PERSONALITY

We are all unique in our ways. While our ancestors might have employed primitive behaviour, today we have the luxury to make choices from a myriad of options in all aspects of life. Thanks to this, we now have more complex personality traits.

Flexibility

Have you ever had difficulty persuading someone to consider an option? If yes, you might have dealt with a rigid person. Sticklers for dated beliefs, they frown upon new ideas and possibilities. Open-minded people, in contrast, tend to explore new ideas and rise to challenges. They make tremendous business people, ready to address issues instantaneously and change their paradigms if needed. At the extreme end are those who go overboard with making changes. No matter how engaged they are in an activity, they quickly lose interest and get sidetracked. This raises the issue of mental health.

Mental Balance

You are sure to recognize them. They never seem to lose their temper. ‘How on earth do you ever manage to keep a cool head when things go haywire around you?’ you may wonder. I think it all lies in the intellectual development: apparently such people tend to employ rational thinking regardless of a situation. They acknowledge that some circumstances are beyond their control and there is little they can do about it, so they take difficult situations on their stride. Most people, however, lose their temper easily. In some cultures, high tones and neurosis have become so common, that well-balanced people can be misunderstood.

Integrity

Where does this inner morale come from? Is it the upbringing or development that is in play? The integrity of some people is mistakenly believed to border with naivety, but what clearly prevents the former from crossing the line is the individual’s self-respect. A person who is genuine and sincere can be thought to be too good to be true. It might take you a while to get to know them better to understand they are anything but. At the same time, the person can have a healthy sense of self, which makes them so unique.

On the flip side of the coin are people for whom deceit is second nature. They are often mixed up in shady dealings, trying to get things done in an underhand manner. You can never rely on them. With these extremes on both ends there is a great number of people in between who share both qualities.

Our Self-Image

More often than not, we can evaluate our qualities objectively. However, depending on several factors, we tend to exaggerate or focus on this or that aspect of our personality. For example, it is true that rather than giving a warts-and-all self-complexity in social and working environment, we try to present ourselves in the best of light. On the other hand, a personal failure, and a chain of negativity goes spiraling down. So how can we influence our self-image? The best advice is to work hard and produce a quality output--be that enforcing a bond with your nearest and dearest or offering the society quality services in your professional field. In my opinion, only by this fulfillment can we really improve our self-esteem.

Our personality is versatile. By reflecting on our penchants, habits and inner values, we can gain a lot of insight about ourselves and understand others a bit better.