UNDERSTANDING OUR IDENTITY AND PERSONALITY :

 Our identity:

Most people have either a social security card or an identity card. We also carry a visiting card with information on our employment history, credentials, and status. We can practice a particular religion at home, or we may practice a different branch of the same religion. We are also masculine or female, a husband or wife, a parent or son. Our ties with different people and institutions shape who we are. All of our relationships with other people are profoundly impacted by our knowledge of the mentioned identities.

According to Vedanta, this is not who you really are. A person is only a human being when all of the mentioned identities are taken away from him. He is on equal with every other organism. He uses his senses to perceive the world and experiences happiness and sadness, just like all other living things. His physical body is supported by an energy system that is derived from his food intake. His five senses each detect five distinct objects, which are then transmitted to his mind for processing and compilation. The "I" within him is content with this process.

 Meaning of Personality:

The term "personality" describes the particular arrangements of ideas, emotions, and behaviours that characterise a person and indicate how they choose to engage with the world. It includes a person's persistent characteristics, attitudes, values, and behaviours that are largely constant throughout time and in various contexts.

 Numerous theories and frameworks, such as the following, can be used to understand personality:

    • Trait Theories:These theories concentrate on defining and classifying particular traits.

    • Psychodynamic Theories:Stress the importance of early experiences and unconscious processes.

    • Humanistic Theories:  Emphasise the significance of personal development and self-actualization.

    • Social-Cognitive theories: Analyse how a person's surroundings and cognitive functions affect their behaviour.

Everything being considered, personality is a complex, multifaceted idea that greatly influences how people perceive the world, make decisions, interact with others, and live their lives.

 Evolution of the body-mind complex

Our Vedic sages shared fascinating facts and conjectured about the origins of the physical body. It is consciousness that takes on various forms, from powerful beasts to grass blades. According to the Upanishad, the Supreme Being revealed as the five elements: fire, water, earth, air, and space.

Three traits or inclinations are attributed to the creative force, sometimes known as "The Nature." They are known as the guna(s), specifically tamas, rajas, and sattva. This hypothesis is supported by a substantial body of empirical observation. Three tendencies can be seen in human nature. Some people are introspective, calm, quiet, and happy. Some have an aggressive, avaricious, and dominant personality. There are those who lack initiative, are slothful, lethargic, and uninteresting. Though the psychologists may refer to them as personality types, the ancient sages made this observation.

All human behaviour, regardless of its quality, is the outcome of the three gunas. This is also evident in animals. While some are aggressive and restless, others are calm and docile. Because of the three previously mentioned qualities, it is also found that the food we eat affects our thinking. Certain foods are both calming and beneficial to health. Some result in bodily heat and associated changes, while others lead to mental dullness. Only these kinds of foods are the derivatives of the depressants. The three dispositions or tendencies in everything in the cosmos were noted by the sages.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, all that exists in the cosmos is a result of the three above tendencies. The origin of all things in the universe is nature, also known as Prakrti. The diversity of the universe arises from the endless combinations of all three of these guna(s). The elements that we are familiar with—earth, water, fire, air, and space—are the first to result from this. Further, the three gunas are also present in these five elements. The five elements are the only substances that make up everything, life or non-living.

The sattva component of the elements evolves into the mind and senses of all animals, including man. The rajas component of the elements evolves into the organs of action (hands, feet and other limbs) of all animals. The tamas component of the elements evolves into the gross elements around us.

We have five senses, each sense able to cognize only one sense object. The nose can only notice smell, the eye can only notice form of an object and so on. The mind is able to cognize all the five sense objects. Senses and mind are said to evolve as follows. It is stated that the sense of hearing evolves from the sattva component of space. It is stated that the sensation of touch develops from the sattva component of air.It is stated that the sense of sight develops from the sattva component of fire (fire also gives light). It is thought that the taste buds develop from the sattva component of water. It is stated that the sense of smell develops from the sattva component of earth. It is stated that the mind arises from the collective sattva component of all the five elements. The five different kinds of sensory signals that the five senses provide to the mind can be compiled by the mind.

Four levels are used by Vedanta to study the phases of mind. Manas is the mental stage of basic cognition, while buddhi is the mental stage of analysis of that cognition. At this point, a concept of "I" and "I have known this" exist. The concept of "I," or "ahangkara," is the name of this stage. "Cittam" refers to the remembering and subsequent reliving of an event.

The Bhagavad Gita provides a summary of the information above regarding the relationship between consciousness and the physical body. The Upanishads and later Vedic writings go into considerable length regarding the same topic. We know that there is another vital component, the life force, in addition to the mind and senses. We refer to this as Prana-Shakti. Without breathing, living things cannot exist. It is stated that the body's air system is its vital force.

Personality - natured or nurtured :

There is a complicated and ongoing argument about whether personality is predominantly nurtured (formed by environmental influences including upbringing, society, and experiences) or natured (genetically inherited).

Nature (Hereditary Factors):  There is a strong genetic basis for personality traits, according to some studies. Research on twins and adoption has demonstrated that identical twins, who have almost all of their genes in common, typically have more alike personalities than fraternal twins, who have only half of their genes in common. This shows that personality qualities including conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion are influenced by genetics. Furthermore, specific genes linked to particular personality traits have been found thanks to developments in behavioural genetics.

Nurture (Environmental Factors):  However, the environment has a big impact on how a person's personality develops. A person's personality is shaped by a variety of factors, including upbringing, parental practices, cultural influences, peer interactions, education, and socioeconomic status. Children who grow up in loving, caring surroundings, for instance, may acquire qualities like empathy and emotional stability, whereas children who experience negative events, such trauma or neglect, may acquire maladaptive personality traits.

The relationship between nature and nurture is actually more nuanced than this straightforward duality suggests. The majority of modern psychologists acknowledge that personality is shaped by a combination of environmental factors and genetic predispositions. This viewpoint, which is sometimes referred to as the "interactionist" or "biopsychosocial" paradigm, recognises the interaction of hereditary, environmental, and personal elements in the formation of personality.

While genetics contribute to predispositions and certain traits, environmental factors play a crucial role in determining how these traits manifest and develop over time. Personality is best understood as the result of a dynamic interplay between genetic predispositions and environmental influences.