Title: Personality and Culture (sample research paper)
Headings: Personality and Culture: Individualism Versus Collectivism
Personality and Culture: Individualism Versus Collectivism
RUNNING HEAD: Personality and Culture
ABSTRACT
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Content: Instead, individual personality development and characteristics is also at play in these characteristics. Even though a culture may be described as a whole using the individualism-collectivism framework, there is some danger in applying these principles directly to the perceived personality of the individual, and it may even lead to excessive stereotyping and misunderstanding of individual personality and characteristics. Instead, understanding of the individualism-collectivism framework can be combined with theories of personality in order to allow a deeper understanding of personality development. Two such theories, those of Erikson and Jung, can be used in conjunction with the individualism-collectivism cultural-level personality framework in order to better understand the potential impacts of culture on personality. Eriksons theory of personality was built on Freuds structural model of personality, and maintains many of the characteristics of this model (Ewen, 2003). However, Erikson rejected the concept that personality was set in early childhood, instead taking the path of defining personality as a constantly evolving characteristic. Erikson based this in two fundamental observations: first, as one ages, the individual experience becomes larger and has the potential to impact the individual, and second, that repeated experiences of failure or success have the potential to impact the personality (Ewen, 2003). Eriksons model progresses through eight separate stages, which persist across a life time (although individual experience of these stages may vary depending on the individuals personality development). These include hope (roughly corresponding to infancy), will (toddlerhood), purpose (kindergarten), competence (mid-childhood), fidelity (puberty and teenagerhood), love (early adulthood), caring (mid-adulthood), and wisdom (old age) (Ewen, 2003).