Not only do I look mostly like my dad with my red hair and blue eyes (amazing blue eyes I might add) I act a lot like him too. I believe people should do their jobs to the best of their ability, I am quick to be annoyed, and have the temper of a typical red head. When people would meet me they knew that I was his daughter. Psychohistory would explain why I am like him, marketing personality goes into depth about our personalities, and how we are both extraverts
Psychohhistory is a concept in which you explore the leaders family to figure out how the leader came to be the way that they are (Northhouse, pg322). If you ever met my dad you could figure out why I am the way I am. I grew up with my mom working nights so my dad and I had lots of time together. I know more about cars and motorcycles than what I ever knew about Barbies. I enjoy having fast cars and care more about the way they look than gas mileage. This has followed me into my adult years. I still enjoy things that look “cool” rather than something that is practical.
Our personalities are the marketing kind. Sigmund Freud developed this kind meaning that I am adaptable and can work with anyone. My dad owned his own chrome platting business so he dealt with all different sorts of people. I am a flight attendant so I need to do the same. I come into contact with all sorts of different people. From the business travelers that travel all the time thinking that they know my job better than what I do to the people that travel once every ten years and can’t even buckle their own seat belt. You need to be able to adapt so that you are respected and that everyone knows that you can handle all situations that may arise.
Being an extravert is great when you own your own business. You need to be able to get out there and talk to people and make connections. I have that same type of personality. Many people say that is just how red heads are. I don’t believe that is true it is once again due to my psychohistory of having a extavert father that makes me the way that I am. I enjoy talking to people and starting a conversation over nothing. People all have different stories on what makes up their lives and I want to hear them and know everything.
I learned many things from being with my dad most of my life. He taught me how to be the best person that I can be and not let people walk all over me. Just because I am a girl does not mean that I can’t act like a boy.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Ryan Patrick Finley says
This was a great read, I loved the subject and you gave me plenty to think about. I thought about how I grew up, who was around me and how my personality is compared to my parents. The way I am now, it is so easy for me to draw comparisons to my dad. Not only do we look alike but have similar interests and opinions. We’re both products of inner city Philadelphia, think very blue collar/middle class and our political opinions tend to lean towards the left. Although my dad didn’t finish college, he studied criminal justice while he was in school and now recently I’ve had the idea of possibly attending law school. My dad is very outgoing as am I but what I find interesting is I was raised mostly by my mom (who is more of a introvert). My dad was around but he worked a lot and my mom stayed at home. Plus, I’m not sure I ever had a serious discussion about politics until I reached adulthood but we have very similar views.
By Freud’s definitions of personalities in Northouse (2013) I am definitely a marketing personality. I’ve adapted my whole life to changes around me and enjoy the life process. I’m constantly looking to learn as much as I can and continue to grow. While I’ve drawn many comparisons to my father, I think he may be an obsessive personality. He needs order, is very neat and rarely does anything or goes anywhere without having a clear plan before hand and needs to know about everything far in advance. There’s no question we have similar interests but when it comes down to it, we are very different. This was a great post, that really got me thinking.
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Matthew Kaufmann says
You touched on something that really intrigued me when you wrote, “If you ever met my dad you could figure out why I am the way I am.”
I’ve often felt the same way about my parents. I think our interests as an adult are largely influenced by our proximity to them as children. Most people spend lots of time with their parents and are exposed to certain types of music, ways of thinking and foods among other things.
Later in life, these things become reminders of fond memories, or sometimes, unfortunately, dismal ones. And, for others who meet our parents, they often have “eureka moments.” All of a sudden they put pieces together. Mannerisms, laughs, the way we walk, how we reason through problems or communicate with others becomes clear. I’ve had many of these moments over the years, meeting my friend’s parents.
It’s amazing how many subtle things about a person will go unnoticed until you meet their family. I suspect that most people are very similar to their family because of genetics and proximity to their interests. However, once in a while a person will resist the influence of their family which also becomes apparent when they are observed together. I’ve had several rebellious friends in my youth who were perfect examples of this.
Larry Joe Mushinski says
After reading your post I started to think about the link between my father and I. I’m sure every child has asked themselves, who am I more like mother or father? I know for sure that I take after my father and not just because I’m and male but we share so many different life characteristics. In the Psychodynamic Approach it talks about the Leader-Follower dyad. A parent and child transaction is highlighted in the cross transaction dyad. I like the way you described and used the Psychohistory concept and the way the book talks about the parent-child truncation.
There are so many stereo types out there wether it is about “red heads” or girls bring close to their fathers or “tom boys” because what is important in life are the relationships the help define you as a person and the close relationship you had with your father is priceless. You being a flight attendant give you special insight on how so many people are that you come into contact with. I traveled the world for almost 10 years in the military and was stationed in many different countries which gave me a great chance to emerge myself into cultures I would have never had a chance to being for a small town in East Texas. Enjoy your profession and cherish your relationship with your father because it goes by fast and will be gone before you know it. Great subject!