Personality is defined as ‘characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations.’ Each and every individual holds a specific notion about their personality that is characteristic of them. The term ‘Personality’ is comprised of the different ways in which one can define his/her own existence. It also gives an account of one’s experiences in the context of the behavior displayed by the person. Through this one can define the self.
Several approaches have been made by different psychologists in order to develop an understanding of the behavioral qualities of an individual. All of these theories and models are based on the different aspects of human behavior. All of these theories account for specific aspects of personality. The different approaches are namely Trait Approach, Type Approach, Psychodynamic Approach, Humanistic Approach, Cultural Approach, and Behavioral Approach.
The psychologist has concocted several techniques for assessing personality in different ways. Some examples of tests are- the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire, The Rorschach Ink Blot Test, The Thematic Apperception Test etcetera. Amongst all of these, the Big Five Inventory is the most used as it is based on the criterion which expands among all of the different factors of the personality, which allows psychologists to collect as much accurate information as possible.