Schultz & Schultz claim that we all possess a unique personality. Many theories and ideas exist about the formation of a person’s personality. Our understanding of identity and personality formation as Christians may be deeper.
As a starting point, “personality” can be described as a unique, enduring group of traits that change with different circumstances. This includes our personality, our actions, and our interactions with people in a wide range of situations. A person’s ethnicity, culture, and gender can all influence their personality. Social media may influence a person’s personality. For Christians, another factor could be at play – their faith or relationship with God can also influence personality.
For those with a strong faith that includes a relationship with God, the fourth factor could be most influential in determining someone’s personality. As such, people who seek to have a real personal relationship with God can find that the Truth of God’s word transforms their carnal nature. Paul refers to this change in saying “And as we contemplate with our faces uncovered the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed ever more into the image of the Lord with a glory that is increasing” (2 Corinthians 3:18, New International version). This transformation occurs through “washing water by the Word” (Ephesians 5.26, NIV). My grandparents’ life is a good example of how this kind of transformation can occur. When my grandfather met my grandmother, he had declared himself an atheist. My grandmother was a devout Christian from the time she was seven years old. She walked seven blocks alone to church every Sunday. When she married her grandfather, she was still drawn to the church and took my mother and my Aunt with her every Sunday. My grandfather would read the Bible and smoke a cigarette every Sunday morning while my grandmother was at church. In the 1970s, however, he experienced a profound encounter with God during a tent-revival and accepted Christ as Savior. My grandmother and he started their own small church in which they had a weekly congregation of more than 120 people. He was one the most popular pastors of their small town until his death, in March 2003.
This is not a unique story. I’ve seen it many times. I have seen that when a man seeks God and washes in God’s Word his life and personality are transformed. A study of identity formation among young adults suggested that “religion is an important context for young adults to develop their own identity”. It was also noted that “theory suggests that belief in God could play a significant part in the process of identity development”. A second article was written to help readers find their identity through what God says about them instead of what they think. The author quotes David Benner (a psychologist and author of “The Gift of Being Yourself”) as saying, “An Identity Grounded in God would be that when you think of yourself, your first thought would be that God loves you deeply” (Crutchfield. n.d.). 7). After being reminded about this vital truth we begin to change our views of ourselves.
We can live with confidence and stability instead of changing our identity based on others’ opinions, our own success, or how we view ourselves. We can experience God’s love in a new way. It allows us to share God’s love confidently and with boldness.
This truth can be seen in the scriptures, where the disciples are transformed into lions for the faith. They built the church. They faced persecution. And they were martyred. We see this today in people who have truly changed due to faith in God.
Those who write psychology books will have theories based on research that may differ from one another. Christians shouldn’t forget that having faith and searching for God’s Truth will change them as they are transformed by it. Many factors influence the formation of personality and identity, but a relationship with God is also important.
