Read and Explore
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Studying personality is an interesting pursuit. What makes human beings different from one another is not only their genetic (基因的) make-up or their physical appearance, but also their personality. Read the following text and reflect on your own personality. How much do you know about yourself? How much do other people know about your true self?
Personality Development
1 People come in all shapes and sizes. They also come with distinctive personalities. The combination of characteristics that makes you different from every other person is your personality.
2 One's personality can be summed up in a word. People might say that Harry is shy; Tasha is aggressive; and Shannon is outgoing. Actually, personalities are more complex than this. A closer look at personalities will show you why they are not so simple, and you will also discover that your personality can be shaped if you make the effort.
3 A person's personality is composed of many elements. These elements, in general, fall into three categories — emotional,social, and intellectual.
4 Every person feels the same basic emotions, such as fear, happiness, anxiety and pain, yet each responds to them individually. When Kara’s grandmother died, for example, her sorrow was expressed through tears. Another person might show the same kind of sorrow in a quiet, reflective way. Similarly, when you hear a piece of good news, you may jump up with joy and may immediately decide to throw aparty for your classmates and friends to share your happiness and joy; another person may just keep the good news to himself or herself and just enjoy the happiness secretly. As you observe how people handle their emotions, you start to form a picture of this part of their personality.
5 People are also different in how they relate to others. This reveals the social side of their personality, and there are plenty of variations. Some people prefer the company of others rather than being alone. We say they are sociable. Others are just the opposite. Most people want some combination of the two.
6 Intellectual traits are the third part of personality. These qualities are influenced by the mind and how it works. One person may prefer spending his spare time in deep thought. Another may be more creative. Jake, for example, often has people in his class laughing. He sees humor in almost everything and is able to express it in entertaining ways.
7 The emotional, social, and intellectual traits of personality become apparent toothers through behavior. Usually you need to get to know a person well enough before you can discover the full depth of that person’s personality.
8 When you start thinking about what you are like, you may start wondering why you are that way. Explaining why personalities develop as they do is not easy. That is because two influences are at work: heredity and environment. And no one really knows which one has the greater effect. In fact, the combination of these influences may not be the same for every person.
9 Heredity is one influence on personality. Heredity is the set of characteristics that you inherit from your parents and ancestors. “He’s just like his father,” Mrs. Miller always says about her son Todd, now 17. Since Todd’s father died when the boy was only a year old, heredity explains the resemblances, for evidently, Todd has had no opportunity to learn these traits from his father.
10 Other aspects of personality are shaped by what goes on around a person. Environment — the circumstances, objects, and conditions that surround people — also has an impact on personality. This influence is very strong and very complicated. Home life, for example, affects children’s personalities as they grow. People who feel loved and secure are likely to develop more positive personality traits than those who are troubled as they grow up. That is why divorce is a harmful social practice that often exerts a negative effect on the growth of young children.
11 Personalities make people interesting. How boring it would be if everyone had the same personality. On the other hand, some personalities are more pleasing than others. What about you? Are you satisfied with your personality? Or is there something — even a small quality — that you would like to change? Most people have at least some personality adjustments they would like to make.
12 Adolescence is a time for personality development, and personality is developing right along with everything else. For young university students, shaping your personality as you want it to be may be easier now than later, for you are changing while you are learning. Think about the personality traits that you admire. Just as an athlete builds skills, you can build the personality you want to have, but only if you are determined to do so.
