CONCEPT
OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
In olden days, people used
to differ on the basis of age, i.e. different people are born o different dates
and hence they are different. Some are elder, some are younger. This was the
earlier concept. The concept has been broadened. People differed not only with
reference to age but also according to their height, weight and general
physique. This enlarge concept again did not serve the purpose. Today the
concept is very broad. People can differ and they do differ on any measurable
trait of personality, in the words of Charles
E. Skinner.
“It
is because of individual differences that we feel the necessity of educational
and vocational guidance for the children. Today we have the view that a
vocation to be chosen by an individual differs from others in his abilities,
aptitudes and interests, the necessity of vocational guidance cannot be
undermined.”
In individual differences
both variability and normality are found. By variability we measure any trait
or ability in any group we will find a difference in the possession of that
trait or ability among the different members of that group or we may say that
members will show variability in that particular trait or ability. Besides
this, in that group it will also be seen that a majority of individuals will be
found in possession of that trait at the extremes. By normality we mean this
very thing.
“Today we think of individual
differences as including any measurable aspect of the total personality”,
broadest definition.
TYPES OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1.
Differences
in Physique: This means tall or short, thin or
fat, fair or black etc.
2.
Differences
in Health: This means healthy or ill, weak or
strong.
3.
Differences
in Intelligence: People differ with reference to
their intelligence. Here the range is very wide – from almost nil intelligence
to 140 or above. On the basis of one’s IQ, one can be classified to fall in any
of the idiot to genius categories.
4.
People
Differ with Reference to their Achievements: Form
achievements in school subjects to their efficiency in vocation.
5.
People
Differ in Attitude: Example to make it clear- Bhutto
has been hanged in Pakistan! What is your attitude towards the hanging of
Bhutto?
6.
Differences
in Motor Ability: This means control over muscles.
The performance of some in some mechanical task is superior, the performance of
others is inferior.
7.
People Differ in Interests: Then
there are sex differences. Some of us are men women and this influences the
performance in various fields.
Makneimer & Terman as quoted by Dr. Ram Nath Sharma, Educational
Psychology, have discovered the following differences between men and women, on
the basis of some studies carried out by them.
v Women
have greater skill in memory while men have greater motor ability.
v Female
handwriting is superior while men excel in mathematical logic.
v Women
possess greater linguistic ability. Men on the other hand excel in mathematics.
v Men
are strong in Physics and Chemistry.
v Women
are better than men in mirror drawing. Faults of speech in men are found to be
three times of such faults in women.
v More
men are color blind.
v Women
succumb to suggestions easily.
8.
People
Differ with Reference to their Learning Ability and their Speed of Learning: It
is evident from daily example, take a classroom. Some boys learn things
quickly, other take days to learn it and some do not learn at all.
9.
People
Differ with Reference to their Race and Nationality: Many
studies lead us to conclude that people belonging to different races and
nationalities differ in respect of nature, physical and mental traits, interest
and personality etc.
AREAS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1. Differences in Intelligence
Level: We know individual differences in intelligence.
We have emphasized that there are differences in intelligence level among
different individuals. We can classify those individuals from super-normal to
idiots and imbeciles (IQ from 0 to 50) on the basis of their intelligence
level.
The educational programmes of these
students should be chalked out on the basis of their Intelligence Quotients.
Often teacher take into consideration the average children while teaching in
the classrooms. They neglect the backward and supernormal. The children who are
thus neglected develop complexes and feelings of failure.
2. Differences in Physical
Development: Children also differ in their
physical development. Some children are tall, some are short, some are fat and
some are thin. Still if the height of all the children of the same age in the
class is measured, then it will be only a few students who will be either too
tall or too short.
It is the duty of the teachers that in
organizing the activities for the children, they should keep in mind their
physical development. If there are few children who are much physically
deviated, they should be given proper guidance.
3. Difference in Achievement: Through
achievement tests it has been found that children differ in their achievement
abilities. These differences are very much visible in learning mathematics and
in reading.
The difference in achievement is also
found among these children who are at the same level of intelligence, this is
on account of the difference in the various factors of intelligence and the
differences in previous experiences or interest.
Since the individual differ in the
achievements, a teacher should adopt a combination of the class teaching method
and individual method in his teaching. Different children should be given
different types of home assignments and they should be provided with different
activities.
If a child’s achievement is poor than
what is warranted by his IQ the teacher should try to locate the reason for it.
Often he will find that this lower achievement is on account of lack of
interest or because of emotional cause.
There are also some children who are
able to achieve much more than what is expected spend a lot of time in studies
and are able to learn much. They often get motivation for higher achievement
for their parents. Sometimes these children work hard at their studies in order
to compensate for their deficiency in some other sphere. Here we can present
the example of Sir Isaac Newton. Newton worked hard at mathematics because he
wanted to compensate for the deficiency which he felt on being unable to beat
one of his class-fellows who was a bully.
An efficient teacher should see that a
child who is working very hard may not develop an attitude of dissatisfaction
for the rest of his life.
4. Differences
in Attitudes: Attitude is a general disposition towards a group of
people or an institution. Individuals differ in their attitudes towards
different people or institutions. Some people consider the laws of society as
good and some feel that they are bad.
The attitudes
towards education are not dependent on intelligence level. It depends to a
great on home environment. If the parents have desirable attitude towards
education, then similar attitude will develop in their children. In India the
rural folk on general do not have a healthy attitude towards education, hence
their children also remain uninterested towards education. This is one of the
greatest reasons for their illiteracy.
Different children have different
attitudes towards authority also. This attitude the child learns in his early
childhood. The development of his attitude is dependent on home environment.
5. Personality Differences: The
differences in personality are dependent on personality traits. A good teacher
should keep these differences in mind while providing education to the
children.
6. Differences in Motor Ability: At
every age-level differences in motor ability are visible. Some people can
perform mechanical tasks with case and comfort while others, even though they
are at the same level, feel much difficulty in performing these tasks.
7. Differences on Account of Sex:
Individual
differences are also found in men and women. Women are more delicate while men
are more study. But in many areas in learning, hardly any differences are found
in the learning abilities of boys and girls. Investigations dealing with
differences on account of sex have not yet shown such results which can be cancelled
as fully scientific, hence it is very difficult to say anything definite
regarding this point.
8.
Intelligence
in Sex Differences: The intelligent tests show that
both the sexes have on an average similar IQ. But it has been seen that the
range of differences in both the sexes is different. This means that in a mixed
group there may not be much of a difference between the average IQ of the
female and the average IQ of male members. But the range of differences between
low, average and high IQ’s will be different in both sexes. It has also been
noticed that on different portions of an IQ test there is a difference between
the scores obtained by the boys and girls.
9.
Achievement
of Sex Differences: At elementary level the girls
score higher than boys on achievement test. The girls show linguistic abilities
earlier than boys and this is the reason for their scoring higher. The boy’s
knowledge of science is usually more when they enter school and they soon
attain supremacy in Mathematics over the girls.
10. Racial and National
Differences: Investigations pertaining to
racial and national differences are still incomplete. Hence, we cannot say anything
with full reliability in this connection. Still, it has been seen that
differences are found in various types of abilities among persons belonging to
different reasons.
11. Social Differences:
Among different people, we find social differences as well. These differences
are visible even when the child is about a year old. There are some children
who are so timid and shy that as soon as member of some other family comes to
their homes they hide themselves, while there are other children who become
friendly with strangers without any hesitation.
Individual differences are also
visible in understanding social expression. Children also depict differences of
behavior in their quarrels. Their quarrels take the form of abusing, beating,
biting, inflicting nail marks etc.
12. Social and Economic Status and
the Growth of Intelligence: Meredith’s study
has shown that children of those families are in general healthier and
developed which are at a higher social level. Many physical defects like
deformed teeth, lameness, tuberculosis etc are found more among the children of
low income group parents.
CAUSES FOR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
1.
Heredity:
It
is also main cause of individual difference. Not only the child gets the impact
of the psychological features of cells of his parents but he is also influenced
by the mental traits of his parents.
2.
Environments:
Environment
has various features, physical as well as social. All these factors lead to
individual difference. Social environment influences people more than the physical
environment. It is seen that the way of living of Muslim and Christian boys is
different from each other.
3.
Age
& Intelligence: These two factors are also
responsible for individual differences.
a) Age: It
causes individual differences. Physical, psychological and emotional
development is caused by the growth in age. According to age, children differ
in the qualities.
b) Intelligence: All
children do not have the same and similar intelligence. Some boys are
exceptionally intelligent while others have a normal intelligence. Some boys
are also mentally backward. Due to intelligence, there is individual difference
as well.
4.
Caste
& Race: It is accepted that caste is a
potent factor in individual difference. Some people are of the opinion that
race also causes individual difference. Because of this in America it is said
that White children are more intelligent than Negro children.
5.
Self
Difference: There is difference in the girl and
the boy. The difference is physical and mental. Girls are tender, sympathetic,
kind and affectionate while boys are brave, hard, choleric, efficient and
competent.
6.
Maturity:
With
the growth of the age, there is growth in the maturity. Some children reach
maturity earlier than the others. Some are more matured while the others are
less to individual difference.
