Understanding Character

A lot of times, we hear people talk about someone as a man of character. Other times. someone might described as an unreliable character. Sometines, we hear them reffered to as quite a character!

When people begin to talk to about charcter, there could be a dozen different shades to their tone. They might be sounding impressed, awed, disgusted, frightened, amused, bemused or a combination of these reactions.

What exactly is a character? The dictionary would tell you that it is, basically, an attribute or a quality that defines a person. This means that you are defined by a certain set of habits, qualities or attitudes and these form the basis upon which your character is judged.

Character can have positive or negative associations. For instance, when someone is called a man of character, the unsaid adjective is a positive one. It means that he is ethically and morally upright and can be trusted.

When someone is just a character, it means that he is unique. He could be funny,awkward, interesting or rediculous. But he has a strong distinctive personality that sets him apart dfrom others.

Every attribute of you goes into the bulding of your character.If someone were to describe YOU as a character, they would take into consideration all aspects of your personality, including your physical appearance, your social habits, your psychological reactions and other people's perception of your strenghts. In fact, the last aspect - other people's perceptions of your character - is what goes into giving your reputation, whether positive or negative.

Author Anne Zaidi. Copyright 2004. Indianchild.com