Final answer:
The correct answer is option a. Personality.
Step-by-step explanation:
Personality is defined as a distinctive and relatively stable pattern of behaviors, thoughts, motives, and emotions that characterizes an individual throughout life. This concept encompasses the long-standing traits and patterns that compel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in particular ways, making each person unique. Personality traits are believed to be long-term, stable, and not easily changed. The term itself stems from the Latin word persona, which initially referred to a mask worn by actors to project a character's traits.
Temperament, on the other hand, relates to inborn, genetically based personality differences that become evident early in life, such as being easy, difficult, or slow to warm up according to the research by Thomas and Chess (1977). It has a biological basis but can also be influenced by environmental factors and maturation over time.
Behaviorism, presented by theorists like B.F. Skinner, takes a different stance, suggesting that personality is shaped by external reinforcements and consequences, rather than being inborn. Contrastingly, trait theorists believe that personality is made up of a set of traits, which are characteristic ways of behaving, and can be categorized into cardinal, central, and secondary traits that define our personalities to varying extents and in various situations.