Comparison of Dispositional and Learning Personality Theories

The different personality attributes different individuals ascribe to different dispositional and learning theories. The dispositional and learning personality theories share some similarities but equally, they also have differences. The dispositional theory focuses on the distinct characteristics depicted by an individual and the learning theory focuses on the incorporation of the emotional, cognitive and environmental aspects of an individual into the process of acquiring, enhancing and changing knowledge as a way of determining human behavior. This paper compares these two theories with respect to the role of personality in affecting situational behavior, the personality characteristics attributed to each theory and the interpersonal aspects associated with both theories. The Role of Personality in Affecting Situational Behavior Dispositional Theories The dispositional theory submits that individuals possess a certain set of inherent qualities of mind and character that make up the individualism structure of that specific person and thus affect the way he/she reacts or behaves towards certain situations.

These external factors manifest themselves in an individual in the form of acquired habits, relationships, and attitudes ( Jess,2013). Another way in which self-concept affects situational behavior is through the different perceptions an individual has over different situations. For instance, one situation can make an individual cheerful and another situation can make the individual fearful as regards self-concept. Also, through the interaction of the external influences, the adaptations of a particular character and the third peripheral component of the five-factor model, the peripheral components of the five-factor personality theory affect the situational behavior of an individual. Learning Theories Unlike the dispositional theories that focus more on the individual traits, the Learning theories concentrate on the observable behaviors of individuals. Therefore any changes in the environment do not trigger any modifications of the individual’s traits.

These inherent or congenital traits are so dominant due to their prolonged presence and influence in an individual’s being that their reactions to any situation are effective. As a result, an individual’s personality is believed to be the equivalent of their dispositional traits because of the consistent portrayal of these traits by the individual from a tender age. For instance, Intelligence Quotient as a personality trait is both inheritable and dispositional and thus young learners whose parents indicated a high intelligence quotient will most probably possess the same trait from childhood. Therefore, children who acquire high IQ personality trait from their parents are better off than children who acquire the same trait by being exposed to a suitable environment.

The combination of these factors leads to the depiction of close resemblance traits among twins. However, as the twins grow and start attending school and interacting with new friends who possess a variety of different traits, the resemblance slowly vanishes. This means that the environment has a significant effect on the dispositional traits which leads to their subsequent modification to incorporate learned behaviors and thus adults tend to think that most of their traits are obtained from experiences and encounters. Interpersonal relational aspects associated with the theories The personality traits that are passed from parents to their children or those traits developed due to certain situations play a very important role in the establishment of the relationship and in making career decisions.

For example, children born of the same parents depict very strong bonds as they grow up and these strong ties have been attributed to the shared genetic makeup and similar environment of growth. According to Kelly, people believe that they belong to the same culture because of they perceive their experiences in the same way. In conclusion, personality plays a very significant role in an individual’s situational behavior because the personality of an individual has a great influence on the way they behave from situation to situation. The dispositional and learned theories of personality affect situational behavior on different levels and capacity. Dispositional theorist argues that the personality of an individual is determined by certain dispositions that are inherited from parents at birth and are modified by the environment and experiences during the life of the individual whereas learning theorists argue that personality is developed either through conditioned or indirect learning.