This article is about a Ted talk’s lecture “Who are you, really ? The puzzle of personality” by the Research Professor Little at Cambridge University. His work is focused on personality based on the Big Five theory. He considers personality as a spectrum on which humans are positioned. The Big Five theory argues that we possess personality traits that classify us along five dimensions : open to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Our personality, according to these dimensions, influences the way we act and interact. In this lecture the Professor Little describes three natures of humanity: neurophysiological, sociogenetic and idiogenetic. The idiogenetic nature represents each individual’s own personality. Depending on our personality, where we are situated on the five spectrums, our needs may differ. For example, a person with a high level of extraversion will be more fulfilled in a place full of stimulation while a person with a low level will prefer to be in quiet places. However, the Professor Little reminds the audience that we cannot define someone by a number of personality traits. What truly defines us is our personal actions and projects. Thus, we are made of free traits when we act in the pursuit of our project. These traits can move away from our personality because it allows us to progress in our personal project.
We found this video very interesting because it popularizes the studies on personality. In this way, this online lecture on the Youtube platform enlarges the access to psychological knowledge with a simple vocabulary that everybody can understand. Moreover, the professor Little uses a lot of humor which makes the speech more dynamic. He also gives several examples that provides a better understanding of the concepts of personality and relates them to our daily actions. Indeed, the professor Litlle has been elected Favorite Professor by the student at Harvard university for three consecutive years. In addition, he made important contributions to the psychological research. Specifically, he created a general methodology for examining the daily pursuits of individuals and groups called Personal Projects Analysis.
Nevertheless, we have identified a few limitations to this video. We found that the researcher focused his speech more on the extraversion and introversion dimensions than on the others. It would have been interesting to see how other dimensions such as openness to experiences can be manifested through our behaviors. In addition, although the explanations are clear and illustrated, they are not very thorough. It remains a lecture for an audience that does not have much knowledge of psychology. However, this video is based on high quality scientific experiments and explained by a certified professional.
As future psychologists, this video reminds us that we need to take into consideration the personality of the patients we meet because we are not going to interact with everyone in the same way. The personality reveals some of the patient’s resources and limitations and therefore can help us to orient the therapy. It is important to keep in mind that personality is an evolving process and we cannot rely on this aspect only as professionals. The concept of free traits in personality explained by the Professor Little leads us to take into account the part of the individual’s adaptation. Nous ne devons pas nous fermer à la personnalité mais il faut considérer les projets du patient pour mieux comprendre ses comportements. We must not only focus on the personality but also consider the patient’s projects to better understand their behaviors.
Key words :
- Personality = personnalité
- Big 5 theory = théorie des Big 5
- Idiogenic nature = nature idiogénétique
- Personal project = projet personnel
- Free traits = traits libres
We have learned :
- Fulfilled = épanoui (from fulfill = combler, accomplir)
- To move away = s’éloigner
- A glimpse = un aperçu
- Misconstrued = mal interprété (from misconstrue = mal interpréter)
- Heedful = attentif