Philosophy of Personality

Philosophy of Personality

The diversity in people’s personality tends to affect how individuals behave from time to time during their interactions with one another. Aspects of personality reveal the character of a person, both strengths and weaknesses. Theologically, the nature of a person should solely depend on his or her belief in God and direction from biblical teachings concerning the interactions of human beings. Emphasis is on the core value of love, love for God, self, and others. Therefore any behavior one displays should have a reference attached to the virtue of love, among many other teachings from the scripture. Therefore, love is the center and backbone of human existence and interaction. Although different aspects affect the character of individuals, the most significant element is spiritual, which implies that theologically, personality is significantly influenced by the belief in God.

Naturally, the personalities of people bring about the uniqueness among human beings, which results in flavor in social interactions. Theologically, all characters should exercise the virtue of love, no matter their personality orientation or diversity. According to the Bible teachings, God is love; therefore, if people claim to know God or have a relationship with Him, they must exercise love in their anions. The questions often asked on the philosophy of personality are; are there specific guidelines on what it entails to act, right? Are there links between the secular understanding of the character and the Christian perspective? Is it possible to embrace both secular and theological perspectives of the philosophy of personality?

The Philosophy of personality is a concept that is often viewed from the secular angle — theoretically, secular means where there is no God. Therefore, the philosophy of character from a secular perspective perceives personality from an outlook where God is not involved. Scholars argue that personality is shaped from an early age and is influenced by different factors such as the environment, the upbringing, the values instilled, worldview of an individual, people’s customs, and their moral system. When a child is born, he or she is predisposed to what is right or wrong; hence, he grows up knowing the dos and don’ts of life. The family as the basic unit of the society is mandated to inculcate moral values to the children as early as possible to comfortably fit in society.

Although the family is mandated naturally to teach values to young ones, that is not always the case among some of the family units. Some of the dysfunctional families let children create their moral system that they live thus developing questionable personalities. Families that have inculcated values often raise children with a balanced character; however, sometimes, the people they interact with bear a negative implication on their behavior and eventually, their personality.

Personality entails inbuilt traits of individuals that define them and unconsciously affect their behavior. If the character is built over time, a continuous repeat of a particular trait of behavior may influence a change in personality. For instance, an individual with a quiet and reserved personality, spending most of their time with loud and outgoing people, will gradually adapt traits of being a sociable individual hence a shift in their personality trait over time. Therefore, personality traits that are not dominant in a person can be transformed if prompted by circumstances.

Personality from a Theological/Biblical Perspective

The society has moral systems that govern the behavior of people. However, individuals are guided by a supernatural being with principles and requirements on how people should supposedly live with one another as they interact daily. Theology argues that God is the center of all human existence; therefore, affects most of the functioning of man in the universe. Ideally, God does not come down from heaven to control social activities on earth but directs human action through the Bible. The Bible acts as a manual on how human beings should live on earth under the watch of God.

God manifests Himself in the trinity as God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. The three are one but have different roles they play in the lives of human beings. The father is the creator of heaven and earth. As the word suggests, He has traits of a father towards His children who are human beings. God created all human beings and through procreation, they have increased from Adam and Eve, to the many people that are existing in the world today.

The Son Jesus Christ is another part of the trinity that plays a different but crucial role. After human beings sinned against God, the Father was angry with them and wanted to destroy the universe He had created. However, Jesus Christ came to redeem man from destruction by dying on the cross so that human beings could be reconciled back to their God the father. Therefore, only those who accept Jesus as their savior will be saved and have eternal life with God in heaven. Therefore, the decision one makes on whether to have a relationship with God or not is voluntary, which implies that not all human beings created by God have accepted Jesus as their savior. If salvation was mandatory, all human beings could receive it. Christians believe that those who have received Jesus Christ are a new creation hence are supposed to live per the newfound faith. Thus, Christians are not expected to continue with the old lifestyle when they attain a new life through Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, acts as a counselor, a teacher, meant to show direction, a helper, and comforter, among many different roles He plays as God. Once a person receives salvation, he or she is supposed to ask God for the Holy Spirit, a helper. A helper intervenes when the need arises. Once a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, it teaches one to say no to ungodliness, which is human nature. Normally, human nature is naturally sinful; hence, the Holy Spirit tries taming the flesh from doing evil and offers directions to doing good. Concerning personality, the Holy Spirit has a way of dealing with negative traits that may be contrary to the desires of the flesh.

Every personality has its dark side that often brings about conflict during interactions with other people. The Holy Spirit teaches individuals in handling the weaknesses’ and provides wisdom on how to live with fellow human beings. For instance, if a person is hot-tempered, the Holy Spirit teaches on how to deal with the aspect of anger since rage is not a trait that people can gladly embrace. Human beings often avoid the company of temperamental people as they are not sure about what happens next when such a person gets angry. Nonetheless, this understanding does not imply that angry people do not have the spirit. The Holy Spirit works with individuals gradually as people allow Him and He does not force His way into human beings.

The philosophy of personality from a theological point of view tends to analyze the personality of people as per the influence of their belief in God. Every person under the sun has a personality that dictates how he or she lives and interact with others. These personalities, however, often are influenced by a spiritual being that deals with the mental aspect of the person. God in His Trinity, God the father, son, and Holy Spirit influence one’s personality to some degree. Those who have received salvation believe that they no longer live in the flesh, but under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit directs their endeavors and decisions of life. There is a difference between living in the flesh and living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. People may have the same personality but act differently due to the aspect of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, individuals who believe in God personalities’ are influenced by the principles of the Bible that encourage love and care. Whereas some individuals’ personalities are guided by the societal norms, the Biblical doctrines uphold the need to people to live in peace and harmony every time. Thus, even though the peoples’ characters are inert, the Bible teaching and the Holy Spirit helps individuals to uphold good behavior and morals regardless of the natural personality.