What Is Personality Development? Why Is It Important?

It is not rare to hear people say, “He has a good personality,” “I admire her personality,” or “Personality is what matters, not looks.” 

Personality development is the key to a good personality.

“Personality” is a word that is used quite often. It’s a characteristic set of behaviours, attitudes, ways of thinking, and emotional patterns that distinguish a person from the rest of the crowd.

 The unique attributes that differentiate one person from another are a result of individual personalities.

Personality indicates the external outlook of an individual. A person’s values and physical, mental, and social qualities are integral to his/her character.

Now that you know what a personality is, let us get started, answer all your questions, and en route you on the road to building a unique personality for yourself. 

Key Takeaways

• Importance of having a good personality
• Characteristics of a good personality
• Understand the factors that determine the personality of an individual
• Know more about a good personality
• What is Personality Development
• Top 10 tips to build your personality

Why is Personality Important?

A good personality will help you grab people’s attention. 

You will be tagged as “interesting”, giving you a competitive edge in life. 

Top-tier institutions value the weight of personality more than any other factor.

Having a bright personality will help you progress in your professional and social life.

Characteristics of Personality

Before moving on to the best practices to build a good personality, here are a few things you need to know about the characteristics of personality. 

Personality varies from person to person and is highly influenced by the social interactions a person comes across in his/her life. It is built over many years and is not something that can be moulded without effort. 

A person’s personality speaks a lot about them and displays multiple expressions, thoughts, feelings, and close relationships. 

Factors Determining the Personality of an Individual

Many factors determine an individual’s personality. Some of these factors are: 

• Environmental factors: The culture a person is raised in, his/her family values, peer group, social groups, and traditions are the major contributors to a person’s character. This factor significantly impacts how a person perceives things and people.
• Situational factors: Extreme situations might cause a person to behave differently and add a new dimension to their personality. Every problem a person comes across provides them with an opportunity to learn and grow. These situations impact a person’s way of thinking and change their working styles, which gradually affects their personality.
• Inheritance:Genetic studies have shown that the majority of personality traits are inherited. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself or your way of thinking very similar to your parents/grandparents.
• Identification factor: A person’s personality gets influenced when he/she tries to identify with their role model and starts behaving accordingly. This factor is prominent among Gen Z, who get obsessed over a particular TV show character, a celebrity, or any specific influencer they observe. They get subconsciously influenced by them and try to integrate their traits with their existing personality. 

What is a Good Personality?

A good personality is relative, and every personality has both good and bad traits. Below are a few qualities widely accepted as good personality traits. 

Being honest and having an optimistic nature are considered the most essential traits of having a strong personality. 

Being determined and independent in every aspect of life is crucial to a good personality. 

Being curious, loyal, courageous, and cheerful will help you build your character. 

Personality Development

Personality development involves building capabilities, nurturing your skills, and enhancing your talents. It is undertaken by a person to create a unique personality.

It is equally important to work on your weaknesses to transform them into your strengths. Weakness brings an opportunity to grow and make yourself a better version of yourself.

It is the journey of building a highly influenced character by the experiences encountered by the person. 

Social, financial, and environmental factors significantly influence personality development.  

The Importance of Personality Development

You now know why and how a good personality is essential. Before we move on to developing a good personality, let us discuss the importance of personality development. 

Here are a few reasons why personality development is essential. 

• Personality development allows you to discover your true potential and capabilities. With a good personality, you will understand yourself better and look at things with an open mind, helping you grow in your personal and professional life. 
• It helps you communicate precisely and put forward your views in the right way.
• Assist in building your own identity. Having a unique personality is accompanied by several pros.
• It empowers you to make well-thought and intelligent decisions.
• Personality development helps build confidence, which is the most important thing that will help any person win. 

Top 10 Tips for Personality Development

Acceptance 

Accept what you are. Keep in mind that every single person has their own unique characteristics. 

You are unique in your own way. You must understand that you are incomparable, so you must never compare yourself to anyone. 

Work towards making yourself a better version when compared to how you were before, but do not try to be someone else.

Start appreciating your qualities and working towards making them stronger. 

Leave your Comfort Zone 

Personality development happens only when you are out of the bubble that you grew up in. Accept reality and be more outgoing to understand different cultures better. 

Try to understand various cultures and interact with multiple people. This will help you build an opinion of your own about everything that is happening around you. 

Stop going by the shared beliefs people have about things and have a justification for your opinion. 

Stay Enthusiastic

A few people light up the room the moment they enter, right? Why is that so? 

Being enthusiastic gives out positive vibes, which keeps the people and surroundings around you active and alive, impacting your way of life. 

Be the one to initiate conversations; try to include everyone in the room in your discussions.

This will help enhance your leadership skills while teaching you the art of making everyone feel important. As a good leader, that quality is critical. 

Be Happy

Do not be a permanent complainer. No one likes to be associated with people who crib constantly. 

Learn to look for happiness in the small things around you and be content with what you own. 

Staying happy helps in lifting your mood and, in return, improves your productivity.

Appreciate Peers 

Never compare your success with others. Everyone has their own success stories. Respect and celebrate your peers’ achievements.

Appreciating and learning from their efforts and hard work is the stepping stone to your success.

Never envy what others have achieved and avoid saying phrases like “He got lucky,” “She doesn’t deserve it,” etc. 

Improve your Body Language 

Body language is a form of Non-Verbal Communication that involves the way you carry yourself, your posture, walking style, body movements, dressing style, gestures, etc. 

Studies have proved that an individual’s personality can be understood by solely observing their actions. 

It is essential to portray confidence, empathy, and calm through your body language. A few ways you can start improving your body language are by walking straight and talking confidently.

Evaluate Yourself

Being better than yesterday is crucial and the most essential element of being successful.

Continually evaluate yourself, know where you were before and where you are now, set targets, and work towards them. 

Ask for constructive feedback from your well-wishers and consider positive criticism as a door to improvement and an opportunity to build a better version of yourself.

Be Optimistic

Look at the future with a positive attitude. Being optimistic will train your brain to expect success, and you will unknowingly start working towards success. 

Being optimistic will help you handle failures better and learn from them. Optimism teaches you to treat setbacks as challenges and find solutions for them rather than giving up.

 Radiate positivity; it will decrease your stress. 

Be Warm and Approachable 

A smile is the best outfit any person can ever wear. 

It makes you look approachable, and people will prefer to associate with you. 

It is crucial to have a healthy social circle. It is essential to build connections and improve your personal and professional network. 

Get Rid of Negativity

Negativity can enter your life either from within yourself or through negative and destructive influences around you. Knowing when someone is negatively influencing you and when to distance yourself from them is essential. 

Jealousy, Short-tempered, rudeness, and unfair comparisons are a few examples of the traits you should get rid of. 

Clean yourself by getting rid of negative emotions and preparing yourself to achieve extraordinary things in the future.