Understanding Character

Your character is a set of beliefs that define what sort of person you are. It determines whether you will effectively achieve goals, be forthright in dealing with others, and will obey the laws and rules of the group.

Your opinion of another person's character is based on the impression the person makes concerning his or her attitudes or actions toward things you value.

Although character is related to personality, it is not the same thing. Personality is primarily inborn traits, while character consists of learned behavior. Both may vary with the situation or circumstances.

Character traits are learned from parents, friends, and experiences in the form of "rules" of the right way to behave. Sometimes rules that are taught are wrong and can actually harm the person in the long run. There can also be extremes in good character.

There are three classifications of character: personal, social, and cultural character.

Questions you may have include:

• What is character?
• How is character learned?
• What do the three classifications of character mean?

Character based on beliefs

A person's character traits are beliefs concerning the "right way" to act, behave, or conduct him- or herself.

Behavior traits

Character is a set of learned behavior traits that determine how a person will typically react in certain situations. They are attitudes formed of how to respond to challenges, people and their property, and rules.

Character defines the inner nature of a person and how he or she acts or responds in different situations:

• How would the person respond to a situation or challenge? Would he be determined or easily discouraged?
• How does the person act toward other people? Is she honest or does she deceive them?
• How does the person respond to a rule or law? Does he obey it or disregard the rule?

When confronted with a difficult task, a temptation, or a situation controlled by a rule, what does the person do? Character will determine whether what he or she do will help or hinder things.

Compared with personality

Character is not personality. Personality is a set of characteristics that influences the way a person thinks and acts.

People seem to be born with certain personality traits or tendencies. Some people appear to be shy, while others seem outgoing and talkative. Some people seem to be leaders, while others are analytical in their thinking.

Character is attitude

Whether a person has an introvert or extrovert personality, his or her character is determined by attitudes toward doing difficult tasks, dealing with other people and following cultural rules. These attitudes show the type of person he or she is.

You learn the rules of character

Your character traits are beliefs concerning the "right way" to act, behave, or conduct yourself, based on rules you learn or are taught from parents, friends, and experience. You believe those actions will benefit you. Unfortunately, you can learn the wrong rules from other people.

Examples of positive rules include:

• Always do your best
• Honesty is the best policy
• You help yourself by helping others

Examples of rules or beliefs that ultimately can cause problems include:

• Don't worry about being late
• Do as little as possible
• There's nothing wrong with pilfering things from work

Good character traits are those you want others to have in dealing with you. Although being lazy or dishonest may suit you fine, such a negative character traits can cause trouble when dealing with other people. Also, you do not want others to have such negative traits in dealing with you.

Character applies in three areas

There are three classifications of character: personal, social, and cultural.

Personal character

Personal character primarily consists of attitudes toward activities and work. Positive traits include being the type of person who is hard working and someone who is determined to achieve a goal. Negative traits include being a cowardly person and someone who is disorganized.

Social character

Social character traits consist of attitudes toward other people and their property. Positive traits include being an honest person and someone who is helpful. Negative traits include being an insulting person and someone who is unreliable.

Cultural character

Cultural traits concern attitudes toward the laws and rules of groups, organizations, and society.

Religious group

Religions have a set of rules or commandments that their members are expected to follow. They may include positive personal and social character rules, but also include rules specific to the religion, such as forbidding eating certain foods.

Business

Business organizations have special rules that employees are expected to follow, such as a dress code and ethical issues.

Community

Communities, states, and countries have laws that should be upheld. A person will a negative cultural character may often disregard or break the law.

What Abraham Lincoln Said About Character…

Abraham Lincoln said, “Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree.“ Our character is much more than just our reputation, what we try to display for others to see.  It is who we are even when no one is watching. Having a Good Character means doing the right thing just because it is right to do what is right.

The Dictionary Definitions of “Character”  

One dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” Another says it is “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person.” In still another dictionary, character is said to be “the stable and distinctive qualities built into an individual’s life which determine his or her response regardless of circumstances.”

How Character Determines Success In Life Our Character Is What Determines How We Respond to the Situations and Circumstances of Life

The dictionary definitions said character is a “complex of mental and ethical traits“, that those traits, or qualities, are “distinctive to an individual” and that they are “built into an individual’s life.” It is those character qualities, those character traits, that determine a person’s response in any given situation. For example, a person in with a strong character quality of truthfulness is much more likely to accurately report the facts in a given situation than a person who tends to be characterized by deceptiveness. Someone who has the character trait of alertness will be more likely to be a better, safer, driver than a person who does not see or recognize the potential dangers around him (carelessness). A person with the character quality of tolerance will be more accepting of others – less prejudiced.

Success or failure in any situation or endeavor depends, more than anything else, on how we respond to events and circumstances.  It follows that it is our character that determines our success.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that “good” people will always experience more “success” than “bad” people.  There are, however, some character traits that tend to lead to “success” and others that tend to produce “failure.”  The question is, “What are the “good” character qualities, and what are “bad” qualities?

Summary

Your character is a set of beliefs that define what sort of person you are. Your opinion of another person's character is based on the impression the person makes concerning his or her attitudes or actions toward things you value.

Although character is related to personality, it is not the same thing. Personality is primarily inborn traits, while character consists of learned behavior.

Character traits are learned from parents, friends, and experiences in the form of "rules" of the right way to behave.

What character do you traits do you posses? Make good use of your inherit character...