Aligning employees with your organization’s objectives and ensuring their contributions will help you get there is the largest problem anyone working in HR and development and learning is facing. Any organization must prioritize selecting the best candidate for a position. However, it goes beyond simply locating individuals with the necessary training and expertise.

Professionals with knowledge and the capacity to transform their work into relevant problem-solving are essential for every creative, forward-thinking, and dynamic organization. Individuals no longer take instructions at face value; instead, they choose what to do and how they want to accomplish their roles, depending on how committed they are to your company’s goals.

It can be a hassle since most organizations across all industries need help to create employees quickly enough to keep up with the staggering increase in customer and cooperation demand. Even though you think your business company is having enough, you may still experience that you need to get a return on your investment. The talent gap needs to be filled more quickly. In actuality, the employee gap is worsening.

All companies are searching for strategies that speed up the shift in employee effectiveness and engagement. Data and insights are frequently the missing components when making decisions about how to transform your organization’s culture so that it becomes not just what you want it to be but also considers who you put in the positions to achieve your business objectives.

Personality profiling can help with this. It can show you how people’s personality affects their approach to their work and how they connect with others in the workplace. It impacts their ability to collaborate, lead, influence, interact, and handle stress.

A Contemporary And Advanced Measure Of Personality

Individuals prefer to be able to quickly recognize similarities and differences between themselves and those around them. Through personality profiling, individuals can learn more about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as those of those around them. Although knowing that will make them naturally anxious in difficult situations, employees will understand the importance of order and control. Thus, when profiling, you should use caution when assigning individual labels. For instance, being deemed intelligent and creative is lovely yet demeaning if it entails being called “unreasonable.”

Categories for the participants to concentrate on include abilities, pitfalls, disappointments, and difficulties. A framework for a continuing strategy for growth is included after the report to facilitate the employees’ profile advantages. Each of the above components is present in varying degrees in each person, and the consistent pattern shows the overall profile of that person. These consist of assessing their competency, a leadership manual, and a summary of their preferred methods of working in healthy and unhealthy workplaces.  

Will

These can include resolute, self-assured, and self-sufficient employees. It denotes the process of making decisions; at a particular point, people will express their opinions in a straightforward, decided, and passionate manner. The other possible outcome is people deferring to one another to obtain recognition and perspectives.

Energy

These can include energetic, gregarious, and engaged employees. It can stand for the process’s inherent friendliness at work. When an organization’s or company’s subfactors show an imbalance toward high Energy (particularly Sociability), it indicates that team members actually like working collaboratively. For individuals who are less friendly and outgoing, it is crucial to take note of this.

Affection

This can include open, real, nice, and generous employees. Higher ratings indicate not just how instantly trustworthy individuals may be of one another but also how responsive they are to the opinions and suggestions of other people. Individuals with lower overall compassion may find it difficult to support one another when needed. They may lose out on the possibility of hearing insightful thoughts and recommendations by concentrating solely on the practical.

Control

This can include employees who are systematic, disciplined, and organized. You can know that high control entails accountability, rigor, and discipline. This could imply that procedures and norms are strictly adhered to in big organizations or companies, which is beneficial in some situations but undesirable in others. Occasionally, things alter between collaborating in a controlled setting and using a more adaptable, open-ended strategy.

Emotionality includes employees who can influence confidence, have emotional regulation, and have stress tolerance in the workplace. You can gauge the potential level of vitality and attentiveness in the collective team by looking at the general emotionality levels within the group of employees. It will also show how much anxiety and tension everyone in the room feels collectively and what effect this will likely have on your company’s productivity. Low Emotionality groups could be too detached and unaffected to see this in others. 

Hiring for Skill Set 

Personality profiling is more than a list of items to be checked when grouping employees. A completely engaged, effective, and contented worker is essential to the long-term achievement of your company. Recognizing the different characteristics in each person’s job preferences, personality traits, and behavioral patterns allows you to foster an environment where these people may flourish.

Unfortunately, personality tests are frequently abused, which, at best, has little real benefit and, at worst, exposes flaws in both individuals and groups. Regardless of the purpose —hiring new team members, selecting people for growth and development, or promoting someone—this is a common occurrence you need to deal with in your company.

Putting A Label On People

The difficulty lies in the fact that individuals naturally seek connections with others who share their beliefs. Engaging with other people can be beneficial, but it can also result in rejecting individuals who hold different opinions. Avoiding classifications is an initial step to guarantee that personality profiling doesn’t cause a void or conflict between individuals with quite diverse natural inclinations.

Confining People By Their Personality

These are regular problems, and it’s crucial that you avoid seeing employees solely by the parameters of their personality profile when it involves managing them. Individuals should have the opportunity to be perceived for their actions and demeanor in the workplace rather than being limited by the information on their profile. Additionally, people must be given the chance to venture outside of their comfort zones and succeed in novel endeavors. It also enables the placement of individuals in circumstances that will foster personal development, inspire others, and connect with fundamentally different people.

Selecting And Integrating New Talent

Some of the main factors that affect an individual’s performance include their traits, opinions, and behavioral habits. Naturally, behavior and performance at work are influenced by factors other than personality. However, gaining a deeper grasp of a candidate’s personality qualities is the first step in the process. It guides the conversation throughout the interview process, giving you a better understanding of their nature, capabilities, and vulnerability and an opportunity to look into their adaptability.

Managing Talent Within The Business

You can create individualized approaches to engagement and initiatives to nurture talent by using personality profiling to understand how each person is unique. You can start a talk about objectives for personal as well as professional growth by shedding light on a person’s innate interests, talents, strengths, and weaknesses. It also helps you to carry out goal-setting, suggestions, and evaluations more smoothly and in a way that best suits the employee’s preferred communication style.

Understanding Of Personality Traits

It goes beyond simply guiding the appropriate individual through the door. Knowing a new hire’s preferred learning methods, working, and interacting with others will help you incorporate their contributions to the company as effectively as possible and maximize their chances of success. It assists you in assigning them to teams where they will be more inclined to succeed or matching them with a line that will be more likely to support their success. Upon successful onboarding, new hires will be more involved and efficient right away. This is where learning their innate preferences, strengths, and developmental obstacles can be helpful.

Creating High-Performing Teams

Teams can break apart due to ongoing conflicts, and such rifts can spread like divisions throughout the company as a whole. People can learn how to handle conflict and how to be ready for it when it arises by using personality profiling. It enables you to acknowledge that everyone responds to pressure and stress in a unique way. Certain individuals express their frustrations verbally and openly, while others keep their concerns inside and remain silent. Those who are aware of these distinctions are better able to anticipate and comprehend the actions of others. 

Final Thoughts

Companies have always needed the best skills to develop exceptional employees, but the need is even greater in today’s competitive business environment. Businesses are under increasing pressure to choose those capable of guiding their companies through this intricate web of change due to developments in technology, the political environment, and the social demography of the labor force. People can examine their talents, career preferences, and basic personalities through personality profiling. It assists them in seeing how others will perceive them, how they will collaborate with others, and what areas they will need to change to fit the needs of the team.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is The Importance Of Personal Profiling?

What Are The Limitations Of Personality Profiling?

When And How Is Personality Profiling Conducted?

How Do You Conduct A Personality Profile?

What Is The Main Purpose Of Profiling Analysis?

What Is The Purpose Of The Profiling System?

What Can We Learn From Developing A Personal Profile?

What Is The Purpose Of Profiling Students?

What Is The Importance Of Profiling In An Organization?

What Are The Advantages Of Constructing A Personal Profile Analysis?

What Are The Advantages Of Personality Profiling In Sport?

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Personality Assessment?

What Is The Relationship Between Personality And Work Behaviors?

What Is The Most Important Advantage Of Personality Questionnaires?

What Are The Advantages Of Personality?

What Problems Occur With Personality Assessment?

Human communication relies heavily on facial expressions, particularly when conveying emotions. Recognizing and analyzing facial reactions or expressions improve one’s ability to communicate with people and facilitate better interactions. The article will examine the connection between emotions and facial expressions and how they relate to an individual’s personality.

The psychological investigation of the connection between personality and facial traits is known as morphopsychology. This area of psychology concentrates on how a person’s facial form and structure might provide insight into their personality, feelings, and behaviors. Although morphopsychology has existed as an area of study over the years, it has just recently been applied to psychotherapy as a means of comprehending and assisting clients.

Morphopsychology is an unofficial field of study that uses the particulars and generalities of one’s facial appearance to observe human behavior, character, competence, and mindset. It is not supported by science. However, although it is not recognized by experts today, the field of research is comparable to the exploration of human facial structure or physiognomy.

Before experts developed methods for measuring psychology and gathering data to support their hypotheses, the field needed to learn more about psychology. People naturally approached it from an artistic or metaphysical viewpoint because it’s not a straightforward science like physics. Though it might not hold today, the development of this idea was essential to our understanding of where we are now.

The Language Of The Face

A new perspective on human nature can be gained through the application of morphopsychology. Acquiring the ability to pay attention to one’s face is crucial. It is an area of study that considers how physiology might reveal certain information about an individual’s way of life. To be precise, certain facial expressions can also convey an individual’s mental state. Like for example, an angry and depressed person will often have a stiff expression and a downcast head. It is an area of study that establishes connections between an individual’s psychological background and facial features.

Since this field of study has drawn a lot of opinions and objections, one should see their expertise as information that is complementary to and partial to other viewpoints that provide a better picture of the individual. From an informal perspective, morphopsychology examines facial communication in search of a certain meaning. Morphopsychology’s ideology is “understanding without passing judgment.” Respecting the human being and utilizing potential while also illuminating the different components of human nature is the goal.

Face And Personality Theory

The human face may be split into three distinct sections at the morphological phase, and the proportionate amount of these regions can provide valuable insight into an individual’s personality and character. This is in line with the notion of morphopsychology. It can also provide useful hints as to whether one has intellectual, passionate, or intuitive intelligence.

Cerebral: When the most noticeable ones are the area that consists of the forehead, eyes, eyebrows, and temples, this portion provides insight into the person’s mentality and intellect. In general, a person’s capacity for analyzing and interpreting information and performing better in tasks requiring cognition and computation is correlated with the size of their top skull.

Sentimental: When the parts that are noticeable are the cheekbones, cheeks, and nose, this means that individuals are typically extremely sensitive individuals with skills in showing sympathy and taking care of others. Their emotions often get the better of them. Thus, the level of emotionality is indicated by this central region of the face.

Instinctive: These include noticeable parts such as the mouth, chin, and lower jaw. These are the kind of people whose viewpoints and behaviors are typically driven by instincts and impulses. Generally speaking, this face region’s more prominent status is linked to a more aggressive and unpredictable personality.

How Can Morphopsychology Be Used?

The foundation of morphopsychology is the notion that the human face is an access point into the psychological state. Each face feature is believed to relate to a certain personality trait, such as friendliness, compassion, or intellect. A therapist can personalize treatment sessions and interventions by using facial analysis to acquire knowledge concerning a client’s behaviors and personality traits.

The methodology is astoundingly innovative. The information that is seen on a person’s face originates from their nervous system. The muscles get signals from the neurological system and adjust their own position accordingly.

Facial analysis or facial evaluation is the main method in morphopsychology. This entails analyzing the shape, form, and location of various face attributes, such as the mouth, nose, and eyes, and projecting the character traits they disclose. For instance, it is believed that a broad forehead indicates cognitive ability, whereas decisiveness and confidence are linked to a wide jaw.

Additionally, the face serves as the main channel for communicating feelings to other people and can convey a great deal regarding a person’s emotional state. That explains why a therapist can learn more about a client’s emotional state and assist them in better understanding and managing their feelings by examining their facial expressions.

Facial Expressions And Emotions

Understanding facial expressions is a crucial component of morphopsychology. You truly won’t understand someone if you just pay attention to what they say and ignore what their expression is trying to tell you. Words frequently don’t convey feelings that are felt, yet a person’s face does.

The relationship between facial expressions and the emotions detected from them has been unclear from the early days of facial-determining research. These classifications have consistently been used to identify the facial expression responses that are regarded as pleased, angry, afraid, dissatisfied, disappointed, or astonished. It should be noted, however, that classifications indicating emotions and facial expressions are not alike. Facial expressions are perceived as physical impulses on people’s faces from the perspective of the perceiver. The emotional readings of the expressions are predictive interpretations of the subconscious conditions of perceived emotion that people make.

While seeing facial expressions is crucial, keep in mind that merely identifying the feeling doesn’t always indicate its source. An individual may appear dissatisfied, angry, or uninterested in a variety of causes, some of which may not even be related to you.

The benefit of reading facial expressions is that you may use them to gauge whether someone else appears to be feeling and adjust your interactions appropriately. For instance, when an individual seems uninterested, it’s possible that they’re simply exhausted and that the conversation should discontinue.

Micro-Expressions

Not all expressions on the face are permanent. Micro-expressions are fleeting moments that are nearly undetectable to the untrained eye. The feelings that are conveyed by micro-expressions are equivalent to those of a more persistent facial expression despite their fleeting nature.

Even when someone is attempting to disguise their genuine emotions, they are the kind of short-lived, complex movements of the face that might expose it. Some professionals can better understand people’s emotions and assist them in identifying and expressing their sentiments by learning to recognize microexpressions. Although it can be challenging at times to recognize and understand micro-expressions, it is an ability that can be acquired. Being aware of small facial expressions may also enhance your comprehension of the emotions of other individuals in general.

How to Recognize Expressions on Your Face Based on Features

We use our faces to communicate a lot of information that is not verbal, and when you try to decipher what an expression might signify, you often concentrate on different parts of the face. You can tell whether a particular individual is cheerful or unhappy, for example, by looking at their mouth or by looking into their eyes.

Eyebrows

It is possible for eyebrows to convey diverse emotional cues; in fact, they may be just as critical for facial identification as eyes. The eyebrows can be:

• Raised and curved as if in surprise or astonishment at something
• Lowered and knitted together, frequently connoting fear, grief, or rage
• Pulled up within the inner nooks, possibly to suggest sadness or loneliness

Eyes

The eyes are frequently referred to as “windows to the soul,” we frequently use them to gauge how others may be feeling. The eyes could be:

Blinking too little, which could indicate that the individual is attempting to control the movement of their eyes, or blinking too frequently, which could indicate feelings of distress or discomfort

• Dilated can mean expressing curiosity or even excitement
• Staring rigidly could convey attentiveness or anger.  
• Averting one’s gaze may indicate unease or diversion

Mouth

The mouth is capable of doing far more than merely smiling. Individuals frequently conceal other emotions on their faces with their mouths; for instance, a forced smile can hide a micro-expression in the eye that indicates a person’s genuine feelings. Be mindful of:

• A stunned expression on the face with a dropped jaw
• Open mouth, expressing dread
• Mouth elevated to one side, maybe in disgust or hatred
• Elevated corners, which can signify joy
• drawn-down corners might indicate expressing despair or sadness
• Biting one’s lips might point to nervousness or uncomfortable pain
• Lips puckered up can suggest a dislike or disapproval
• Covering their mouth, which may suggest that they’re trying to hide something

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the meaning of Morphopsychology?
What is the main point of physiognomy?
What is the purpose of physiognomy?
Is physiognomy still used today?
Do you believe in physiognomy?
When was physiognomy first used?
What does physiognomy study?
What is the full meaning of physiognomy?
What is physiognomy determined by?
What is moral physiognomy?
How do you use physiognomy in a sentence?
What is the difference between physiognomy and physiology?
Who discovered physiognomy?
What is physiognomy theory of criminology?
What part of speech is physiognomy?
How do you read face psychology?

 

Facial expressions play a significant role in human communication, especially when it comes to expressing emotions. In therapy, understanding and interpreting facial expressions can help therapists better understand their clients and provide more effective treatment. This article will explore the relationship between facial expressions and emotions in therapy and how therapists can use this information to improve their practice.

Facial Expressions and Emotions

Facial expressions are the outward manifestation of emotions, and they can reveal a lot about a person’s inner state. Different emotions are associated with specific facial expressions, such as a smile indicating happiness or a frown indicating sadness. Research has shown that people are generally able to accurately identify basic emotions based on facial expressions.

In therapy, being able to accurately interpret a client’s facial expressions can provide valuable insight into their emotional state. For example, a therapist may be able to tell that a client is feeling anxious or sad by observing their facial expressions, even if the client is not able to verbalize their feelings.

Types of Facial Expressions

Basic Emotions

These are the most basic and universally recognized facial expressions, and include expressions such as happiness (smiling), sadness (frowning), anger (furrowing the brow), fear (widening the eyes), disgust (wrinkling the nose), and surprise (raising the eyebrows).

Complex Emotions

These are facial expressions that are composed of a combination of basic emotions, such as guilt (a mixture of sadness and fear), embarrassment (a mixture of shame and guilt), and contentment (a mixture of happiness and relaxation).

Social Emotions

These are facial expressions that are used in social interactions and can convey things like agreement, interest, or empathy. Examples include nodding, tilting the head, and raising the eyebrows.

Nonverbal Cues

These are facial expressions that are not necessarily associated with a specific emotion but can convey important information, such as attention, interest, or intent. Examples include raising the eyebrows, tilting the head, and making direct eye contact.

Classification of Emotions

Psychological Emotions

Other researchers propose that emotions can be organized into psychological categories such as self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt, embarrassment), social emotions (love, gratitude, compassion), and self-regulatory emotions (hope, guilt, and envy)

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

This theory proposes eight primary emotions (anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, acceptance, joy, and anticipation), which can combine to create secondary or more complex emotions.

The James-Lange Theory

This theory suggests that emotions are the result of physiological changes in the body, and that different emotions are associated with different physiological states.

Using Facial Expressions in Therapy

Therapists can use facial expressions to improve their practice in several ways. One way is by using facial expressions to build rapport with clients. When a therapist is able to accurately identify and mirror a client’s facial expressions, it can create a sense of understanding and empathy, which can help to build trust and facilitate the therapeutic relationship.

Another way that therapists can use facial expressions in therapy is by using them as a tool for exploring and understanding a client’s emotions. For example, a therapist may ask a client to pay attention to their facial expressions during a particular activity or conversation and then discuss what they observed. This can help the client become more aware of their emotions and how they are expressed.

Facial Expression Analysis

Facial expression analysis is a method that uses technology to analyze and interpret facial expressions. With the help of specialized software, therapists can analyze video or still images of a client’s face and identify specific emotions or patterns of emotion. This technology can help therapists to understand their clients more deeply, and it can also be used to track progress in therapy.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that facial expression analysis is still a relatively new field, and the technology is not yet advanced enough to replace human interpretation. Therapists should always use technology as a supplement to their own observations and interpretations, rather than relying on it solely.

Current Technology Available For Facial Analysis

Facial Recognition Software

This technology uses algorithms to identify unique facial features and match them to a database of known individuals. It can be used for applications such as security and biometric identification.

Facial Expression Recognition Software

This technology uses algorithms to analyze and interpret facial expressions, often by identifying specific facial landmarks and measuring changes in muscle movement. It can be used for applications such as market research, human-computer interaction, and mental health assessment.

Emotion Detection Software

This technology uses algorithms to detect and classify emotions based on facial expressions, body language, and speech patterns. It can be used for applications such as customer service, security, and marketing.

Computer Vision

This technology uses computer algorithms and images to interpret visual information, this can be used to track and analyze facial expressions, body language, and movements over time, providing a more detailed understanding of a person’s emotional state.

Affective Computing

This technology combines multiple sources of data such as physiological sensors, facial expression recognition and speech analysis to understand and interpret human emotions.

Conclusion

Facial expressions play a critical role in human communication, especially when it comes to expressing emotions. In therapy, understanding and interpreting facial expressions can provide valuable insight into a client’s emotional state and help therapists to provide more effective treatment. By using facial expressions to build rapport, explore emotions, and supplement observations with technology, therapists can improve their practice and better serve their clients.

Morphopsychology is the study of the relationship between facial features and personality. It is a branch of psychology that focuses on understanding how the shape and structure of the face can reveal information about a person’s character, emotions, and behavior. The field of morphopsychology has been around for over a century, but it is only recently that it has been used in therapy as a tool for understanding and helping clients.

Understanding the Face

Morphopsychology is based on the idea that the face is a reflection of the mind. Each facial feature is thought to correspond to a specific aspect of personality, such as intelligence, emotionality, and sociability. By analyzing the face, a therapist can gain insight into a client’s personality and behavior, and use this information to tailor therapy sessions and interventions.

One of the key techniques used in morphopsychology is facial analysis. This involves studying the shape, size, and position of different facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, and interpreting what they reveal about the person’s character. For example, a large forehead is thought to indicate intelligence, while a wide jaw is associated with assertiveness and decisiveness.

What Can A Therapist Observe On A Client’s Face

A client’s face can reveal various information to a therapist, depending on the specific techniques and approaches used in morphopsychology. By analyzing the shape, size, and position of different facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, a therapist can gain insight into a client’s personality. For example, a large forehead might indicate intelligence, while a wide jaw might indicate assertiveness and decisiveness.

The face is also the primary means by which we communicate our emotions to others, and it can reveal a lot about how a person is feeling. By analyzing a client’s facial expressions, a therapist can gain insight into their emotional state and help them to understand and manage their feelings more effectively.

Emotions and Facial Expressions

An important aspect of morphopsychology is the study of facial expressions and emotions.

A key technique used in this aspect of morphopsychology is the analysis of microexpressions. These are subtle, fleeting facial expressions that reveal a person’s true emotions, even when they are trying to hide them. By training to recognize microexpressions, therapists can become more attuned to their clients’ emotions and help them to identify and express their feelings more effectively.

Examples of Microexpressions

Microexpressions last for only a fraction of a second, and are often difficult to detect without training. Here are some examples of microexpressions and what they typically indicate:

Tailoring Therapy

One of the main advantages of using morphopsychology in therapy is that it allows therapists to tailor their approach to each individual client. By understanding the unique characteristics of a client’s face, a therapist can develop interventions that are specifically designed to address their specific needs.

For example, if a client has a large forehead and a small jaw, a therapist might focus on helping them to develop their intellectual abilities and decision-making skills. Conversely, if a client has a wide jaw and a small forehead, the therapist might focus on helping them to assert themselves and express their opinions more effectively.

Conclusion

Morphopsychology is a powerful tool for understanding and helping clients in therapy. By analyzing facial features and expressions, therapists can gain insight into a client’s personality, emotions, and behavior, and use this information to tailor their approach to meet the client’s specific needs.

While morphopsychology is not the only tool that therapists use, it can be a valuable addition to a therapist’s toolkit. By understanding the unique characteristics of a client’s face, therapists can help clients to understand and manage their emotions, develop their intellectual abilities, and express themselves more effectively.

Do you want to read faces? It takes several seconds for a facial smile to turn into a frown or contempt to become a surprise so that anyone can notice it. Surprised about it?

Understanding A Person’s Character Through Face Recognition

Don’t you wonder how counselors guide their clients efficiently with face reading? Of course, they received proper education and training for this type of career, but that’s not all. These professionals are also successful partly because they can do face reading. Facial reading is an ancient art of learning about different personality types. And a counselor can be considered a good face reader.

Although it is a sensitive ancient practice, it helps a therapist understand a person’s life and character traits or feelings more than what the mouth can say. By understanding the nose, lip, and lines and pointing to the forehead, Chinese facial recognition gave people a glimpse of who they were.

“Recent studies have found that the human face shape can also convey essential characteristics that make us who we are,” writes Vinita Mehta, Ph.D., Ed.M.

It can also tell them whether the psychotherapy works or not. A truth, for instance, means the client is cooperating. A lie, however, indicates that they need to use another strategy to counsel the individual.

In case you still can’t comprehend how it ties up with counseling, let’s talk about the relationships of the three Es of facial recognition: emotions, expressions (body), and eyes. People tend to base their knowledge of others on these aspects.

The Connection Between Face Reading And Counseling

Feelings Are Universal

Charles Darwin first theorized that the emotions on one human being’s visage could also appear on others’ mugs, regardless of gender, culture, or race. Many became interested in the visage analysis topic, to the extent that dozens of independent nature researchers conducted their investigations over the years. Their goal was to determine whether there was a fact in the evolutionist’s idea or not.

Fascinatingly enough, the conclusions they drew were alike. 1) The face shapes can create seven emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, shock, disgust, and disdain. 2) You don’t need to see someone else’s face to learn them because your visage muscles already know since birth.

Since the visage recognition counselor is also human, it’s effortless for him or her to interpret emotions by merely doing visage analysis.

Visage Micro-Expression Speaks Volumes

There is confusion surrounding micro-expression since it’s a relatively new term for a lot of people. Most are aware of the macro-expression – the apparent transformation of facial expressions. It usually takes several seconds for a smile to turn into a frown or contempt to become a surprise so that anyone can notice it. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that various emotions can’t pass through people’s faces and be seen by the naked eye, which is the case of intuitive micro-expressions.

Note that psychologists analyze the latter because a single emotion only remains on the visage for 0.03 seconds before it changes to different emotions due to how the nervous system is designed. That’s faster than a snap of your fingers; that’s why it’s likely that folks have the ability to detect it as it happens. While others have difficulties, women don’t. Throughout history, they have been prominent fortune tellers. They can easily read behavior without words without one bit of error.

Despite that, a counselor pays attention to the fleeting expressions as they show every concealed feeling of the client.

“Sometimes,” Paul Ekman, Ph.D., says, “you may know how a person feels before he or she knows. You may also be able to recognize that there is a chance a person is trying to diminish or conceal her expressions.”

Read: Eye Movements Can’t Lie

We can talk about the facial features of how easier it is for pupils to dilate or narrow as the person thinks of stuff they like and dislike. An eye movement refers to the dead giveaway related to real emotions. The eyes are the most apparent facial features of the face, thus, holding a lot of power.

If the client can’t maintain or refuses to make eye contact with the psychotherapist, it typically suggests they want to evade the questions.

“Most liars know that lying is wrong, so reducing eye contact reduces the guilt of lying to your face,” writes Ellen Hendriksen, Ph.D.

Moreover, if their eyes move to either right or left, that indicates they’re trying to come up with stories or remember the truth.

You Can Use Visage Expressions For Counseling

Conclusion

Study shows that facial reading is considered a technique a licensed therapist can use during individuals’ big domains of the sessions.

It does not invade anyone’s privacy; it just gives the health professional an insight into how someone truly feels.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Chinese Visage Recognition?

Chinese visage recognition, often referred to as “face reading” or physiognomy is an ancient practice in Chinese culture that involves interpreting a person’s personality, character, and destiny based on the features and structure of their face.

How Much Is A Visage Recognition?

The cost of visage recognition or reading faces services can vary depending on the practitioner or expert you consult. Prices can range from a nominal fee to a more substantial cost for in-depth readings.

What Are The Signs Of True Love?

Signs of true love can include deep emotional connection, trust, mutual respect, care, support, and a genuine desire for each other’s happiness and well-being.

How Can I See My Face Reading?

To see your own face reading, you can consult a qualified physiognomist or use online tools and resources that provide information on facial features and their interpretations.

How Accurate Is Face Reading?

The accuracy of face-reading interpretations can vary, and it is often considered a pseudoscience. While some people believe in its accuracy, others view it as more of a cultural or spiritual practice rather than a scientifically proven method.

In the world of face reading, the distance between close-set eyes can reveal intriguing insights into an individual’s personality, complementing the latest stories about their body language and even shedding light on their compatibility with certain zodiac signs.

Why Is Face Reading Important?

Face reading is important to some cultures as it is believed to offer insights into a person’s character and potential life path. It can be used for self-awareness and understanding others.

What Do Thin Lips Mean In Face Reading?

In face reading, thin lips may be associated with qualities like sensitivity, introversion, and a tendency to be reserved. However, interpretations can vary depending on the cultural or individual perspective.

Is Visage Recognition Psychology?

Visage recognition, or face reading, is not a recognized field of psychology. It is more closely related to cultural or traditional practices than scientific psychology.

What Is Facial Recognition Called?

Facial recognition refers to the technology or process of identifying and verifying individuals based on their facial features and is used in security systems, digital devices, and other applications.

How Do People Do Visage Recognition?

Visage recognition, or face reading, is typically done by practitioners who have studied the art and its interpretations. To make personality and character assessments, they assess facial features, including eyes, nose, lips, and forehead.

How Do You Know A Woman Loves A Man?

Knowing if a woman loves a man involves observing her actions and behaviors, such as showing affection, spending quality time together, being supportive, and expressing care and concern. However, love is a complex emotion, and individual expressions can vary widely. Communication and open dialogue are essential to understanding each other’s feelings in a relationship.

 

 

Why is it important to know the types of personality disorders? What are those? While face reading was predominantly explored during the 1930s, personality disorders were not widely accepted as a discipline. However, practitioners who have mastered it offered important insights for developing additional personality disorder cluster theories. Among the existing methods is physiognomy. Physiognomy examines facial expressions to determine the character and identify many symptoms.

It is similar to morphopsychology, the study of human facial features and compositions.

Experts at the American Psychiatric Association and National Comorbidity Survey Replication explain that each individual has a unique physical appearance, characteristics, and personality traits during early adulthood. Your genetic makeup determines some parts of your clingy behavior from the beginning. As you grow up, various risk factors easily influence your behavior development. All of these factors can also contribute to the development of one personality disorder as well as other mental illnesses. Read on to learn what personality disorders are and how counseling can help a person understand the condition better.

What Are Personality Disorders?

Personality refers to an individual’s unique patterns of feeling, behaving, and magical thinking. Environmental and social experiences and inherited characteristics influence obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Throughout a person’s lifetime, their behavior usually stays over time and their family members may not even notice it.

Personality disorders are maladaptive ways of behaving, thinking, and feeling. Behavioral dysfunctions are long-term behavioral patterns and experiences that significantly differ from societal expectations. Individuals with personality disorders deviate from the cultural norm. A behavior dysfunction may cause distress and significant problems in social functioning, which can last over time. When left unmanaged, a behavior dysfunction may significantly impair the behavioral responses of a person.

Can Greatly Affect:

• Emotional response
• Self-confidence
• Ability to relate to other people
• Thoughts about oneself or other people
• Ability to control one’s overall behavior

According to an expert on research advancements, to be diagnosed with behavioral dysfunction, an individual must display patterns of the behavioral characteristics of that particular condition. This characterization must be consistent throughout a person’s lifetime. These behavioral traits can also indicate intense emotions and pervasive distrust from specific stressors or issues. This is what differentiates behavioral dysfunctions from anxiety disorders and mood disorders.

The Unique Feature Of DSM:

(DSM IV Personality Disorders)

TYPE A

Odd and eccentric personality features characterize this cluster.

SCHIZOTYPAL

People with specific personality disorders have distorted and eccentric behavior. This also translates to their way of beliefs and way of thinking. Additionally, they also have a pattern of being very uncomfortable in close relationships as a symptom.

SCHIZOID

A person with a schizoid personality disorder detaches from his or her personal relationships. They also have little emotional expression. With this, they may deliberately choose to be alone and not engage with other people.

Schizotypal personality disorder, on the other hand, is characterized by eccentric behavior, unusual beliefs, and difficulty forming close relationships.

PARANOID

Individuals with paranoid personality disorders are always suspicious of others. They perceive other people as deceitful, spiteful, and harmful to them. This is why they may find it difficult to be close to others, hence displaying antisocial disorders as well.

CLUSTER B

Dramatic, erratic, and extremely emotional behaviors characterize this cluster.

HISTRIONIC

A person with a histrionic personality disorder has patterns of excessive emotion. They also have extreme attention-seeking behavior. So they can be very uncomfortable if they are not the center of attention.

ANTISOCIAL

Individuals with an antisocial personality disorder may seem to have little regard for other people’s welfare. They lack the empathy to relate to other people. Popular media portrays people with antisocial personality disorder as sociopaths or psychopaths. However, this condition does not necessarily lead to violent tendencies.

NARCISSISTIC

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual, individuals diagnosed with narcissistic personality have a high need for admiration. They have a grandiose sense of their importance and entitlement. Narcissistic people may lack empathy towards others, develop extreme sensitivity and distorted thinking or eccentric thinking, violate social norms and social institutions, and prefer social isolation over social situations.

BORDERLINE

People with borderline personality disorder have patterns of being unstable in interpersonal relationships. Abandonment preoccupies them, making them impulsive and reactive at times. They regularly misinterpret innocent remarks. They care more about self-image and self-care.

Three Clusters Of Personality Disorders

Being anxious or having intense fear are qualities of personality that characterize this cluster.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – A person who has OCD or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder has a pattern of being preoccupied with perfection. They may have an unhealthy obsession with orderliness and control. This behavior will disrupt their time for leisure, relationships, or themselves.
• Dependent –Individuals with this condition are submissive and dependent on others. They have long-term patterns of needing overly cared for in every new relationship. With this, they have difficulties in decision-making without assurance from others.
• Avoidant – Clinically, people with avoidant personality disorder have a pattern of extreme shyness and ongoing feelings of inadequacy. They may also be overly sensitive toward criticism.

Counseling

Counseling primarily helps in diagnosing behavioral disorders and identifying symptoms. After diagnosing, they will devise a treatment plan. Psychotherapy is an effective method for treating personality disorders. So is dialectical behavior therapy.

Counselors will provide them with coping strategies to deal with the difficulties due to their condition.

Most importantly, counseling can help them address the stigma toward their personality disorders. An individual with a personality disorder requires a consultation with a professional that caters to mental disorders stigma. The counselor should reassure them that there is nothing wrong with getting mental health professional help for personality disorders or any mental disorder, even multiple personality disorder.

Conclusion

Counseling can help an individual recognize how to manage and treat most personality disorders. It is helpful to both the patient and the people around them. In the long run, counseling can help patients live life as normally as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Most Painful Mental Illness?

The perception of the most painful mental illness can vary from person to person. Conditions like severe depression, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder can be associated with intense emotional distress.

What Are The 7 Main Mental Illnesses?

The seven main mental illnesses often referred to as the “common mental disorders” include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

What Is Toxic Behavioral Dysfunction?

“Toxic behavioral dysfunction” is not recognized in psychology or psychiatry. It may refer to unhealthy or harmful behavior patterns but is not a formal diagnosis.

What Are The 7 Personality Disorders?

The DSM-5 lists ten personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and histrionic personality disorder.

What Is The Most Serious Behavioral Dysfunction?

The seriousness of a behavioral dysfunction depends on various factors, including the individual’s specific condition and its impact on their life. Disorders like antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder can be particularly challenging.

How Do You Know If Someone Has A Behavioral Dysfunction?

Recognizing a behavioral dysfunction involves observing persistent and disruptive patterns of behavior that deviate significantly from societal norms. A mental health professional can provide an accurate diagnosis.

What Is The Most Popular Behavioral Dysfunction?

There isn’t a “popular” behavioral dysfunction, but some common ones include depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders.

What Are The First Signs Of A Personality Disorder?

The first signs of a personality disorder may include difficulty forming stable relationships, persistent mood swings, impulsivity, and a pattern of behavior that causes distress or conflicts with others.

What Triggers A Personality Disorder?

Genetic, environmental, and psychological factors influence the development of a personality disorder. Early life experiences and genetic predispositions can play a role.

At What Age Does A Personality Disorder Develop?

Personality disorders typically start to manifest in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, the exact age of onset can vary depending on the specific disorder and individual circumstances.

What Is The DSM-5 List Of Personality Disorders?

The DSM-5 lists ten personality disorders, including borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, histrionic, and avoidant personality disorders.

Which Disorder Is The Most Common Personality Disorder?

A borderline personality disorder is often considered one of the more common personality disorders, but prevalence rates can vary depending on the population and region.

How Are Personality Disorders Grouped In The DSM-5?

Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters in the DSM-5: Cluster A (odd or eccentric disorders), Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, or erratic disorders), and Cluster C (anxious or fearful disorders).

During the 1930s, a French psychologist named Louis Corman developed morphopsychology. Morphopsychology uses physiognomy, or the study of human facial features, in predicting personality. According to Corman, the human facial composition is a good indicator of the character of a person. It can also give insights into the type of intelligence an individual possesses, whether emotional or instinctive.

Despite being a scientific discipline, morphopsychology has not been widely accepted by scientists. There is no clear evidence of the effectiveness of physiognomy. Yet, there are various methods to determine personality traits and characteristics developed in recent years. One of these is the OCEAN model of personality. Other personality traits are classified into five major personality traits in this model:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

Knowing your personality traits will give you valuable insights into your behavior. A better understanding of yourself can benefit your personal and career development. When taking personality tests, you can seek guidance from psychiatrists, psychometrists, or a psychiatrist. 

Like everyone else, these mental health care professionals have also determined their personality traits. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an effective counselor? What personality traits should you have and develop to be a counselor? 

Compassionate And Empathic

The ability to relate to the client is the first and perhaps most important personality trait. As a counselor, you need to have a nurturing and caring personality. You will face situations where your client may feel hopeless and helpless. Being compassionate and caring allows you to empathize with people’s struggles.

In these cases, it is important to consider the other person’s situation. Empathizing means being able to put yourself in their situations. What would you feel if you were the one having these experiences? It is important to approach their problem firstly from their own perspectives. If you have adequately understood their plight, then you can help them find a solution for it. 

Good At Communicating And Listening

An effective counselor is also good at communicating and listening to their clients. Counseling sessions should be about the mental problems of the clients. During a conversation, an effective counselor can remove the emphasis on themselves. They actively listen to what the other person is saying. If necessary, they provide professional advice to their client.

The client may also have difficulties in expressing themselves verbally. A good listener understands nonverbal cues of communication. To effectively communicate with the other person, they must also be aware of their body language. For instance, an individual looking downwards may be having feelings of shame and guilt.

In these cases, a counselor should establish rapport to make the clients comfortable sharing their stories. An effective communicator and listener are capable of keeping these stories confidential. Counselors should be able to build trust with the client, to know and understand them better. 

Creative When Solving Problems

Counselors should be creative when it comes to providing solutions to their client’s problems. Since every individual has unique characteristics and personalities, counselors should be able to use various methods.

Being creative in solving problems also requires the ability to think outside the box. For instance, a counselor might suggest playing therapy to adults who show signs of repressed thoughts and emotions. This can help them explore their identity and facilitate the healthy release of their feelings.

Despite the need for creativity in their profession, they also must adhere to scientific methods and techniques as foundations. Effective counselors know when to use alternative methods in assisting their clients. They provide the best treatment options for each individual. Even if it requires stretching their ideas and imagination.

Other Qualities Of An Effective Counselor

Aside from the primary personality traits, an effective counselor should also fully understand emotion and reason. Throughout the counseling session, there will be instances where too much compassion may cloud their judgment, or they may feel attached to their clients.

When it comes to therapy, a good counselor knows when to use empathy and reason. For instance, if the consultation aims to diagnose the client, a counselor must adhere to psychological tests. However, this does not mean that they won’t use empathy and compassion to gather more information for the diagnosis, such as the client’s current thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

When it comes to treatment, a good psychologist must still be objective. They must eliminate any bias that might jeopardize the client’s health. For instance, if counselors are fond of children, they must be careful not to get too attached to their young clients.

Finally, effective counselors exhibit great self-awareness and understanding of themselves. Counselors should take the time to develop their personalities. They need to understand their own prejudices and interests. This will help them separate themselves from their clients’ problems and avoid projecting on them. As counselors, they must have a deeper understanding of their identity to guide clients towards mental healing.

I took the Myers-Briggs personality test last month. I know, I know – I was a little late to jump into that wagon, and “it was so 2019,” as my niece would say it. I heard about the MBTI a couple of years ago, too, but I did not think of taking the test because I felt like I did not need a written assessment to tell me who I was.

However, the world got struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. I was among the lucky people who did not have unemployment issues in 2020. In truth, I even earned a promotion for doing double shifts four times a week, thereby doubling my salary. All my family members were also safe, and I’m proud to say that none of us contracted the coronavirus.

What led me to assess my personality type was that I caught my boyfriend cheating on me on camera. We shared an apartment in LA, but I got stuck in New Jersey during the pandemic. We thought it best if I stayed in New Jersey until we both got vaccinated. I felt tempted to risk getting coronavirus when my boyfriend kept telling me how much he missed me, but we settled with video chats and calls at least thrice a day.

Then, one morning that I called my boyfriend, he was still in bed. It was surprising since it was already 11 o’clock at the time, and he used to get up at 6 o’clock. He said he was tired from work yesterday and that he’d call me back after lunch, but he lifted his phone over his head, and I saw a very naked woman sleeping next to him.

My boyfriend noticed my shocked expression, and he sat up and tried to explain, but I had seen enough. My last words to him were, “I’ll wait for you to pay me back for the rent money I already wire-transferred for the rest of the year.” I ended the call and wailed in my pillow all day long.

That breakup made me reevaluate myself. I thought I knew my boyfriend, but I didn’t. I thought I was not the type of woman who would get cheated on, but I experienced it. Worse, I could not go back to LA at once to kick his butt. All of a sudden, I no longer knew who I was.

Using Projective Tests To Measure My Personality

When I came across the MBTI website one day, I realized that it was a projective test in the form of a self-help report. I tried to answer every question as best as possible and was surprised to learn that I was an ISFJ – a Protector. Although I was more interested in finding out what it said about my relationships, I could not help but read the other things indicated in the results. Mainly, it said that I did my work well alone (check!), I believed in ideas based on facts (check!), and I care for my loved ones more than anyone in the world (double-check!).

Once I reached the relationships part, it mentioned that ISFJs appreciated a thoughtful partner. They could give everything to that person, but if they messed up at least once, they would lose their trust and not want to do anything with them. I felt like that was so spot-on, given that I gave my ex a lot of consideration, especially since he could not get his full salary since the pandemic. Despite that, he did not think twice before cheating on me.

How are projective tests used to measure personality? 

Some projective tests start by showing an ambiguous picture to an individual and asking them what they see. In other cases, the person hears a word, which they need to draw. The testers will then measure their personality based on how they have interpreted those images or words.

What is an example of a projective personality assessment? 

A typical example of a projective personality assessment is the Thematic Apperception Test. What it entails is that the tester prepares at least eight pictures depicting different scenarios for a person. Then, that person needs to describe what they see, what is probably happening when the photo’s been taken, etc. 

This storytelling format is supposed to reveal many things about someone, including their previous experiences, current dilemmas, happiness, fear, or frustration, among other things.

What personality tests do psychologists use? 

Psychologists typically use two kinds of personality tests:

• Projective Tests: Such examinations tend to tap into people’s imagination to assess someone’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. There are various forms of projective tests, but the basic idea is that the tester will ask them to interpret, draw, or describe a picture and analyze their work.
• Self-Help Reports: These tests come in the form of questionnaires that people must answer truthfully. For instance, with five being most likely and one being least likely, do you think you’ll give your spouse another chance if s/he cheats on you? There is no correct or wrong answer here.

What are the four types of personality? 

• Analytical: Analytical individuals love to assess everything objectively. They do not believe something unless they see or experience it. They also love to gain new information, create lists, etc.
• Amiable: Amiable people are the most agreeable people you will ever meet. They like to avoid conflicts, so they often try to appease everyone. They want things to be easy for themselves too.
• Driver: This is the personality of strong and brave people. Instead of shying away from problems or challenges, they choose to face them head-on.
• Expressive: Individuals with this personality know how to please the crowd. It feels natural for them to befriend and socialize with others. Unfortunately, they are not always great with responsibilities.

What is the most common Myers-Brigg personality type? 

ISFJ turns out to be the most common Myers-Brigg personality type. People found with this personality type are known to be warm and responsible. While they always want to protect everyone and everything they love, they handle changes well.

What is the rarest personality type? 

INFJ is the rarest personality type among the Myers-Brigg personality types. Someone with this personality is known as an advocate. It entails that this person is full of wisdom and creativity. Before they do anything, they dig deep and make sure that it supports their inner values.

What are the eight types of personalities? 

• Extraverted Thinking: It refers to people who agree with like-minded individuals. However, if someone does not have similar principles, they immediately believe that they are wrong without understanding their logic.
• Introverted Thinking: Introverted thinkers tend to have bright ideas, but they have analysis paralysis. It means that they get stuck in their head often, unable to express themselves clearly.
• Extraverted Sensation: When someone has this personality, you may see them showing their affection to their loved ones all the time. They host parties and meet friends and family as often as possible.
• Introverted Sensation: Such people prefer to keep their thoughts and emotions to themselves. Though they are not liars, it is still tough to determine what’s on their minds. 
• Extraverted Intuition: This type of personality entails that someone is always open to changes, no matter how much they love their current situation.
• Introverted Intuition: Introverts are prone to coming up with ideas on how they can change various aspects of their lives. However, they do not usually act on them.
• Extraverted Feeling: Extraverts put others’ interests before theirs. Even if they do not like what’s happening, they will agree to it if other people are into it.
• Introverted Feeling: It has been revealed that introverted individuals do not like sharing their deepest feelings with others. Anyone can try coaxing them to open up, but they may end up hiding more.

How do you classify personality? 

Experts classify personality based on five traits: amiability, introversion, extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. One or two of these traits will be more dominant than the others, and that’s how they deduce a person’s personality.

What are the five main personality traits? 

• Agreeableness: Agreeable individuals love to cooperate and collaborate with other people. It does not always matter if they cannot get what they want – what matters to them is that everyone’s happy.
• Conscientiousness: Conscientious people are often level-headed. They know what they should do in life and how; they love planning and sticking to their own principles. They do not leave any essential task unfinished either.
• Extroversion: Sociable and talkative individuals are often called extroverts. It entails that they are not afraid or shy to express their thoughts or emotions.
• Introversion: Introverts are the opposites of extroverts because they tend to clam up all the time and avoid making vital decisions in life. Instead, they prefer to isolate themselves from others.
• Openness: As the term suggests, people with this personality trait are incredibly open to anything. They welcome change all their lives; they do not like getting stuck in one situation forever. Their imagination is always working as well.

What is personality according to psychology? 

According to psychology, personality is the collective term used to describe a combination of traits that people or animals exhibit. For instance, if someone is introverted, observant, feeling, and judging (ISFJ), they have the defender personality. If another person is extraverted, sensing, thinking, and perceptive (ESTP), they have the entrepreneur personality.

How did psychoanalysis influence psychology? 

Psychoanalysis reveals a fine and definite line that separates a person’s conscious and unconscious mind. They may experience catharsis at some point, and some of the unconscious thoughts will come to the surface. That’s when the person may realize some things about themselves that they have never known existed in the past. From there, psychologists can try to link their behavior before and after such an experience.

What is the theory of personality?

The founder of psychoanalysis is most likely the first person to create a theory regarding personality. According to him, people do everything to gain pleasure. It does not merely imply sex; it also pertains to how we tend to splurge on food, clothes, trips, and material objects. 

Sigmund Freud specifically introduced the tripartite theory of personality in 1923. This theory states that three aspects of personality – id, ego, and superego – develop over time.

Moral Lesson: It hurts to split with the love of your life, but when you know yourself, you know that you deserve someone better than a cheater. 

Try the MBTI test now – it worked for me!

Talking to my childhood friends and family would let you know that I was the most fearless kid in our neighborhood back then. Though I could not remember it, my mother said that I did not cry when she left me at the daycare center for the first time. Meanwhile, my first memory was of me in the playground, standing up for a friend who got bullied for having lesbians as parents.

When I entered elementary school, my fearlessness grew. Many of my peers could not go home independently, even if the school were in the same neighborhood that we lived in. At one point between first and second grade, I assured my parents that I could safely find my way home by asking them to follow me from school. They drilled stranger danger in my head ever since I could recall, and we had a tight-knit community, so they often allowed me to commute by myself.

If there were one thing that could frighten me instantly, my loved ones would tell you that it’s a mime artist. Clowns, magicians, or people in realistic Halloween costumes – I never cared for them. But if I ever got a glimpse of a mime artist, even if they were a few meters away, I would undoubtedly retreat and make sure never to go back there.

Reasoning

In reality, I did not have a shady encounter with a mime artist. They were not commonly found in the suburban area, so I only saw one when my parents surprised me with a trip to New York City when I was nine years old. 

We were roaming the streets at the time, and my parents were busy telling me about all the buildings there when I saw a small crowd gathering in the distance. I pulled Mom and Dad towards their location, curiosity about what they were ogling. I regretted doing that up to this day because I had to watch a large man in black-and-white clothes feel up an invisible wall and go through an invisible door without any expression on his face. The fact that he had white makeup all over him did not make things better. 

When I coaxed my parents to go in another direction, we passed through a street filled with what I did not know back then as human statues. I mean, they were all bronzed and still! My father thought it was fun to ask me to drop a dollar in front of one, but I was scared out of my mind when it started moving like the mime artist I just ran away from. While they were not the same people and their clothes were different, they both had expressionless faces. It isn’t very pleasant to admit it, but it was the longest time I cried over something.

Digging Deeper

My strong aversion towards mime artists continued as I grew up. Whenever my parents talked about out-of-town trips, I made sure to find places where I had the least chance of coming across one. 

In hindsight, it could be because facial expressions gave us a glimpse into others’ real emotions. For instance, a quick pout followed by a forced smile indicated that someone masked their annoyance or irritation. Similarly, a wide grin meant that they were beyond happy or excited. But a poker face? It’s scary.

To explain the necessity of expression in people’s lives, I put together a list of frequently asked questions involving the subject below.

What is an emotional expression in psychology? 

 The emotional expression refers to how you show how you feel towards other people or different situations verbally or nonverbally. 

Examples of verbal expression:

• Hugging
• Kissing
• Saying, “thank you.”

Examples of nonverbal expression:

• Smiling
• Frowning
• Opening mouth in shock

How can facial expressions influence emotions? 

 Your facial expressions typically reflect your emotions, but they can also influence the latter. For instance, when you smile despite your problems, you may feel sad less and less. But when you always frown, you may become short-tempered and upset about everything.

How does emotion affect attention? 

 Happiness and all the positive emotions tend to make you more attentive than ever. You notice everything; you remember everything. However, your attention dips when you are sad, jealous, or angry since that’s where all your focus goes.

What are the healthy expressions of emotions? 

 Expressing happiness, cheerfulness, and other positive emotions is not a problem. When you smile and laugh, it influences the people around you to do the same. But the issue appears when it comes to expressing your negative emotions, especially if you usually have no filter and blurts out whatever’s on your mind. 

Here are examples of healthy emotional expressions:

• If someone angers you, wait until you are calm enough to talk before letting them know about it. Some people let at least a day or two pass so that they don’t end saying words that they can no longer take back.
• If you’re in a restaurant, and a waiter takes forever to bring your order, you can ask them politely to hurry up instead of making a scene. Although the latter is useful for getting the job done, the former may make the waiter apologetic and serve you better on your next visit. 

How people express their emotions? 

 People typically express their emotions through facial expressions. A simple frown, curt smile, or excessive pouting indicates that you don’t like what you see; a huge grin entails loving it. 

Often, facial expressions also come with corresponding words or body language. For the former, you may shake your head and say, “No, thank you.” For the latter, you may clap or jump up and down to express your enthusiasm and appreciation.

What are emotional display rules? 

 Emotional display rules are practically the norms in your location when it comes to expressing your emotions. One clear example of that is the public display of affection. In religious countries, people frown upon couples who hug and kiss each other in public. They also care deeply if a parent scolds a child at the park or any crowded place. Still, in more liberated countries, kissing, hugging, or even yelling folks hardly attract anyone’s attention.

What are the seven emotions? 

• Happiness
• Disgust
• Fear
• Anger
• Contempt
• Surprise
• Sadness

Do emotions follow behavior and facial expressions? 

 No. Emotions influence facial expressions – when you are upset, you cannot help but frown or burrow your eyebrows. Consequently, you can school your facial expressions to change your emotions – when you push yourself to smile through the pain, it may eventually feel less painful. 

Meanwhile, the behavior is also a byproduct of emotion, not the opposite. If you act unkindly towards someone, it is because you are thinking unkindly about someone.

Do facial expressions reflect inner feelings? 

 Yes. According to studies, our facial expressions fleet multiple times until we decide how we feel about something. Some people want to hide their inner feelings at times, but their facial expressions tend to give them away.

Do emotions affect memory? 

 Yes, emotions affect memory. The general rule is that the happier you are, the clearer your mind is, and the better your concentration becomes. Thus, it may be more effortless for you to remember stuff than an upset individual.

When you are angry or sad, your memory may still work, but you may only recall the cause of your anger or sadness. That is not healthy at all.

What factors influence your emotions? 

The following factors can influence your emotions:

• Culture: Culture often dictates how individuals react to certain situations. For instance, in many Asian countries, it has been common for couples to avoid showing physical affection, even if they are already married. This has only changed recently.
• Gender: Women tend to experience emotions more intensely than men. It is perhaps due to how women are supposed to behave a bit more emotional than men according to social norms, while the latter are expected to keep their cool at all times.
• Social Status: Social status suggests that people in the higher strata may be happier and more easygoing than those near or below the poverty line. However, people from all walks of life deal with different problems every day; that’s why it is challenging to assess its distinct effects.
• Stress: Stress makes everyone feel negative emotions in general. It also shortens your patience and causes you to express your feelings and thoughts more aggressively than usual.

How does emotion affect personality? 

 When you are a highly emotional individual, you may seem like a weakling or crybaby in the eyes of other people. When you let negative emotions get the better of you, people will think that you are moody, mean, rude, and short-tempered. 

If you want to improve your personality, you need to evaluate your emotions and figure out if you express them correctly. 

What is the difference between emotions and feelings? 

 Emotions are involuntary reactions that a person’s brain causes after they deal with a situation. For instance, if you catch your boyfriend lying to you, your face scrunches up on automatic, and tears may flow down your cheeks. Some people even start yelling profanities towards the cheater or throw punches at them. 

Once the emotions calm down, the person starts to feel hurt and angry about the betrayal. You get feelings when you become aware of your feelings and manage to put a name on them. 

How can I express my emotions better? 

 To explain this better, let’s say you are facing a major crisis as a coworker deleted the documents you need for a presentation, and it will take a while before you can get a copy. 

The first thing you must do is close your eyes and take deep breaths – as if you are doing mindfulness meditation. You may be seething in anger upon knowing your coworker’s mistake, but confronting them and yelling at them will do you no good. It just means that your emotions are controlling you, and that’s not acceptable. 

Instead, you can try naming such emotions so that they turn into feelings – an indication that you are conscious of them now. It is not wrong of you to be angry, sad, or betrayed by what your coworker did; you need to calm yourself to avoid more conflicts.

When you are ready, please open your eyes and think of letting the coworker know that you didn’t appreciate what they did. If you are still angry after that, you can write your feelings in a journal and burn them, go to the gym, or do any activity that will allow you to release your anger. 

Is expressing your emotions really helpful?

Yes, expressing your emotions is genuinely helpful, considering hiding them can lead to mental disorders. It is understandable if you feel ashamed to show your feelings sometimes, especially when they are not positive, but you need to do so at some level to prevent them from chipping away at your mental health.

Final Thoughts

Life becomes more bearable than ever when you know how to express yourself through verbal or non-verbal means. If you want to increase your chances of staying mentally healthy, you should not be as expressionless as a mime artist.

 

 

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Do you often wonder why your kids have very different characteristics even though they live under one roof? I do, and I ask myself what could have happened between carrying them in my womb and delivering them. Then I read about the different personalities and types of temperament and how I can make the necessary adjustments to my parenting style to match my kids’ personalities.

If you’re a parent of two or more kids (like me), you probably are astounded by how unique your kids seem. One may be bubbly and carefree, while the younger sibling is overly timid and sensitive. One is flexible to change, and another may require more time and space to cope. These kids were undoubtedly brought up by the same parents, born in the same beliefs, and living in the same home, but they each take life’s roads and challenges differently. How could this be? It could be temperament.

Definition and Background

Temperament is defined as a person’s various personalities and his or her responses to life events and occurrences. Researchers and psychologists suggest five different features when discussing temperament.

1. Activity Level – the severity of activity done by an individual
2. Emotional intensity – the level of emotions that an individual is capable of showing or presenting with
3. Frustration tolerance – an individual’s capacity to tolerate stress or any kind of emotion or situation
4. Reaction to change – how an individual responds to the changes around him
5. Response to new people – how an individual reacts when he is around people he is not familiar with

Every individual is born with her or his distinct personalities and temperament. Temperament, on the other hand, is not a product of something that you were able to or not able to do. It is not also caused by the culture you were born in, although a child’s surrounding environment can affect how he sees himself and how he can adapt to life. Sufficient knowledge of temperament can assist parents in adjusting their approach to their children’s needs.

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Making Adjustments To Your Parenting Style

Be more understanding. Your older daughter dilly-dallies throughout the day, mostly procrastinating. You, on the other hand, are making sure you are achieving your to-do list. You and your spouse love having new people in your home, but your daughter prefers to stay in her room, not even getting out once for introductions. Often, this is a gap between a parent’s personality and a child’s personality, resulting in conflicts. Be more understanding and patient with her and take a few steps back so you will gain insight into her responses. Rather than feeling frustrated, try to look for some compromise or solution. For instance, you might want to tell your child that someone is coming over to visit so that she will have time to fix herself and her composure. Tell her how to respond initially when someone comes over and encourage her to join in small group activities whenever possible.

Recognize your child’s personality. Observe your child’s usual behavioral patterns. Does she love talking to new people and learning new things, or does she require more time to prepare for social gatherings? Maybe she is somewhere halfway. Is she more sensitive than others, is she more expressive of her feelings, or is she quiet but deep? Think about where your child falls on a mental or physical chart that discusses different personality types. You can usually get this from The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning or CSEFEL.

Separate your own needs from theirs. One of the most common challenges in parenting is not mixing up your needs and personality approach from your children. You may think that your child requires a substantial amount of social interactions, for instance, but the truth is, it is you that desire it. Be clear on your parenting needs and approaches so you can maintain stable boundaries between you and your children. See them as separate individuals.

Support your child. In today’s culture, formal and quiet personalities are usually rewarded. So if you have a son or daughter who is lively, emotionally intense, and highly assertive, you’ve most probably heard relatives and significant others judge them. Knowing that temperament is not the same for anyone can help eliminate the pressure, enabling you to perceive your child’s personalities as strengths, not weaknesses. This gives you more leverage to defend your child against negative reactions and comments. It would be easier for you to say, “Yes, my daughter is carefree, independent, and knows precisely what she wants. And she’s also learning how to meet halfway.”

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Temperament is not always a constant feature. Kids with, say, an introverted personality can learn how to become more friendly and social compared to adults with a mental health of defender personality. Someone born with a quick temper can certainly be more patient and in control later in his life. As a parent, improve your knowledge and understanding of your children’s temperaments while trying not to assign labels on them that might cause them not to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally.