Sunday, December 14

Need to introduce personality development courses in regular college curriculum.

Every person feels that he should have some characteristics, certain attributes which can distinguish him from everybody else around him. It can be anything, may be your temperament, way of interacting with others, ability to handle tough situations, or say presence of mind. All these qualities are unique. It is very rare to find all such features in an individual at the same time. But if someone has them, he will surely be a person who will be very much respected in the society. Personality is another such characteristic which is distinctive and can make a person very unique. Personality is what makes a person a unique person, and it is recognizable soon after birth. Charles M. Schwab has described in very simple sentence that Personality is to a man what perfume is to a flower.

The phrase ‘personality’ is derived from the Latin word persona, meaning the disguise which the artists wore on the Greek and Roman stage to differentiate their roles and increase their voices. It was used to mark off the individuality of or difference between one man and another. The act of enhancing this trait is known as personality development. In simple words Personality development is the developing of a personality cult so as to create a strong positive influence about self with the targeted group, or in general; and more relatable aspect of such personality is to sustain and prove in a long run. In other words Personality development is the development of the organized pattern of behaviors and attitudes that makes a person distinctive. Personality development occurs by the ongoing interaction of temperament, character, and environment. In recent years personality development has created a lot of attention. Now the reason I feel this change is taking place is due to the race to be the best in this competitive world. World is moving at a rapid pace. You have to keep pace with it, if you fail to do so you will struggle. So in order to succeed and stay alive in this competitive world you have to do some thing different. Personality development helps an individual in making him aware of his talent and taps his good qualities. By doing something in a different way, a person can create his own identity. And today’s youth are certainly up for it.

It is very aptly said that youth will reshape the world. Today’s youth are smart and independent thinking. They are the leaders of tomorrow. And so they should learn and try to practice virtue of discipline. But some where there is a sense of overzealousness, tendency to move fast. He has a lot to say, but some times he just fails to deliver it. And so he accepts things views as they are. In such situations if he is guided properly and taught to deal with things in calm manner he will surely succeed. Personality development helps in injecting just the spark that is needed to accomplish something. George Gurdjieff has aptly said that Personality in man is what is "not his own" . . . what come from outside, what he has learned, or reflects, all traces of exterior impressions left in the memory.
Students now days due to their hectic academic schedule don’t have enough time for other extracurricular activities. So if personality development courses are made available to them in their schools or colleges, students will definitely benefit from them. Personality development in general revolves around three aspects; firstly physique then the intelligence and finally the temperament. Generally in students the qualities of temperament and intelligence are determined by conditions in their academics. The experiences that a student gets during the course of his school life firstly and then his junior and higher classes, contribute in a large number of ways to the formation and development of his personality. When a student gets into a school his main aim is to do well in his studies, and lay a solid foundation for his future education. But in addition to that he has to keep a close watch on his extracurricular acts, which project his persona. Unfortunately at such a young age he is unaware of all this. In such a situation, it is the duty of the institute to make the students aware of things that matter a lot apart from the academics and which play a far more vital role in their life. But at school level it’s ok, if the authorities fail to impart knowledge about personality development. And so importance of college becomes very important as it is this place where students are much more matured and have to handle lots of critical issues.

There has been growing interest & keenness of personality development in the college going chaps. Western countries, which are economically and culturally quite different from India, were the first to realize importance of enhancing the personality. They had a strong insight, which helped them realize that it is the student class which is vital for nation’s development. Due to fast changing nature of the industries, business firms this concept came to India. But like in western countries, it did not get inducted in regular college academics here in our country. The personal and professional development plan helps to improve our capacity to understand what and how we are learning, and to review, plan and take responsibility for own learning and career choices. If a course in personal and professional development planning is started in colleges it will help in a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual. It can reflect upon their learning, performance and achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development. Personality development can boost self-confidence and increase staunch faith in a students own ability and power to undertake the task in hand with utmost confidence in order to make life really successful and happy. Colleges should try to be more agile and make students aware of what they already have in their life and what they are grateful for and then make them think about what is missing, what they want. Awareness has to come first, because without an awareness there can be no conscious decision to take action. Becoming aware also means asking your self different questions and then seeking out the answers. Personality development lectures if introduced can help in making students ponder over whether “there must be more to life than this?" By doing this your mind is already making an assumption that there is more to life and as if by magic you start to see things around you that maybe you did not notice before. Noted thinker Mae West has very correctly said that Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.

Personality development helps in making an individual flexible and willing to change his approach if things are not working. Sometimes when you set your mind to do something, with a set plan, things don't always go smoothly. Remember that as long as you are clear about your destination, you can always change your route, it may take you longer, but as long as you get there in the end. In colleges students have to go through a lot of hard work, there are assignments, homework, seminars, presentations and what not. Students have to do all this in prescribed time, which if not completed puts them in further trouble. By starting personality development courses in regular curriculum it can help students visualize their goals on a daily basis. After all it is all about believing in your abilities. As one Dr. White has very rightly said that Personality is a mask you believe in.
Also if a personality development centre is made active in every college, every student can engage in a creative process with like minded students. This can boost ones confidence and make one more social to know that there is someone else too who has the same interests as you have. These personality development centers should have a counselor too, who can give an ear to personal problems and provide the right direction to the student. The aim of such courses in college should be boosting confidence and raising self-esteem of particularly those students who have the ability but don't have the dash or the guts.

So summing up Life’s success lies in becoming a good human being and developing the personality acquiring good virtues and high morals and not in gaining high post or authority. So if an individual has to perform well and be the best, it is more of his inner skills, his flair and confidence rather than bookish wealth. These paper based things are just like our beauty aids they don’t increase the beauty but just assist in outer brilliance. So if personality centers are opened and made compulsory in colleges they will surely be a great boon for the students. On personal front, I had great experience. During my early days of graduation I found it hard to cope up with the immense workload and pressure to deliver in a big way in exams. Initially I didn’t do my self any good by scoring below the distinction mark, but later I joined the personality development course outside the college which changed my life completely. They made me think positively and helped me in coping stress due to academics. Since then I am a totally changed successful chap. So if such courses are compulsorily made a part of the curriculum they would not only help in creating successful students but also good human beings.

1 comment:

Prasad Manohar said...

Thank You all, for taking a look @ my work...

Cheers