THE REAL PERSONALITY FOR A SOCIAL WORK TEACHER

“An individual's self-concept is the core of his personality. It affects every aspect of human behavior: the ability to learn, the capacity to grow and change. A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success in life.”-Swami Vivekananda

​The development of one’s personality, done in the right manner, is a challenging and rewarding task for every individual, particularly for the energetic youth whom can gain much from it. It is every person’s duty to work towards it, since personality development is necessary for success in any field. In the writings, talks and lectures of Swami Vivekananda, constructive ideas relating to personality development are profusely scattered.

What is Real Personality?
The sign of life is struggle for growth. Tiny seed breaks open the earth to grow into a plant, but growth alone does not add beauty to life, rather wild and abnormal growth sometimes leads to stagnation. Shaping the growth through proper training and systematic discipline is the only way to make life beautiful, which ultimately leads to fully-fledged personality.

According to the Cambridge International Dictionary of English,’ your personality is the type of person you are, which is shown by the way you behave, feel and think.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English is the whole nature or character of a person.’

In the history of mankind, great personalities appear who shook the world during their lifetime. Their marvelous achievements dazzled the eyes of people for a while, but were forgotten immediately after their demise. The reason being appearance of greater and stronger personalities with extraordinary brilliance, who made their hold strong on the minds of people. Achievements in life certainly make a person great, but do not add much to his or her personality. The need of the hour is to develop personality based on character and not on achievements in life. Real personality, which is based on character, is remembered by the world through eternity. The number of such people, though small, can shape the destiny of mankind. Their names remain imprinted in the hearts of millions of people forever. We are proud to say that in modern times India could produce in Swami Vivekananda, whose thoughts are a source of inspiration, throughout the world to shape a real personality. How a person behaves, feels and thinks, how he conducts himself in a given set of circumstances is largely determined by the state of his mind. Mere external appearance or a person’s speech or mannerisms are only fringes of one’s personality. They do not reflect the real personality.
 
Personality Development
Personality development in the real sense refers to deeper levels of a person. So, a study of our personality should start from a clear grasp of the nature of our mind, and how it functions. There is a deep interest for personality development, specially among the youth. They are in a hurry and expect instant change in the personality. In fact, they do not understand the difference between ‘change’ and ‘development’. It is quite possible to change one’s personality overnight. The beauty parlours, hair dressing, ready-made garments, cosmetics, and high-heeled shoes can do this magic, which is only a temporary change, and does not help in developing the real personality. It is not advisable to resort to such cheap methods, wasting time, money, and energy.
 
Dimensions of Real Personality
A harmonious growth of all the following aspects constitutes the real personality.

One must strive for sound health, strong mind, pure intellect, and spiritual growth simultaneously.

• Physical dimension: Body and Senses
• Energy dimension: Digestion of food, circulation of blood, respiration and other activities in the body.
• Mental dimension: Activities of the mind, like, thinking, feeling and emotions etc.
• Intellectual dimension: Determination faculty in a person. It is also the seat of discrimination and will power.
• Blissful dimension: Bliss during deep sleep.

 
Strong Mind

• A strong mind always remains calm even in adversities.
• It never succumbs to temptations, and develops tremendous courage to say ‘No’ to immoral thoughts and actions.
• It always remains free from prejudice, suspension and jealousy.
• Clarity of thinking makes it possible to take right decisions and come to right judgments.
• Such a mind will never indulge in wrong actions, prompted by evil emotions, such as desire, anger, greed, fear, hatred, etc., but will be always guided by serious, deep and right thinking.
• Positive thinking, concentration, fearlessness, adventurous nature, and self confidence are the vital qualities of a strong mind.

 
Weak Mind

• A weak mind gets irritated and loses temper over trifling matters and reacts violently.
• Such a mind can easily succumb to temptations, like bribery, stealing, etc.
• Due to confusion, suspension, and prejudice, it fails to take the right decision and make impartial judgments.
• Such a mind always compromises with and surrenders to evil forces.
• It cannot face challenges in life, and tries to escape from them by adopting easy and cheap methods.
• Such a mind always takes recourse to weeping and grumbling.
• Such a mind never appreciates good qualities in others.
• Restlessness, fear, tension, laziness, frustration, superstition, and negative thinking are the main characteristics of a weak mind.

Though the teaching profession is a noble profession and an easy job (remarks of many) now a day it is a very challenging and difficult one. Opting the teaching profession in the field of Social Work is really a tough decision in the present context. The Social Work Teaching involves many areas for a person to handle both academic and administrative aspects.The person who is a Social Work Educator must have integrated knowledge both in theory and practice. He/ She must have command in subject, and its application in the present context, General Knowledge, Current Affairs, Knowledge in Social, Economics, Political, Legal, etc. He/She must also possees knowledge in planning, organizing, monitoring, supervision, office management, public relations, networking, convergence with Government, NGOs, Medical settings, Industries, Corporates etc. He requires lot of patience in handling the situations and in dealing with many issues. A Special character is a must for a person who handles the Department as an HOD with requisite qualities and attributes of problem solving mechanisms, Grievance handling process, dealing with the management, principal, fellow colleagues and the students is not an easy task, understand the situation and respond to it. Coping patterns, concern towards the society, a good communicator, networking with the collaborative organizations. A good rapport with his fellow colleagues and the students, a good motivator, influential person, Knowledge in Research, Taking up projects, Responding to social realities, Report Writing skills, Skills in Planning and organizing, Conducting the Conferences, Seminars/Workshops, Community Services and Extension Activities etc. Knowledge in UGC Norms and Guidelines and follow the same in the Department, A very good reader, writer and communicator and administrator.

In order to carry out the above mentioned factors he must have highly talented skills and techniques and implement the same at the time of need. Apart from this he should have a good nature and character with good personality and qualities and attributes to balance the pressure, workload, tension etc. The ethical social responsibility, honest, commitment, dedication etc is highly relevant in the present context.

The morality and the knowledge of current affairs in terms of social problems, social reality etc is highly appreciated in this regard. How many of us have these qualities? The Social Worker Teacher must have power and strength to enrich the knowledge of the students to make them to participate in various social movements. What is our contribution towards the India against Corruption and to implement the strong Lokpal Bill in the parliament? Let’s rededicate ourselves.

Hence the Personality will increase the morale of the teacher to perform his duties and responsibilities in an effective manner.

Teacher personality is an aspect of teacher characteristics. The personality of teachers has been researched to see if it impacts on students’ educational achievement 1.

Teacher Attitude: These attitudes, particularly as they impact on teacher expectations, can have important implications for teacher student interaction and parent school relationship and educational aspirations and academic achievement of students 2.

Social Work Teachers are introspective, cooperative, directive, and expressive. Teachers look for the very best and they expect the best out of those around them. They are highly capable of educating a learner’s inner potentials. Teachers communicate to their pupils that each one of them has the potential to succeed and others are often motivated to live up to their positive expectations.

Teachers like to have things organized, settled and planned out. They will usually have their work hours and social engagements planned well in advance and can be trusted to honour their commitments. However Teachers are also capable of using their creativity to think up interesting learning activities for their pupils to engage in with little planning. Teachers are more educational leaders than they are social leaders, their primary interest being the growth and development of others.

Social Work Teachers have a highly developed intuition. They are highly skilled at understanding what is going inside themselves and what is going inside others. Teachers often find themselves taking up the beliefs, characteristics, and emotions of those they have contact with. This enables them to feel a close connection with others and they are often sincerely interested in the joys and problems of their companions.

Social Work Teachers consider people to be their highest priority and they often communicate personal concern and a willingness to help in their social exchanges. Teachers are warm, outgoing, and they value harmonious relations and interpersonal communication. Teachers are usually easy to get along with, tolerant of others, and popular. They may also be the most expressive of all the role variants. They have exceptional language skills and they won’t hesitate to let their feelings, beliefs and ideas be known. Teachers are very enthusiastic and they can become charismatic public speakers. Their exceptional language skills give them a great deal of influence in groups and they are often asked to assume a leadership role. 3.

Teacher characteristics are features that distinguish between teachers and include teacher personality, teacher attitudes, teacher expectations etc. They have been studied usually in the context of their association with teacher effectiveness and the academic achievement of students. 4

Teacher student interaction is an aspect of education. Because of their position in the power relationship it is linked to the attitudes, characteristics, expectations and personality of the teacher

Teacher effectiveness evaluation involves a number of approaches to judging the ability of teachers to perform their basic function, preparing lesson plans, controlling classroom behavior, imparting knowledge, enabling students to pass exams etc.

Teacher expectations are the beliefs and attitudes that teachers have about the future events in their professional environment. For example, if the fear classroom discipline problems then they may decide to take a particular strong stance in the classroom which may affect their teaching effectiveness and teacher student interaction.
 
Teach Courses in Social Work
Sample of reported job titles: Professor, Social Work Professor, Clinical Professor, Instructor, Lecturer, Bachelor of Social Work Program Coordinator (BSW Program Coordinator), Faculty Member, Field Education Coordinator, Master of Social Work Program Coordinator (MSW Program Coordinator), Social Work Lecturer
 
Tasks

• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as family behavior, child and adolescent mental health, and social intervention evaluation.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Supervise students' laboratory and field work.
• Prepare course materials such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

 
Knowledge
Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Sociology and Anthropology — Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Therapy and Counseling — Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Philosophy and Theology — Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics and ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 
Skills
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
 
Abilities
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
 
Work Activities
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
 
Work Context
Electronic Mail — How often do you use electronic mail in this job?

Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?

Coordinate or Lead Others — How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?

Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Artistic — Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
 
Work Styles
Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
 
Work Values
Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
 
Conclusion
Personality traits are closely related to character traits. These are characteristics that a person is born with that influences how they look at life. They impact assertiveness and energy, emotional stability, imagination, and receptivity to instruction. Personality impacts how a person will respond to discipline and strong character training.

Struggle for perfection in all the dimensions of real personality is essential for the all round development of personality. Once we succeed in doing that, there will be a tremendous qualitative change in our lives. Great number of such people will certainly form a better society; and they will raise this nation once again to its highest glory.

“It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.”
 
“Personality has the power to open many doors, but character must keep them open”
 
“If you really want to judge of the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another. Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of a great man.”-Swami Vivekananda
  
Reference:

1. Tuska, S. A., & Jenks, J. B. (1974). Teacher personalities: A mirror of self. Oxford, England: Vantage Press.
2. Wickman EK: Children's Behavior and Teachers' Attitudes. New York, Commonwealth Fund, 1928
3. Web Site for the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and Keirsey Temperament Theory.
4. Hanushek, E. A. (1971) "Teacher Characteristics and Gains in Student Achievement: Estimation Using Micro-Data," American Economic Review, 61(2), May pp. 280-288;

S.Venkatesha Murthy
HOD-Dept of Social Work
CMRIMS (Autonomous)
Bangalore-560043
E-mail:[email protected]