Final answer:
Personality consists of long-term traits that make individuals unique, combining stability with dynamic responses to different environments. It is studied by measuring traits, especially through the Big Five model, and examining the influence of culture on these traits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Personality refers to the enduring traits and patterns that define individuals' consistent ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, making them unique. While personality is dynamic and can change with different situations, it is also stable due to long-term characteristics that are influenced by genetics and environment, including culture. The study of personality involves identifying, measuring, and understanding these traits, the most notable being the Five Factor Model or 'Big Five' — conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. Moreover, culture plays a significant role in shaping personality, influencing the strength of personality traits across different cultures. For instance, collectivist societies value social harmony and may score lower on extraversion, whereas individualist cultures prioritize independence, which can affect other traits like openness and neuroticism. The aim is to comprehend how and why individuals behave predictably in certain circumstances.