Some believe that putting the intellect in charge means suffocating the emotions and limiting their flow. The opposite is true. The intellect's job is to allow emotions to flow freely, while at the same time directing them into the correct channels.
For a person to develop his personality and improve his character traits properly, he must be aware of himself, his inner resources, and their interrelations. Therefore, we must begin our studies by addressing a most fundamental issue - self-awareness.
One of the misconceptions people have with regard to character traits is the belief that there are "good" character traits and "bad" character traits, and that a person who is born with "good" character traits does not have to work to improve them.