PART 4: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENTCHAPTER 12: PERSONALITY DEV… Getting Started Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach Personality

PART 4: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 12: PERSONALITY DEV…

Getting Started

Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach

Personality Development in Adulthood

Focus on Adjusting Course and Concluding Aims

This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law:• any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network;• preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any image;• any rental, lease, or lending of the program.


How Does the Individual Traverse Middle Adulthood?

© Copyright 2006 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach

Who Adjusts Course? Who Changes the Most?

(Block, 1971)In a longitudinal study of

the Berkeley Guidance and Oakland Growth Studies, Block used a Q-sort measure of adjustment to compare changers and non-changers between adolescence and adulthood.

Those most stable:• More intellectually

successful• More emotionally

successful• More socially successful• Better adjusted




Who Adjusts Course? • Who Changed? (Block, 1971) • Those who were less mature, and underwent further

maturation (late bloomers).• Individuals who are more deviant are pressured to

change: Others want them to approach the “biosocial norm.” Still, their personalities did not necessarily become more pleasant.

• Sometimes, the person looks different because norms change: Women labeled “rebellious” in the period 1945-1960, looked more adjusted in the period of the late 1960’s, after the beginning of the women’s movement.




Who Adjusts Course?

Ryff’s Model of Well Being

High

Environmental Mastery

Low Personal Growth

Conservers Achievers High Personal GrowthDepleted Seekers

Low

Environmental Mastery




Who Adjusts Course? Examples of three types (from Helson & Srivastava)

Cathy: Conserver Sarah: Seeker Andrea: Achiever*Married young to man approved by family

*Supported his career problems by going to work in people-oriented job

*Quit after 20 years of high competence because people disrespectful

*Much sought out by church & commun. groups

*Described by interviewer as unusually perceptive, but with tendency to disengage abruptly

*Dropped out of graduate school when unexpectedly became pregnant

*Worked at becoming more sociable

*In helping profession, where must work around bureaucracy

*Hopes to write great American novel

*Did not want to marry or have children

*Straight from college to professional school

*Continued career progress but drank heavily

*Overcame drinking at age 40

*Married a charming and successful man, good relations with his children

*Retired, and had second career as volunteer




Who Adjusts Course?

Traversing Middle Adulthood: Helson Study

Achiev’s Conserv’s Seeker’s DepletedLife Satisfaction .11 .41 .09 -.61Convent. Adjust -.53 .45 .19 -.11

Polit. Liber. -.04 -.58 .74 -.12Occup. Creativity

.22 -.58 .52 -.16

Satis. with job secur./ben.

.34 .20 -.46 -.08


Where is Personality Headed in the Conclusion of Life?


Good Functioning

– One definition of a good personality is simply freedom from psychopathology.

• Freud: To Love and to Work• DSM-IV [free from] Social and occupational

dysfunction

– Is that enough?




Adding Strengths

– Another approach is to identify positive personality traits

– The individual is assessed depending upon the number of such positive characteristics.

– Some examples include: • Subjective Well-Being: A person’s positive emotional and

intellectual evaluation that he or she is experiencing a good life, that that he or she is likable, and that the life he or she lives is satisfying (Diener, Lucas, & Oishi, 2002, p. 63).




Adding Strengths

• More examples of positive traits: – Resilience: A person’s capacity to adjust and adapt positively in

the face of significant challenges, bad luck, and risk (Masten & Reed, 2002, p. 74)

– Creativity (Simonton, 2002, p. 192). A person’s independent, nonconformist perspective, coupled with wide interests and openness to new experiences, and cognitive flexibility

– Humility: A person’s ability to accurately assess his or her strengths and weaknesses, to acknowledge his or her limitations in social contexts, and to de-emphasize her or his self in social settings (Tangney, 2002, p. 411).




Strengths, and Weaknesses, in Context There are issues with counting strengths

• Some strengths contradict one another – …creativity and loyalty…– ...empathy and fairness...– …courage and realistic caution...

• Other strengths can be weaknesses in some contexts– Optimism– Courage

• Some weaknesses can be strengths:– Defensive Pessimism




Strengths, and Weaknesses, in Context

• Defensive Pessimism defined (25% most extreme in this regard):– Set low standards for themselves– Consider all the possible negative outcomes– Are highly anxious– Perform so as to cope with negative possible outcomes

• Perform as well as optimists – and better than when they (pessimists) use more optimistic approaches.




Optimal Types

Self-Actualized Person

• A global ability to perceive reality, be flexible, and appreciate the world (my interpretation)

• Prevalence: Non-existent before age 35 or so




Optimal Types

Characteristics of Maslow’s Self- Actualized Person

• Efficient Reality Perception

• Acceptance

• Spontaneity

• Problem Centering

• Detachment




Optimal Types

Characteristics of Maslow’s Self- Actualized Person (cont.)

• Autonomy (Gilligan: Relatedness?)

• Freshness of Appreciation

• Peak Experiences

• Special Relationships




Optimal Types

Characteristics of Maslow’s Self- Actualized Person (cont.)

• Gemeinschaftsgefuhl (helping the world)

• Democratic Character

• Unhostile Humor




~ end ~

Documents

PART 4: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENTCHAPTER 12: PERSONALITY DEV… Getting Started Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach Personality