Final answer:
Psychologists refer to the combination of characteristics that form an individual's distinctive character as personality, which includes long-term, stable traits and patterns of behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychologists call the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character personality. Temperament, while related, refers to inborn, genetically based personality differences and characteristic ways of behaving. It manifests very early in life and is believed to have a biological basis. Different temperaments in children, such as easy, difficult, or slow to warm up, can be influenced by environmental factors and maturation. However, when we speak of the long-standing traits and patterns that propel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways, we are talking about personality. The concept of personality encompasses the unique patterns of enduring, long-term characteristics and the way individuals interact with others and the world around them, making personality traits stable over time.
Personality psychology is the discipline that focuses on these patterns, and a personality psychologist would be interested in various aspects, such as what makes an employee best suited for a given job. Personality is what makes us unique and is not easily changed, highlighting the distinction between personality and states such as motivation or intelligence, which can fluctuate more readily.