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Social and behavioral scientists, including psychotherapists, have become increasingly aware of themselves and the necessity to study and define themselves as “objects” of scientific investigation. As students and specialists in understanding human intrapsychic and interpersonal systems, psychotherapists have developed increasing interest in aspects of self and personality which go beyond transference in effecting the therapeutic process and outcome.
It is difficult to accurately define such everyday concepts as personality and self. Lasswell stated, “The frequency of occurrence of an act on comparable occasions in the career line of a person is a trait of the personality.” Webster defines personality as (1) a quality or state of being personal or of being a person and not a thing or abstraction; (2) that which makes a being a person; personal existence or identity; (3) that which constitutes distinction of a person; distinctive personal character; individuality; (9) philosophically: the mode of being of the soul when joined to the body; (10) psychologically: (a) the totality of an individual's characteristics, especially as they concern his relations to other people; (b) an integrated group of emotional trends, interests, behavior tendencies, etc.
At times the concept of personality is used synonomously with the concept of character. For example, “that man shows himself alternatingly as two different characters or personalities.” So personality is not considered to be a mood or fleeting emotion, although a person might be described as having or being a “moody character” or “personality.” There is no doubt in my mind as to the importance of the therapist's personality in the therapeutic process for individuals, couples, and groups.
For us to speak of the personality structure of the group therapist we must be aware when we use this concept that what is reflected in personality are cultural mores and traits, drives, needs, desires, values, anxiety, controls, inherited f