There have been many discoveries in the study of personalities and emotions. Personalities and emotions have been found to be critical factors in an employee's behavior inside and outside of the workplace. Personality is the dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a person's whole psychological system. It is the total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. Emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something. There are many ways these two factors in human behavior differ but they are related also.
About 65 years ago, a psychologist by the name of Gordan Allport said personality is "the dynamic organization within the individual of these psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment." This is the most frequently used definition today.
There are three main determinants for personality: heredity, environmental, and situational. Heredity and environment are the biggest influence on personality. Situational conditions lightly affect ones personality. Heredity refers to the factors that were determined when a person is conceived. Personality is argued to be something that one inherits from their parents along with physical appearance and other characteristics.
Three different branches of research add more credibility to the fact that heredity plays a huge role in the formation of one's personality. The first looks at the genetics of human behavior in young children. The second is the study of twins who were separated at birth. The third examines the consistency in job satisfaction over time and in various situations.
Studies of young children show traits of shyness and distress are most likely handed down from their parents. This means that these traits are in the same genetic code as eye color, hair color, and other physical traits. Researchers have found that genetics account for about 50 percent of personality differences and more than 30 percent of occupational interests.