities that are encouraged in boys might be regarded as negative traits in girls. It is difficult to know exactly how much of our personality is inherited and how much is determined by parental and peer group influences.Is there a gene for shyness or stubbornness,for example?Are we born compassionate or do we acquire certain attitudes from our parents,our grandparents,our friends and other role models?Most research tends to suggest that our basic personality is inherited but that many factors shape and mould our personality as we mature.If our personality were entirely a result of our genes,then it would be virtually impossible to alter undesirable traits or to strengthen our weaknesses. Most lucid individuals,at some point in their lives,realize that certain aspects of their personalities constitute drawbacks in their relationships with other people.A selfish person might discover that selfishness does not create lasting friendships.An ill-tempered or intolerant person might find cooperative teamwork very difficult.A quiet shy person might find some work situations very stressful.Recognizing one's strengths and weaknesses is an important step in the process of personal development because this can bolster self-confidence and motivate the desire to improve oneself.A person who is able to evaluate his or her strong points and weak points-with the help of parents,friends,teachers or aptitude tests-is also better equipped to make career choices.Different jobs require different personalities.A person who is matched appropriately to the skills and attitudes required for a particular job is more likely to be effective and successful. In recent years,various studies have shown that health and personality are interrelated. Negative attitudes can have negative effects on a person's health.In constantly looking at the dark side of things,a pessimist can become discouraged to the point of feeling helpless.This passivity can,in turn,lead to destructive behavior such as drinking too much alcohol or becoming mean and bitter.Optimists,on the other hand,attempt to make the best of a situation.Rather than regarding themselves as victims,they feel that they have some control over their lives. The power of positive thinking has been used by sports psychologists for many years to help athletes control their nerves and build up their self-confidence.By visualizing themselves in a winning situation,athletes increase their chances of being successful.Similar approaches are being used with cancer patients.While optimism or positive thinking cannot actually cure a disease,it appears to contribute to well-being and to keep the disease at bay.Optimism is associated with hope,and hope,at any stage in one's life,is always a mobilizing and energizing force.Unit 1 Personality Useful Information In a general sense, the term personality refers to all the personal and moral characteristics that determine the way a person thinks， feels and acts in his or her social and personal relations. These traits include a vast variety of attitudes and attributes such as shyness, generosity, patience, flexibility, sadness, humor, cheerfulness, selfishness, independence and aggressiveness. Most people are a mix of positive and negative traits. Personality traits that are valued in one culture may be frowned upon in another culture. Similarly, qualities that are encouraged in boys might be regarded as negative traits in girls. It is difficult to know exactly how much of our personality is inherited and how much is determined by parental and peer group influences. Is there a gene for shyness or stubbornness, for example? Are we born compassionate or do we acquire certain attitudes from our parents, our grandparents, our friends and other role models? Most research tends to suggest that our basic personality is inherited but that many factors shape and mould our personality as we mature. If our personality were entirely a result of our genes, then it would be virtually impossible to alter undesirable traits or to strengthen our weaknesses. Most lucid individuals, at some point in their lives, realize that certain aspects of their personalities constitute drawbacks in their relationships with other people. A selfish person might discover that selfishness does not create lasting friendships. An ill-tempered or intolerant person might find cooperative teamwork very difficult. A quiet shy person might find some work situations very stressful. Recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses is an important step in the process of personal development because this can bolster self-confidence and motivate the desire to improve oneself. A person who is able to evaluate his or her strong points and weak points—with the help of parents, friends, teachers or aptitude tests—is also better equipped to make career choices. Different jobs require different personalities. A person who is matched appropriately to the skills and attitudes required for a particular job is more likely to be effective and successful. In recent years, various studies have shown that health and personality are interrelated. Negative attitudes can have negative effects on a person’s health. In constantly looking at the dark side of things, a pessimist can become discouraged to the point of feeling helpless. This passivity can, in turn, lead to destructive behavior such as drinking too much alcohol or becoming mean and bitter. Optimists, on the other hand, attempt to make the best of a situation. Rather than regarding themselves as victims, they feel that they have some control over their lives. The power of positive thinking has been used by sports psychologists for many years to help athletes control their nerves and build up their self-confidence. By visualizing themselves in a winning situation, athletes increase their chances of being successful. Similar approaches are being used with cancer patients. While optimism or positive thinking cannot actually cure a disease, it appears to contribute to well-being and to keep the disease at bay. Optimism is associated with hope, and hope, at any stage in one’s life, is always a mobilizing and energizing force