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Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Essay

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Running head: BIOLOGICAL AND HUMANISTIC APPROACHES TO PERSONALITY

Mileva Repasky
PSYC 250
Jean M. Porter
University of Phoenix

Personality can be defined as “the complex of all the attributes-behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental-that characterizes a unique individual.” (Princeton University, n.d.) Personality has been studied and explained for a long time and is linked directly to Maslow’s humanistic and biological theories. This paper seeks to describe the biological factors that influence the formation of personality. It will also examine the basic aspects of humanistic theory that are incompatible with biological explanations of personality. The proponents of humanistic theory were Abraham Maslow and Carl …show more content…

However as much as his ideas may look fulfilling, they are partially correct. The significance of environment cannot be ignored in personality assessment which the theory ignores. However, other aspects of development in human like introversion, extroversion and temperament have been represented in the theory giving it credit. (Diane, 1985). In comparison, the humanistic approach seeks to explain personality using an environment perspective while the biological view does not involve it. However, the biological approach provides detailed description of personality assessment differently to humanistic which leaves a quest for much description. Both theories are very significant in personality assessment. If merged together, they can provide an almost satisfying personality assessment. The fact that our motivation influences our personality as per the humanistic approach is true. Again, the environment we are in acts as a great determiner to our personality. On the other side, genetically make up influences how we behave, and we inherit characters that build our personality from our parents. How we feel about ourselves also plays a major role in our personality as defined in the biological theory. The Biological factors that influence personality can be described in the big

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