March 5th is Multiple Personality Day

According to Holiday Insights (n.d.), Multiple Personality Day is a day to connect with your selves. To a certain extent, I believe each of us possess various personalities without crossing the line into psychological disorder. If we reflect on our personality we will likely see the many facets that make us who we are.

On Multiple Personality Day, take the opportunity to explore your personality traits. Some of our personality traits may be inherited. Other personality traits may have developed because of the influence environmental factors have had on us. In exploring trait theories, I found out that "[contemporary] trait theorists have boiled personality traits down to five basic dimensions: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and culture" (Morris & Maisto, 2005, p. 434, para. 5). Carl Rogers, humanistic theorist, suggests that the closer our self-concept is to that of our actual inborn traits, the more fully functioning we will be (Morris & Maisto, 2005).

Do you know your selves? How do your personality traits differ today than how you see yourself in the past? If you recognize personality differences between past you and present you, reflect on reasons for significant personality changes through the years. This kind of self-reflection can be interesting and enlightening. You may also be able to define the kind of changes in your personality you would like to see for your future self. Our personalities can appear different to different people depending on our particular situations.

For example, when you attend a family get-together on a Saturday afternoon and are with family members who have known you your whole life your family may describe you as sociable, enthusiastic, warm, and cheerful. Fast forward to returning to a higher stress environment on Monday morning where co-workers may describe you as intimidating, driven, productive, and quite serious. Sometimes how people will see us will depend upon what parts of our personality surface for the particular situation we find ourselves in.

We can assess ourselves by way of objective personality test, and additionally, ask others who have known us for a long time to rate us using the same test. We can then compare how we see ourselves with how others who know us well see us. An objective personality test is a test that helps us take inventory of our personality. Take a Big Five Personality Test found at http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/, personality tests found at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes1.htm, or choose from a few personality tests found at http://similarminds.com/personality_tests.html.

On Multiple Personality Day, take some time to discover your selves. You may find personality traits you love and others you're not so crazy about. With self-awareness you are better able to understand why you feel what you feel and how and why you react the way you do to various emotional situations. You will also gain the knowledge you need to make changes you want that will enrich your future self and your quality of life.

References:

Holiday Insights. (n.d.). Multiple Personality Day. Retrieved from http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/March/multipersonday.htm

Morris, C.G., & Maisto, A.A., (2005). Psychology: An introduction, twelfth edition. Prentice-Hill. Pearson Education, Inc.