Chapter 17 A Closer Look at You Chapter 17 A Closer Look at You Contents Section 17.1 Your Personality Section 17.2 Develop a Positive Attitude 1
Section 17.1 Your Personality Personality develops from heredity and environment. There are three elements of personality. These are emotional traits, social traits, and intellectual traits. 2
Content Vocabulary " introvert " extrovert Academic Vocabulary " unique " bias 3
Personality Development What makes you different from your family, your friends, and everyone else? Your personality. Your particular assortment of characteristics is what makes you unique. unique Being one of a kind. 4
Personality Development Heredity and Environment An individual s personality is affected by a huge number of things. There is no precise formula. The two most important factors are heredity and environment. These are sometimes referred to as nature and nurture. You inherit raw material from your biological parents and your environment molds that material. 5
Personality Development Self-Improvement You can like and accept yourself and still try to improve. Self-improvement does not have to mean changing yourself. It can simply be a continual effort on your part to learn about more things. It is always good to add more skills to your list of abilities. 6
Elements of Personality A personality changes constantly. It grows by adding new traits or reacts to various influences. Emotional Social Intellectual Personality 7
Elements of Personality Emotional Traits A person experiences eight basic emotions: Fear Surprise Sadness Disgust Anger Anticipation Joy Acceptance 8
Elements of Personality You cannot control how you feel, but you can control how you respond to and act on your emotions. Think about the cause of your emotion and consider the consequences of various actions. Acting too quickly on a strong emotion may result in behavior that only makes a problem worse. 9
Elements of Personality Social Traits People generally relate to other people in two ways, either as an introvert or an extrovert. Any person can experience either trait at one time or another, but usually a person favors one. However, being too much of either can be negative. 10
Elements of Personality Social Traits An introvert that favors reflection may miss out on many positive social interactions. introvert A person focused inward on himself or herself. 11
Elements of Personality Social Traits An extrovert who is constantly engaging with others may not spend enough time understanding themselves. extrovert A person who is focused outward on others. 12
Elements of Personality Intellectual Traits Your mental abilities include your critical thinking skills, imagination, and personal perspective. The creative process allows a person to think and express themselves uniquely. However, no matter how logical you try to be in your thinking, you perceive things with bias. bias A preference, especially one that prevents impartial judgment. 13
After You Read Review Key Concepts Describe how personality is shown in daily life. Personality is shown by a person s qualities and behaviors and by the way a person interacts with others. 14
After You Read Review Key Concepts Identify the eight basic emotions people feel. Fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation, joy, and acceptance 15
Section 17.2 Develop a Positive Attitude A positive attitude helps in many areas of life. It is important in self-esteem. There are ways to improve self-esteem and build a positive attitude. 16
Content Vocabulary " attitude " optimist " pessimist " serotonin " self-esteem Academic Vocabulary " recognize " asset 17
What is Attitude? A person s attitude defines how they approach the world. Have you ever heard a coach or teacher say that someone has a good attitude? That means that he or she tends to look at things positively. attitude A person s state of mind or feeling. 18
What is Attitude? An attitude can be described as positive or negative. Although your attitude can change depending on your mood or situation, you generally have one attitude more often than others. A person who looks at the world positively is an optimist. optimist Someone with a positive point of view. 19
What is Attitude? Someone who sees things negatively is a pessimist. pessimist Someone with a negative point of view. 20
What is Attitude? There are several factors that determine personality, including your mood, situation, experience, knowledge, and levels of serotonin. The chemistry of your brain can have a large effect on your mood and behavior. High levels of serotonin generally lead to optimism. serotonin A brain chemical that affects mood and attitude. 21
What is Attitude? The Impact of Attitude A positive attitude often attracts more friendships and allows you to acknowledge more options in problem solving. Thinking positively can also help you reach your goals, since believing you can do something is a major source of encouragement. Positive thinking is even better for your health. It can ward off stress and leave your body less susceptible to sickness. 22
What is Attitude? The Impact of Attitude Positive thinkers, however, need to make sure that they are thinking critically. Looking at things optimistically might mean that a positive thinker fails to recognize when something is actually wrong. recognize To know or identify, especially from past experience or knowledge. 23
What is Attitude? The Impact of Attitude Negative thinking often has negative effects. A person who is unpleasant to be around may find that their relationships fade away. Effects such as this can actually make a person think more negatively. 24
What is Attitude? Change Your Attitude Your attitude affects how your respond to a situation. You can analyze and address your attitude and even change it in order to encourage more productive behavior. In the middle of crisis, it may be difficult to think optimistically. Pessimism, however, will probably make the situation worse. It takes understanding and a conscious effort to change your view of a situation. 25
What is Attitude? Change Your Attitude To change your attitude, focus on the three main ways you react: Mental Emotional Behavioral Your emotions may be hard to change, but if you make a change for the better, it can lead to a healthier life. 26
Self-Esteem and Attitude Your behavior is also affected by how you perceive and approach yourself. Having good self-esteem allows you to be confident and believe that you can handle anything. People with healthy self-esteem welcome new situations, take credit for their success, cope well with failure, and are not easily hurt by the words or actions of others. self-esteem The way one feels about oneself. 27
Self-Esteem and Attitude Positive Self-Esteem and Relationships Self-esteem and relationships positively affect one another. When people feel good about themselves, they are more open and confident in their interactions with others. When people relate well, an individual feels good about being respected by someone else. The connection between self-esteem and relationships is important to remember in a family. Positive family interactions are especially influential on the self-esteem of children. 28
Self-Esteem Improve Self-Esteem There is no easy recipe for good self-esteem. The best way to improve it is to fulfill your four emotional needs: Identity Belonging Security Purpose Accept and be proud of who you are. Encourage strong connections to others. Make sure you feel safe and supported. Know what you want to achieve. 29
Build a Positive Attitude When life is challenging or your day is not going well, try to think and act positively. A positive outlook can be a valuable asset in approaching and fixing the things that go wrong. asset Something of value. 30
Build a Positive Attitude Try these tips for thinking positively: Take positive action. Talk positively. Accept yourself. Stay open to new things. Reach out to others. Assert yourself. Accept and respect others. 31
After You Read Review Key Concepts Describe the effect of serotonin on attitude. The more serotonin there is in the brain, the more positive attitudes seem to be. Lower levels of serotonin tend to lead to less-positive attitudes. 32
After You Read Review Key Concepts List the emotional needs that must be met to improve self-esteem. The needs for identity, belonging, security, and purpose. 33
After You Read Review Key Concepts Identify ways that you can work to accept yourself. Recognize your weaknesses as well as your strengths; learn from your mistakes; set goals and reward yourself when you reach them; compare yourself to yourself, not to others; measure progress from where you were, not by where you are. 34
End of Chapter 17 A Closer Look at You 35