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Personality vs Behavior - What's the difference?

personality | behavior |

As nouns the difference between personality and behavior

is that personality is a set of qualities that make a person (or thing) distinct from another while behavior is (uncountable) human conduct relative to social norms.

personality

English

Noun

(personalities)
  • A set of qualities that make a person (or thing) distinct from another.
  • * (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
    • Personality is individuality existing in itself, but with a nature as a ground.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=19 citation , passage=Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.}}
  • An assumed role or manner of behavior.
  • A celebrity.
  • Charisma, or qualities that make a person stand out from the crowd.
  • * 1959 , Lloyd Price, “Personality”:
    • But over and over / I´ll be a fool for you / 'cause you got personality .
  • Something said or written which refers to the person, conduct, etc., of some individual, especially something of a disparaging or offensive nature; personal remarks.
  • *
    • Sharp personalities were exchanged.
  • * 1905 , ,
    • Perceiving that personalities were not out of order, I asked him what species of beast had long ago twisted and mutilated his left ear.
  • (legal) That quality of a law which concerns the condition, state, and capacity of persons.
    • (Burrill)

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    Derived terms

    * addictive personality * borderline personality disorder * multiple personalities * subpersonality

    References

    Anagrams

    *

    behavior

    English

    Alternative forms

    * behaviour (everywhere except US) * (l), (l), (l), (l)

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (uncountable) Human conduct relative to social norms.
  • (uncountable) The way a living creature behaves or acts generally.
  • (uncountable, informal) A state of probation about one's conduct.
    • He was on his best behavior when her family visited.
  • (countable) An instance of the way a living creature behaves.
  • (countable, uncountable, biology, psychology) Observable response produced by an organism.
  • (uncountable) The way a device or system operates.

    • Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "behavior": human, animal, physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, organizational, corporate, social, collective, parental, interpersonal, sexual, criminal, appropriate, inappropriate, correct, incorrect, right, wrong, good, bad, acceptable, unacceptable, poor, ethical, unethical, moral, immoral, responsible, irresponsible, normal, odd, deviant, abnormal, violent, abusive, aggressive, offensive, defensive, rude, stupid, undesirable, verbal, nonverbal, learned, professional, unprofessional, adaptive, compulsive, questionable, assertive, disgusting, self-destructive.

    Related terms

    (the actions of organisms) * behave * behavioral * behavioralism * behavioralist * behaviorism * behaviorist * behavioristic * behavior pattern * behavioral science

    External links

    * * English words prefixed with be-