Abstract

In 1963, Barnouw established that the study of personality can lead to a better understanding of cultural environment and social identity. This Anthropological perspective was developed to describe broader correlations and generalizations about culture through the examination of the individuals and their personalities within a particular society. Combining the fields of Psychology and Anthropology provides a more complete understanding of the interactions necessary for the development of social and cultural components of language acquisition. This paper links the elements of personality, culture and language acquisition for the purpose of providing a more thorough understanding of the complex issues that ESL students face when developing a sense of community as they become acquainted with the culture associated with their second language. This paper argues that language acquisition, and more specifically Second Language Acquisition, is an important part of developing a sense of community and is thus directly related to the success or failure of certain pedagogical approaches in employing ESL Classroom Standards.