1. Personality
Personality
is usually broken into components called the Big Five , which are openness to experience,
conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (or
emotionality). These components are generally stable over time and appear to be
attributable to a person’s genetics rather than the effects of one’s
environment.[8]
Some research has investigated whether the relationship
between happiness and extraversion seen in adults can also be seen in children.
The implications of these findings can help identify children that are more
likely to experience episodes of depression and develop types of treatment that
such children are likely to respond to. In both children and adults, research
shows that genetics, as opposed to environmental factors, exert a greater
influence on happiness levels. Personality is not believed to become stable
until the age of thirty but personality constructs in children are referred to
as temperament.[9] Temperament is
regarded as the precursor to personality.[10] Whereas McCrae
and Costa’s Big Five Model assesses personality traits in adults, the EAS model
is used to assesses temperament in the children. This model measures levels of
emotionality, activity, sociability and shyness in children. The EAS model in
children is believed to be the equivalent for the Big Five model in adults.
Findings show that high degrees of sociability and low degrees of shyness are
equivalent to adult extroversion and are also correlated with higher levels of
life satisfaction in children.
Another interesting finding has been the link found
between acting extroverted and positive affect. Extroverted behaviors include
acting talkative, assertive, adventurous and outgoing and for the purposes of
this study, positive affect is defined as experiences of happy and enjoyable
emotions.[11] This study
investigated the effects of acting in a way that is counter to a person’s
dispositional nature. In other words, the study looked at the benefits and
drawbacks of introverts (people who are shy, socially inhibited and
non-aggressive) acting extroverted and extroverts acting introverted. After
acting extroverted, introverts’ experience of positive affect increased [12] whereas
extroverts seemed to experience lower levels of positive affect and suffered
from the phenomenon of ego depletion. Ego depletion, or cognitive fatigue is
the use of one’s energy to overtly act in a way that is contrary to one’s inner
disposition. When a person acts in a contrary fashion, he diverts most, if not
all, (cognitive) energy toward regulated this foreign style of behavior and
attitudes. Because all available energy is being used to maintain this contrary
behavior, the result is the inability to use any energy to make important or
tough decisions, plan for the future, control or regulate emotions, or perform
effectively on other cognitive tasks.[13]
One question that has been posited is why extroverts tend
to be happier than introverts. Two types of explanations attempt to account for
this difference: the instrumental theories and temperamental theories.[14] The instrumental
theory suggests that extraverts end up making choices that place them in more
positive situations and they also react more strongly than introverts to
positive situations. The temperamental theory suggests that extroverts have a
disposition that generally leads them to experience a higher degree of positive
affect. In their study of extroversion, Lucas and Baird [15] found no
statistically significant support for the instrumental theory but did, however,
find that extraverts generally experience a higher level of positive affect.
2.
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally
comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a
particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the
performers participate in rehearsals
beforehand. Afterwards audience members often applaud.
The means of expressing appreciation can vary by culture. Chinese
performers will clap with audience at the end of a performance; the return
applause signals "thank you" to the audience.[1] In Japan, folk performing arts performances
commonly attract individuals who take photographs, sometimes getting up to the
stage and within inches of performer's faces.[2]
Sometimes the dividing line between performer and the audience may become
blurred, as in the example of "participatory
theatre" where audience members get involved in the production.
Theatrical performances can
take place daily or at some other regular interval. Performances can
take place at designated performance spaces (such as a theatre or concert
hall), or in a non-conventional space, such as a subway station, on the street,
or in someone's home.
