I Don’t Believe In Personality

In a recent interview with Mike Birbiglia, Malcolm Gladwell said, “I don’t believe in personality….There’s a whole philosophical and psychological tradition around this idea that we are so much a product of our situation and environment that it’s foolish to talk about personality. So, I’m baffled by this notion of authentic self.” (Listen here, the moment starts around 51:00.)

I think Gladwell’s probably right, that the idea of the authentic self is misguided. The person I was Friday morning in front of a class of jazz theory students was so very different from the person I was on a Scout campout in the snow 24 hours later. My Friday Jazz Theory Prof self is even noticeably different from my Tuesday Jazz Vocal Group Director self.

That said, I was always me, and I can always point to core philosophies that remain consistent. The way I interact with others remains consistent. The things I value remain consistent. The values that inform my decisions remain consistent.

If we behave differently in different situations, that’s human. But if they all point to core philosophical and behavioral traits, isn’t that the authentic self? The self that remains consistent across all of these diverse experiences?