Character and Personality Are Actually Two Different Things—Here's Why (2024)

We often use the words character and personality interchangeably. For example, when we're talking about the way a person behaves or how we perceive them, we may throw around adjectives like honest, integral, funny, or outgoing in an attempt to describe someone’s character, personality, or both.

Although both character and personality involve the expression of someone's inner qualities, research shows that they are two very different things.

So, What's the Difference Between Character and Personality?

Verywell Mind spoke to LeMeita Smith, PhD, MLPC, a therapist who helped break down the differences between character and personality:

• Character: Refers to our individual beliefs and values—both of which shape our personalities. Our life experiences also shape our characters and reveal our intrinsic qualities and morals.
• Personality: Refers to our temperaments and behaviors. Our personality shapes our character and interpersonal interactions often help us suss out someone's personality traits.
  

Unpacking What Character and Personality Truly Mean

As you can see by the definitions above, character can shape personality, but personality also influences character.

“Character refers to the person’s moral and ethical qualities. It consists of beliefs and moral principles that can guide their behavior in discrete ways. Personality is the sum of a person’s physical, psychological, emotional, and social aspects that are manifested through behavior and actions,” says Tara M. Lally, PhD, the supervising psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry at Ocean University Medical Center.

Real-Life Situations Can Help Explain the Differences Between Character and Personality

The following real-life scenarios can help us get a better understanding of how character and personality differ:

• To Steal or Not to Steal: Let's say we wake up and go to work one day only to walk in and find that the cash register has been left open. No one else is around. If we decide to tell the manager that the drawer was left open, our personality dictates that decision. But, if we peek around and decide to swipe some cash from the register, that says something about our character. If you choose not to steal money from the drawer, this decision also speaks to your character.
• How We Respond If We Don't Get Our Way: Another example looks at we might react to being told we can’t do something that we want to do. Character dictates whether we're unbothered by this or if we feel like everyone is out to get us. Either feeling points to our core belief system. The way we outwardly express those internal feelings highlights our personality. So, if we get angry, act petty, or take the high road we reveal our personality. In other words, personality is the outward expression of character.

What Makes Character and Personality Similar?

“Both reflect who an individual is as a person and are influenced by environmental factors. These constructs make up the identity of a person and play a vital role in thinking patterns, behaviors, and actions. Both personality and character are integral in understanding who you are in relation to yourself and others,” says Dr. Smith.

How Character and Personality Impact Us on a Psychological Level

Both character and personality are expressed physically, mentally, and emotionally. So, it stands to reason that they both have a significant impact in the areas of psychology, personal development, and even social interactions.

Research shows that psychologically, character is the part of ourselves that houses morals and ethics. It’s significant in this space because it is a driver and predictor of decisions you’ll make, which defines your personal development and how you relate to others.

Personality has a similar impact.

“Within psychological arenas, the ID represents [our] personality and directly represents the needs of an individual. In psychology, the study of personality provides insight into how specific traits and mannerisms develop and change over time. Personality is significant to personal development and social interactions as certain traits can cause distress and present challenges,” tells Dr. Smith.

Which Is More Important, Character or Personality?

Character and personality go hand in hand. Each impacts the other, and both impact your thoughts, behaviors, and actions.

Some experts say character is more important because it is what drives an individual’s decisions. Those decisions are predictors of actions. Other experts argue that personality is more critical because it is the demonstration of a person’s beliefs. So, basically, it's hard to say which one is more important.

Ultimately, both matter, and are critical links to understanding a person mentally, physically, and emotionally.

“Both are equally important. Character is born from caregiver development and what we see as valued both intrinsically and [by] others. Personality emerges in response to situations and our [interactions] with others,” says Dr. Lally. “Both are necessary because they allow for an individual to be dynamic in different situations revealing themselves (personality) to others when they are ready but always knowing oneself (character),” she says.

How Can We Identify Our Character and Personality?

Now that we know how character and personality differ from one another, how do we identify our own traits?

Let's go back to those two example scenarios from earlier. Think about how you'd respond if you walked into work and saw a cash register open. What might your internal reaction be? If you think you'd feel the urgency to do something about it this may indicate that you have an honest and ethical character.

Then, if you decide to tell your manager that the drawer is open, this shows that your personality is trustworthy and honorable because you're expressing your honest character by outwardly doing the right thing.