trainees had high potential, one-third had normal potential, and the potential of the rest
was unknown. In reality, the trainees were randomly placed into those categories by
the researchers. The results confirmed the existence of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The
trainees whom instructors were told had high potential scored significantly higher on
objective achievement tests, exhibited more positive attitudes, and held their leaders
in higher regard than did the other two groups. The instructors of the supposedly high-
potential trainees got better results from them because the instructors expected better per-
formance. Expectations may not be the only factor leading to the self-fulfilling prophecy,
however. In some cases, it is the treatment that individuals receive from instructors and
others that accounts for higher performance. For instance, instructors might put more
time and effort into those individuals who are expected to perform better.
As you can see, perception plays a large role in how people are evaluated. Personality,
which we review below, is another major factor affecting how people relate in the work-
place.
PERSONALITY
Why are some people quiet and passive, while others are loud and aggressive? Are
certain personality types better adapted for certain job types? What do we know from the-
ories of personality that can help us explain and predict the behaviour of leaders such
as Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, or George W. Bush? How do we explain the risk-taking
nature of Donald Trump, who still sees himself as the greatest businessman in America
even though his hotel and casino businesses have gone through two bankruptcies? In this
section, we will attempt to answer such questions.
What Is Personality?
When we talk of personality we don’t mean that a person has charm, a positive atti-
tude toward life, a smiling face, or is a finalist for “Miss Congeniality.” When psychol-
ogists talk of personality, they mean a dynamic concept describing the growth and
development of a person’s whole psychological system. Rather than looking at parts of
the person, personality looks at the whole person.
Gordon Allport produced the most frequently used definition of personality more
than 60 years ago. He said personality is “the dynamic organization within the indi-
vidual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his envi-
ronment.”^32 For our purposes, you should think of personalityas the stable patterns
of behaviour and consistent internal states that determine how an individual reacts to
and interacts with others. It is most often described in terms of measurable traits that a
person exhibits. For an interesting look at how personality can affect business dealings,
you might want to read this chapter’s Point/Counterpointdiscussion on page 58.^33 The dis-
cussion centres on how flexible and inflexible personality is. You may want to read the
Case Incident—The Rise and Fall of Dennis Kozlowskito see how one man’s early life might
have affected how he later ran his business. In addition, this chapter’s CBC Videw Case
Incident examines the personalities of two business partners.
Personality Determinants
An early argument in personality research centred on whether an individual’s personality
was predetermined at birth, or the result of the individual’s interaction with his or her
environment. Clearly, there is no simple answer. Personality appears to be a result of both
influences. In addition, today we recognize a third factor—the situation. Thus, an adult’s
personality is now generally considered to be made up of both hereditary and envi-
ronmental factors, moderated by situational conditions.
Chapter 2Perception, Personality, and Emotions 41personality The stable patterns of
behaviour and consistent internal
states that determine how an indi-
vidual reacts to and interacts with
others.5 What is personality
and how does it affect
behaviour?NovaScotian Crystal