ABSTRACT
With a vast subject like personality, there are a number of different approaches. In the space of one short chapter we can do no more than select and discuss one or two of these. But central to them all is the idea that the term personality covers the affective side of the individual’s psychological life as opposed to the cognitive. Affective refers to emotions and feelings, the process by which we actually experience ourselves, while cognitive refers to mental abilities, the process by which we categorize and make sense of the world. The affective side of life includes in addition to emotions and feelings such things as attitudes, opinions, and moods, while the cognitive side includes intelligence, creativity, and problem solving in general.
