What is personality psychology?
For this presentation, I have decided to talk about personality psychology and describe it specifically in relation to nursing home residents. Therefore, it is first necessary to understand what personality psychology is, what it does, and how popular it is. Personality psychology focuses on understanding normal human personality and, at the same time, works on recognizing any potential disturbances that can cause distress and complications in various areas of life (Cherry, 2019). I believe this field of psychology is extremely popular because it gives professionals an opportunity to immerse deeper into individuals and contribute to making their life better.
Careers and famous professionals
Professionals who desire to specialize in the sphere of personality psychology have a huge choice regarding the place they can work. For instance, they can choose to focus on conducting research in order to better understand how human personality is formed and what the influences are on it (Miller, n.d.). Others might prefer to become private consults and advisers to various businesses and organizations for the purpose of putting their skills and knowledge into practice (Miller, n.d.). Some of the most famous personality psychologists are Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, Albert Bandura, and others. They all made huge contributions to the development of this field of science.
Personal Interest
Now, we can move deeper into my specific interest, which is personality psychology in relation to nursing home residents. I am extremely passionate about this subject because I would like to personally understand how nursing homes affect motivation and psychological adjustment. In order to do that, I have to receive a large amount of theoretical knowledge about human personality and the various phenomena that influence it. I personally work in a nursing facility; therefore, having this knowledge will give me a unique possibility to apply it in my life and contribute to personal, and professional development.
The Research
For the analysis, I have chosen the study called “Actual environments do affect motivation and psychological adjustment: A self-determination theory in a natural setting”. The main idea that the research supported and that fits in my field of interest is that “environments that are objectively supportive of autonomy should facilitate psychological adjustment through their impact on people’s subjective perceptions of autonomy and self-determined motivation” (Philippe, 2008, p. 81). It was concluded that those nursing homes that promote the ideas of autonomy and support were associated with higher levels of self-determination in residents and their major motivations were insignificant life domains (Philippe, 2008).
Personal Thoughts on the Research
As can easily be noticed, the presented study largely relates to my field of interest and give an insight into the topic of personality psychology in nursing homes. By looking at the results of this study, professionals can not only increase their knowledge and understand what influences individuals living in nursing homes but also take this information and put it into practice. As a result, it might be possible to contribute to making the conditions in nursing homes better and more convenient for those living there. People can feel more motivated and, therefore, increase their psychological adjustment.
Future Ideas for Research
I believe that more research has to be conducted on the topic of personality psychology in different settings. Even though there is a large number of studies that date hundreds of years ago, a lot of evidence and support for some popular ideas, psychology is such an unpredictable and ever-changing science that is able to provide professionals with new insights every day. Consequently, it would be beneficial if specialists continued to research this subject and apply it to a variety of settings, age groups, genders, nationalities, and ethnic groups. After all, we are all different, and our personalities can give new insights into the field of personality psychology.
References
Cherry, K. (2019). Personality psychology. Verywellmind. Web.
Miller A. (n.d.). Jobs in personality psychology. 2021, Web.
Philippe, F. L., & Vallerand, R. J. (2008). Actual environments do affect motivation and psychological adjustment: A test of self-determination theory in a natural setting. Motivation and Emotion, 32(2), 81-89. Web.