A humanistic view and perspective on personality can be best described as taking life into your own hands. It focuses on achieving behavior that is identical to a self-actualized person. The humanistic approach would not be based on biological factors, or incidents that may have occurred in the past, but the simple fact that our fate lies within ourselves. That we are capable of building our own paths. Capable of making our own decisions and our own choices. And capable of having the power to shape our destiny in life. A humanist psychologist would say that it is what seems to "separates us from other animals" (Wade and Tavris, 2002). Through the eyes of a human psychologist, Janet's academic achievement lies within her hands. She is building her own path in life because she is making her own decision to excel academically. She is gradually progressing into a self-actualized person because she is challenging herself to become a strait A student, and in return the reward would be immense satisfaction.
A trait theorist recognizes that personality is broken up into several different types of traits to help further describe one's characteristics. For example, if you put two people in the same situation, let's say bungee jumping, one may find it thrilling, while the other may find it quite terrifying. That is why trait theorists have developed the Big 5 factor analysis to help break down the different elements of personality. There are five basic factors of personality that seem to remain consistent throughout a person's lifetime. The Big 5 are: extroversion versus introversion (if a person is outgoing or shy), neuroticism (if a person is pessimistic), agreeableness (if a person is friendly or not approachable), conscientiousness (if a person is responsible or undependable), and openness to awareness (if a person is original or creative). A trait theorist would describe Janet's academic achievement as a result of her extroversion trait.