Concept of personality in Indian tradition

 

 

 

Personality is however the most important topic of western psychology. It is defined as a unique model of thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Every personality has its own special characteristics. The traits of one personality differ from the traits of other personality types. Based upon the scale of traits, Myers and Briggs formulated a personality indicator which is very popular in the field of psychology. According to the indicator, a personality is either introvert or extrovert. There are sixteen types of personality based upon the permutations and combinations of these introvert and extrovert traits according to Myers- Briggs Indicator.

 

Freud propounded that Id, Ego and Superego are the driving forces of one’s personality. Id is instinct, ego is rationality and superego is parenting or conditioning of the mind. Carl Jung divided personality into introvert and extrovert. Maslow threw light on the concept of personality by his theory of the hierarchy of needs- physical, safety, social ,esteem and self actualisation. John Watson is known for his personality theory of behaviourism. According to him, the environment impacts our personality in a decisive manner. Western psychology considers personality as the blend of innate or genetic qualities and environmental impact. Indian seers and philosophers have delved deep into the different types and dimensions of human personality. According to Sanskrit dramaturgy, there are four types of heroes. The first is Lalit or light hearted. The second is Shanta or peaceful. The third one is Dhirodatta or exalted and the fourth is Dhirodhatta or vehement. According to the Ayurveda, the relative dominance of Kapha, Pitta and Vata determines the type of personality. Kapha is the cooling system of the body. Pitta indicates fire or temperature.

 

Vatta is the moving energy in the body. Predominance of these attributes determines the physical and emotional aspects of human personality. A balanced personality has a harmonious combination of all these three attributes.The Taittariya Upanishad describes human personality as an integrated whole of five sheaths namely body, breath, mind , intellect and bliss.The concept of Triguna is the unique description of human personality. There are three types of Gunas or attributes. Sattva Guna is purity. Rajas is activity and Tamas is inertia. All these three attributes constitute human personality. The type of the personality is determined by the predominance of a particular attribute. Even a highly evolved person has Tamasic or low attributes in his personality, but these attributes are not dominant. On the contrary an evil person also possesses Sattvic or pure attributes, but in a subdued manner.

 

According to the Indian concept, these attributes keep on changing. The aim of a person should be to climb the higher ladder of attributes and become an evolved person. Many ways are prescribed in the Indian traditions to evolve and develop human and divine qualities. These ways are called Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. Jnana Marga is the discriminative faculty of the mind to understand wrong and right. Bhakti is the devotion to the Almighty and Karma is the performance of duties without getting attached to them. Thus, we find a beautiful account of human personality in Indian scriptures and also the methods and tools to elevate and evolve it. The Indian concept of personality is quite dynamic and evolving without any stereotypes.