With this work, I am attempting to condense multiple sources of material from across a broad spectrum of academic fields to a workable, coherent synthesis of a new theory of personality. I am proposing that our personalities, who we perceive ourselves to be, are more malleable than previously thought, and that we are in far more control of this process of change than we ever believed we could be. Through psychological case studies ranging from brain-damaged individuals to the emerging science of ... more »

With this work, I am attempting to condense multiple sources of material from across a broad spectrum of academic fields to a workable, coherent synthesis of a new theory of personality. I am proposing that our personalities, who we perceive ourselves to be, are more malleable than previously thought, and that we are in far more control of this process of change than we ever believed we could be. Through psychological case studies ranging from brain-damaged individuals to the emerging science of neuroplasticity, I’ve documented the influence of neurology on the outward person. Using literary examples emphasizing extraordinary insight altering ones very being (ie. Scrooge) and pairing them with real life stories of recovering addicts and the religiously inclined, I’ve shown how a moment of clarity can alter ones very purpose for being. I’ve also studied the phenomenon from an existential viewpoint and analyzed the concept of the ‘self’ in relation to ‘others’, and how this affects our knowledge of ‘ourselves’.  Less