What is Personality? — Living Fluctuations and Labeling

What exactly is personality?

I believe that a person's personality differs depending on the situation.

The self at work,
the self when with parents,
the self when with friends,
the self when with a lover.

Most people are likely different in every situation.

At work, "responsibility," "evaluation," and "role" come to the fore.
→ Rational, defensive, efficiency-oriented

In front of parents, childhood memories and roles are rebooted.
→ Tendency toward being spoiled, rebellion, dependence, and feelings of helplessness

In front of friends, the relationship becomes horizontal.
→ Playfulness, humor, and a sense of one's true self

In front of a lover, the need for approval and attachment are strongly activated.
→ Kindness, jealousy, anxiety, and possessiveness

Are these just false images?

No, they are not.

They are all the real self.

Personality is not something fixed, but something fluid.

At a workplace where I used to work, I picked up some trash because it was on the floor. Then, a senior colleague said to me,

"Oh, you pick up trash?"

I was surprised by that comment.

(I pick up trash, obviously.)

I remember feeling a bit annoyed by that.

If I pick up trash at home, my family would never say such a thing to me.

Why did my senior colleague at work say that?

That is,

My senior had labeled me as 'not the type to pick up trash,' but in reality, by 'picking up the trash,' unexpected information had slipped in. And because that came as a surprise, what slipped out of my mouth was,

'So, you actually pick up trash.'

That is what it was.

In other words, personality is,

nothing more than a label applied by others.

People do not see everything about others.

They see a part of that person, and,

This person has a kind personality.
This person has a serious personality.
This person has a short-tempered personality.
This person has a sloppy personality.
This person has a cheerful personality.

and so on, they look at only a part of that person and label them.

In reality, we see things in a more complex way, but
I have written about that in detail in my previous post, 'Deciphering Human Personality through the Ten Worlds,' so I would appreciate it if you could refer to that.

And strangely enough, the person who has been labeled becomes careful not to step outside of that frame.

It is just like being under hypnosis.

However, I believe this is a socially necessary function.

The person who applies the label finds comfort in simplification, and the person who is labeled tries to prevent friction with those around them by conforming to it.

In other words, labeling has

the function of reducing cognitive costs,
stabilizing groups,
and simplifying interpersonal predictions.

It possesses these functions.

Conversely, isn't the idea that 'there is only one true self' actually a modern illusion?

In other words, labeling is the lubricant of society.

However, if the labeling is too strong, the person who is labeled will force themselves to try to fit into that frame, which can result in high levels of stress and potentially become a factor in mental illness.

Let us ask once again,

What is personality?

I pose this question.

This may be sudden, but I work in a hospital laboratory.

A book in the laboratory contained the following passage.

“The changes in a living organism that are the subject of clinical testing are fuzzy, and fundamentally different from measuring inanimate rigid bodies. The characteristics of a living organism lie in possessing both homeostasis and fluctuation. In other words, a living organism is constantly fluctuating, but that fluctuation remains within a certain range, maintaining constancy. This can be compared to measuring the body length of a living chick. Because the chick is constantly moving, it is difficult to measure it down to the millimeter, and it must be measured quickly with a coarse ruler. Furthermore, because it is covered in abundant feathers, it is not clear where the 'true body' ends, and the feathers move even with a gentle breeze. However, if you peel off the feathers from a corpse, an 'entity' exists, and the body size can be measured more accurately.” (Clinical Laboratory Data Book 2023-2024: Igaku-Shoin)

It writes about various difficult things, but to summarize, it is saying,

“A living organism (a living body) fluctuates within a certain range. A test value is a value that captures a single moment within that fluctuation, and it is like measuring the body length of a living chick.”

This likely applies to personality as well.

The chick moving can be rephrased as changes in the person's state.

⇨ Humans also have inner selves that are constantly changing and moving due to their physical condition that day, ups and downs in mood, or as they gain age and experience.

The wind blowing and the feathers swaying can be rephrased as interactions with the environment and others.

⇨ We do not live in a vacuum. Our superficial behavior and reactions (feathers) change shape endlessly due to the 'wind' of the environment we are placed in, the person we are facing, and social pressure.

The fact that the feathers themselves are not the body itself can be rephrased as the boundary between persona and essence.

⇨ The social face (persona) we show to others, the nuances of our words, and the vibe of the moment are not the 'essence at the center' of that person. However, we can only observe a person from above their clothing or feathers.

In other words,

“Personality and character are images of living fluctuations that society has fixed.”

That is what can be said.

And, when society fixes emotions and personality, which are inherently fluctuating, too rigidly, people begin to use multiple personalities. Or perhaps, beyond the point where that rupture becomes extreme, states like dissociation or multiple personalities may exist.

What is important here is that labeling is not something done only by others.

I believe there are two types of labeling.

They are external labeling and internal labeling.

External labeling is the labeling I have been talking about so far.

External labeling:
Measured by others using a "coarse ruler."

Characteristics

• Defining personality based on only a few actions

• Simplifying to reduce cognitive cost

• Fixing roles to reduce friction within a group

• As a result, the person being labeled also conforms to the frame

In other words,

External labeling is the power to fix personality for the "convenience of society."

Internal labeling:
Labeling oneself to protect oneself.

People internalize the extreme expectations of others or the pressure of extreme environments, and

• "I must be kind"

• "I must not get angry"

• "I must not show weakness"

• "If I don't act cheerful, I will be disliked"

they label themselves.

In other words, it is self-defensive labeling.

The characteristics are,

• internalizing external expectations as one's "own personality"

• suppressing one's inherent fluctuations

• the role-based persona beginning to feel like the "true self"

• a gap emerging between the role and the inherent fluctuations, causing distortion and tension to accumulate within

In other words,

internal labeling is a force that fixes personality as a "strategy for survival."

Of course, multiple personality disorder is likely not that simple, but I believe it is possible that overly strong labeling plays a role.