Behavioral Science - An Interview about Personality and Attitude - Essay Example

Running Head: Behavioral Science Behavioral Science: An Interview about Personality and Attitude A Discussion of Interview Results Name of Professor Date of Submission I. Introduction The behavioral scientist who engages in the study of personality is always confronted by a problem. S/he attempts to explore what is to her/him the most interesting and remarkable issue, that is, the complex human processes in the natural environment. The problem rest in the inconsistency between the intricacy and diversity of an individual’s personal experience, and the plain equivalent of these experiences the behavioral scientist is able to investigate successfully with the research methodologies available to her/him. If s/he embraces the arguments of firm detachment through controlled observations s/he discovers her/himself pushed to the edge of the very dilemma s/he tries to understand, to a situation in which the trustworthiness of measurement and the predictability and reliability of her/his instruments can generally be identified but merely at the cost of deserting the objective of valuable generality or of relevance to the person in her/his commonplace life conditions. In spite of this difficult setback, the focus, which is the individual, is pretty interesting, so essential to understand, and the prospective returns quite great, that behavioral science has never become deficient of highly critical, resourceful students. The objective of this paper is to discuss the results of my interview with an individual whom I feel comfortable with talking about personal topics, such as personality and attitudes. The discussion will be divided into four sections: first is all about learning and memory; second is the result of the Myers-Briggs test personality test of the interviewee; third is all about the different aspects of the interviewee’s attitudes such as perception, influence and belief; and the last section will discuss about motivation. II. Discussion of Results Dave, the interviewee, is quite responsive and open to the questions. Nevertheless, the truthfulness of his responses cannot be objectively ascertained since the reliability of the results, such as those of the Myers-Briggs test, will be interpreted by me and judged by Dave himself. Therefore, the results of the interview will be subjectively discussed. The first set of questions in the interview pertains to learning and memory. Dave admitted that he prefers to study alone rather than studying with peers. He explained that he finds it difficult to concentrate in understanding complicated concepts whenever there are people around him. This preference is quite contrary to mine because I find it a lot easier to understand difficult concepts through brainstorming with peers. While Dave has an individual-centered learning approach, I have a group-centered one. On the other hand, and somehow ironic, Dave is not easily distracted with noise or loud music. He even prefers rock music while studying. He said that rock music pumps up his thoughts and it helps him during cramming. I also like better studying with music but not rock music, but classical ones. And unlike Dave, I am easily distracted by noise. Hence, I prefer studying in a quiet place with my peers. In terms of memory or ability to recall information, Dave said that he effectively remembers things that are visually presented rather than those that are plainly written or listened to. Moreover, he easily recalls information that is obtained through actual observation or active participation, such as field studies, rather than those obtained through reading or listening to lectures. He even admitted that his most hated subject is history or anything that has to do with memorizing large chunks of information, names of people, dates and places. He furthered that he has to be involved in a particular event in order for him to recall it easily. Similarly, I find visual presentations of information easy to recall and those that I have an active involvement with. But on the contrary, memorizing information through reading or listening to lectures is not a difficult task for me. I am fairly flexible when it comes to retention of information. The second set of questions in the interview concerns the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Dave took the test online. He was very interested to know the result. His personality type according to the test is E (extraverted) S (sensing) F (feeling) J (judging). Being an ESFJ implies that Dave is a people-oriented person. He is sincerely concerned with others. He uses his sensing and judging attributes to amass detailed, complete information about others, and transform this gathered information into encouraging judgments. The result also implies that people like to be with Dave, for the reason that ESFJ has an extraordinary gift of constantly boosting the self-esteem of others (Fadem, 2008). When I asked if he thinks the Myers-Briggs result is accurate, he answered that 50% of the overall result is accurate. The test was accurate in sensing and judging. He verified that he commonly uses his rationality in perceiving things and making decisions. On the other hand, he said that the first two, extraverted and feeling are quite inaccurate because he admitted that he prefers being alone rather than being in the company of people. He furthered that he is concerned with other people but he feels uncomfortable in a crowd. On the contrary, my Myers-Briggs result shows that I am an ISFP. This means that I am a person who reaches understanding by thinking and reflecting, contemplating things, a person who is used to ponder over things. It also means that I am insightful and calm. Moreover, it indicates that I prefer work space which facilitates solitude and concentration. And lastly, it signifies that I am conscious of internal philosophy and guiding principles (Fadem, 2008). My result is apparently dissimilar with that of Dave’s. The results in fact show that we have an opposite personality. However, I think my result is 25% inaccurate. As I have mentioned earlier, I prefer brainstorming with my peers rather than working or studying alone hence the interpretation that I prefer privacy in my work space is inaccurate. The third set of interview questions relate to self-perception and influence upon attitudes. Dave said that he is self-conscious of his own attitude. He normally thinks first before acting or giving his opinion. He does not like people who are tactless or inconsiderate, and hasty in making decisions. He is very concerned with what people will say or think about him so he makes sure that he is acting or behaving appropriately in front of other people. According to Dave, this inclination is largely influenced by his parents who instilled in him the wisdom that individual identities are also formed by how other people see them. This belief is expected for the reason that his parents are both professionals, his mother being a university professor and his father being a city councilor. Yet Dave admitted that even though he was raised in a very sociable environment he still feels uneasy in the presence of other people, especially in a crowd. In contrast to Dave’s self-perception, I am more inclined to be spontaneous in my behavior. I am impulsive or I am not fond of planning things ahead. But similar to Dave, I am very much concerned with other people’s feelings so I usually think over my next act or opinion before actually performing or saying it. But unlike Dave, I am not that concerned with what other people will think or say about me. For me, my identity is my own doing and perception and is not determined by other people’s thoughts about me. This value was inculcated to me by my siblings who are independent and identity-resolved. Meanwhile, Dave thinks that an individual’s gender, race and ethnicity play a large part in forming an individual’s personality and attitude. For Dave, external influences are sometimes more powerful than internal motivations. For instance, gender stereotypes for males, such as that they are emotionally implicit, are repressive but influential in shaping a man’s identity. Similarly, racial affinity impinges upon one’s personality because of the societal stigma attached to various races as well as ethnicity. Dave admitted that his perception of his identity is continuously influenced by these external forces. Likewise, I believe that external influences are as powerful as internal ones. But the influence of these outside forces can be controlled by internal motivation or if one’s perception of own identity is achieved or firmly grounded. Unlike Dave, I am largely influenced by internal forces, such as my own perception of my identity. And lastly, in relation to motivation, Dave admitted that he is frequently motivated extrinsically or he prefers tasks that are reasonably rewarded or compensated. Financial motivation works strongly on him. If he thinks that a particular task will not benefit him in any way he will refuse to perform it or they have to force him to do it and give him practical reasons to accomplish the task. He said that he is also motivated by internal motivations such as personal growth or development but these are situated in the bottom of his list. On the contrary, I am more motivated internally. I am motivated by external motivations such as rewards or possible returns but the motivation is fleeting. After receiving the compensation I feel unfulfilled. I prefer performing tasks that would develop me personally and improve my capabilities. I think that these internal motivations are more crucial to future success than external motivations that are normally temporary. III. Conclusions Studying personality and attitudes confer numerous benefits. It increases personal integrity or fosters greater self-awareness. It also increases personal independence or freedom because it potentially cultivates conscious control of one’s behaviors stemming from release from external forces and subconscious influences. Moreover, study of personality could generate a general personality system which allows an individual to see himself/herself and others in a holistic perspective. And lastly, it fosters respect and understanding of others. References Baughman, E. E. & Welsh, G.S. (1962). Personality: A Behavioral Science. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Fadem, B. (2008). Behavioral Science. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Lindgren, H. C. & Bryne, D. (1971). Psychology: An Introduction to a Behavioral Science. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More