“I took Psyc 321: Fundamentals of Personality this semester and was tasked with analyzing the personality of someone based on different domains of personality psychology. In my analysis, I chose to focus on Beyoncé, who has always intrigued me. I received an A+ for my assessment. What are your thoughts? Would you have added anything? »

Beyoncé recently released her movie, « Renaissance,” a documentary that showcases the preparation and execution of a six-month-long tour and dives in on some aspects of her personal life. « I have nothing to prove to anyone at this point, “a catchy sentence highlighted in her movie teaser, which could also be a summary of where she stands in her fascinating ascension to the “top.” Indeed, a sense of fascination or mystery surrounds Beyoncé, making attempting to grasp her personality’s contour an anticipated rewarding exercise. In this essay, I will analyze her personality using the dispositional and intrapsychic domains of personality psychology. The paper also aims to explore connections between other domains and theoretical concepts of personality psychology.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé Giselle Knowle was born in 1981 as the first child of her parents in Houston, Texas, U.S. At the age of 5, she attended a Michael Jackson concert, which became a turning point for her music career. Beyoncé said that it inspired her to pursue a music career. Very early on, she measures her future self to some of the greatest performers (Michael Jackson, Tina Turner) and sets a goal to become one of the greatest performers of all time. Fast forward to 2023. Beyoncé earned her distinction as one of the greatest performers of all time by becoming the most awarded artist in Grammy’s history, with a record of 32 wins. It is unusual for a 5-year-old child to have a clear life goal that remains consistent over time and to find the inner resources and dedication to work toward achieving her aspiration.

Throughout her career, she has gained the reputation of being a hard worker. Her commitment to self-improvement has been consistent over time. With a clear vision of her goals, Beyoncé is meticulous in her approach and pays a close attention to even the smallest details.

Beyoncé is also known for being exceptionally private. She goes to great lengths and spends considerable resources to protect her privacy. Even though she is highly committed to her privacy, she has found a way to connect with her fans through her music in which they feel represented. She encourages her fans to participate actively in her concerts, for example, by inviting them to coordinate their outfits, making them an integral part of her concert choreography or even the visual for her movie. From her debut at the age of 7 to her time in a group band to her solo albums, Beyoncé is celebrated, loved and respected by her fans. In their eyes, she is their beloved queen, a role she gladly embraces and embodies

Amongst other characteristics, Beyoncé is widely recognized as a philanthropist and an activist who supports various organizations. She is not hesitant to use her platform, public appearances, and artistic talents to amplify marginalized voices, including those of emerging artists and designers from the US and Africa. Beyoncé does not shy from advocating for the most vulnerable and started doing so at a time when it was not celebrated or encouraged to do so. She has helped propel Feminism in the mainstream, taken a stand on social issues such as racism and classism, and defended human rights and the LGBTQIAS+ communities’ rights for self-expression. She is very conscious of her audience and uses her influence to promote social issues that matter to them. Beyoncé is, without a doubt, an artist who is committed to addressing social issues.

ANALYSIS OF BEYONCÉ’S PERSONALITY

Cardinal traits ambition

Beyoncé exhibits the characteristics of someone with the cardinal trait of ambition. Her strong desire and determination to succeed is a trait that dominates her entire personality. With her extensive career starting at 7, Beyoncé’s ambition trait has remained consistent, coherent and relatively stable over time. A connection can be drawn between Beyoncé’s ambition and Henry Murray’s Psychogenic Needs since her personality encompasses the three elements of ambition described by Murray: achievement, exhibition, and recognition. Beyoncé’s need for ambition is also self-attributed and was not imposed on her as a child. Early on, she was well aware of her conscious motives, which she could articulate clearly. As a result, her behaviours, choices, and actions over the years were driven by her desire to fulfil her need for ambition. She also held herself responsible for achieving her goals.

HEXACO Model

Beyoncé’s personality would fit in the Hexaco model as it is essential to include humility as a distinct trait for her. Her fans, other celebrities and people who have met or worked with her consistently describe her as humble, sincere, loyal and fair-minded. Most people who have met her say that her humility and rather shy nature contrast with the image of a diva that she portrays on stage.

I will also describe Beyoncé as someone who scores high in Consciousness. It requires someone to be well organized, disciplined, result-focused and controlled to achieve her level of success. Beyoncé is also problem focus. Her belief in her ability to execute necessary actions and behaviours to achieve her goals demonstrates a high level of self-efficacy, as per Bandura’s Self-efficacy theory. Her great relationship with her parents has undoubtedly helped her self-confidence. They have been exceptionally supportive of her ambition, organized their lives around her career, and provided her with all the support she needs. This stresses the importance of parental Influence In Early Childhood, as highlighted in the contemporary issue of the psychoanalysis approach.

Beyoncé is an innovative artist and a pioneer in her industry. She does not hesitate to play with new ideas, expresses deep feelings in her music, and even invites spirituality and deities in her art. For those reasons, I will describe her as someone who scores high in Openness to experience, which is also a big part of being an artist.

Because of her altruistic and cooperative nature and as a person who cares for others and her relationships, I would have described Beyoncé as someone who scores high on the agreeableness traits. However, I will go for moderate in the agreeableness traits because it is easy to see another side of her that is critical, controlled and skeptical as an artist and businesswoman.

It is interesting to try to assess Beyoncé’s Extraversion and neuroticism traits. It seems as if she is able to compartmentalize or switch from one personality to another, depending on the setting she is in. As an artist and a performer, she will definitely score high in extraversion and neuroticism. But in real life, she is known as extremely shy and full of composure. There seems to be a contrast between Beyoncé’s persona as an artist and her real-life personality. In order to overcome her natural shyness, for example, Beyoncé has created an alter ego named Sasha Fierce, the complete opposite of her timid nature. Beyoncé embodies this persona during her concerts, and we can also see its influence on her music, in which she expresses intense emotions and impulsiveness. Her album Lemonade, for example, is a deeply personal description of her journey in which she purges her feelings of anger, jealousy and denial amid her husband’s cheating rumour. It is also an unfiltered place in which she expressed frustration and claimed her black identity in its most authentic form. This ability Beyoncé has to adapt her personality to her objective or needs reminds me of the concepts of Self-complexity and Jung’s fragmented ego. Beyoncé has a clear sense of who she is. She describes herself in these terms:

• The woman and mother:  The person she is when she is not performing and when she returns to her family and loved ones.
• The artist: Who provides a space for her to express all her feelings, unfiltered.
• The businesswoman: She is methodical and analytical like her father.
• The performer: “When I perform, I am nothing but free. Anything that’s repressed or in my subconscious, I allow to come out when I’m on the stage. And, you know, I’m not really responsible for that person. But I do come back. I always come back.”

Beyoncé shows signs of awareness and acceptance of her shadows as part of herself. Although she portrays herself in a rather complex way and describes these different facets of her personality separately, Beyoncé is also pretty clear about her identity as a whole. There is no denial of herself. She has found a way to express the full range of her spectrum and integrate it as a whole.

Beyoncé in the self-actualization phase

The Humanistic tradition also highlights the whole person concept and presents it as a motive for self-actualization. As a person who is self-aware of her needs, has a strong work and life ethic and holds herself accountable, I can say that Beyoncé exhibits the characteristics of a person in the self-actualization phase. In her own words, Beyoncé says: “I’m not  happy if I’m not improving, evolving, moving forward, inspiring, teaching, and learning.” Clearly, her focus is on growth and achieving her full potential, which is one characteristic of a person in the self-actualization stage.

According to Rogers, someone closer to self-actualization experiences unconditional positive regard. After a lifelong phase of personal, artistic, and career exploration, Beyoncé has reached her integration phase. She demonstrates an unconditional positive regard toward herself, her journey, and her mistakes, flaws, and imperfections, as described in her movie. She is living in her ideal self-state.

Another characteristic of a person in the self-actualization phase is the genuine desire to improve the human race. In her song lyrics, “I was here,” she says: “I wanna say I lived each day until I died, knowing that I had done something in somebody’s life. The hearts I have touched will be the proof that I leave. That I made a difference, and this world will see. I was here, I lived, I loved, I was here. I did, I’ve done, everything that I wanted. And it was more than I thought it would be I will leave my mark…“ Beyoncé’s dedication to improvement seems to be bigger than herself. She wants to extend her impact to her community and those that are more vulnerable. She exhibits a genuine desire to help the human race by using her platform to advocate for the most vulnerable. An example of this is her desire to create a safe space for the most marginalized, particularly the black trans community who have been experiencing increasingly deadly attacks: “The Goal for Renaissance tour is to create a space where everyone is free, no one is judged. Unique. To start over, to start fresh, create the new. That is what the Renaissance is about:” Beyoncé

As per Higgins’s (1987) Self-Discrepancy theory, Beyoncé is currently leaving ideal self-state, although she recognizes the perfect state more as a journey than a destination. There is a coherence between who she aspired to be and her actual self.  She has kept society and its limitations from impacting her life vision. She had successfully navigated the limitations that society had placed upon her, created a path for herself, and is now striving to pave the way for a new generation of African Americans.

Conclusion

Regardless of how much you love or hate her, it is impossible to refute the force of nature that Beyoncé is without also a tinge of dishonesty. Beyoncé’s work ethic, multifaceted talent and personality have made her earn my reverence. I watched Beyoncé’s Renaissance movie at the theatre this weekend with my family.  As someone who struggles with multiple identities that I have found quite challenging to reconcile, Beyoncé has taught me the beauty of contrasts and complexities and inspired me to embrace my multifaceted identities and explore outlets for self-expression. Lately, I have also felt the strain of pursuing such a competitive field of studies while raising young kids. This turned out to be more challenging than anticipated, and I could use some help with my studies. Beyoncé reminded me of the power of self-awareness, discipline, perseverance and resiliency. I have left her movie inspired and more than ever determined to chart my path.

REFERENCES:

1. Knowles, B. (Director). (2023). Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. Parkwood Entertainment.

• Larsen, R.J., Buss, D.M., King, D., & Ensley, C. (2020). Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature (2nd Canadian Ed). Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

• Lucy Farisello, Ph.D. , Fall semester 2023. PSYC 321 Fundamentals of Personality, Online Moodle course material.