Personality Personality

Definition of Definition of personalitypersonality A. Organization of an individual’s distinguishing characteristics, traits, or habitsA. Organization of an individual’s distinguishing characteristics, traits, or habits

B. Includes the individual’s unique B. Includes the individual’s unique way of way of

1. Think 1. Think

2. Feel 2. Feel

3. Behave3. Behave

4. Experience the 4. Experience the environmentenvironment

Tasks Tasks

1. analyze groups1. analyze groups

2. understand individuals2. understand individuals

3. study the personality process3. study the personality process

4. develop theories4. develop theories

A. Basic toolsA. Basic tools

1. Observation1. Observation

2. interview2. interview

3. peer rating3. peer rating

4. self report personality tests4. self report personality tests

Make a hand TurkeyMake a hand Turkey What characteristics define you?What characteristics define you? How are you different from othersHow are you different from others What bonds you with othersWhat bonds you with others What is most important to youWhat is most important to you

1. Objective1. Objective - individual answers questions - individual answers questions

with response optionswith response options Examples- Examples-

2. Projective2. Projective - individual answers questions - individual answers questions

with no response restrictionswith no response restrictions Examples- Examples-

http://theinkblot.com/step_2.htmhttp://theinkblot.com/step_2.htm

Validity VS ReliabilityValidity VS Reliability

ValidityValidity measures what it is supposed to measuremeasures what it is supposed to measure

ReliabilityReliability a person’s score on a test at one point a person’s score on a test at one point

should be the similar to the score obtained should be the similar to the score obtained by the same person on a similar testby the same person on a similar test

  

Are the SAT’s valid and reliable?Are the SAT’s valid and reliable?

Make your own testMake your own test

3 projective questions3 projective questions

3 objective questions3 objective questions

10 people must answer them by 10 people must answer them by Friday, December 3Friday, December 3

( get your relatives to do this!) ( get your relatives to do this!)

Overview of TheoriesOverview of Theories

PsychoanalyticPsychoanalytic

- we are who we are because of - we are who we are because of our childhood our childhood

- we are ruled by our unconscious- we are ruled by our unconscious

HumanismHumanism

We have the freedom to grow and We have the freedom to grow and choose our own destinychoose our own destiny

Social Cognitive Social Cognitive TheoriesTheories Personality is shaped by the Personality is shaped by the

environment, cognitive personal environment, cognitive personal factors, and behaviors. These factors, and behaviors. These things interact and influence how things interact and influence how we evaluate, interpret, organize we evaluate, interpret, organize and apply informationand apply information

Learning/BehavioristsLearning/Behaviorists

We are controlled by rewards and We are controlled by rewards and punishmentspunishments

Trait theoriesTrait theories

Personality is analyzed by Personality is analyzed by measuring, identifying, and measuring, identifying, and classifying similarities and classifying similarities and differences in personality differences in personality characteristics or traitscharacteristics or traits

Instinctual EnergyInstinctual Energy

Life InstinctLife Instinct

self preservationself preservation

Death InstinctDeath Instinct– Leads us to aggression and Leads us to aggression and

destructiondestruction

– Write 3 examples of eachWrite 3 examples of each

Levels of Levels of consciousnessconsciousness Conscious thoughtConscious thought

– Thoughts that we are aware ofThoughts that we are aware of

Preconscious thoughtPreconscious thought– Thoughts that we are not Thoughts that we are not

immediately aware of but can immediately aware of but can retrieve at willretrieve at will

Unconscious thoughtUnconscious thought– Thoughts wishes and desires that we Thoughts wishes and desires that we

cannot voluntarily access cannot voluntarily access

Ways of understanding Ways of understanding the mindthe mind Free AssociationFree Association

– Free flowing uncensored talk to Free flowing uncensored talk to provide clues to unconscious provide clues to unconscious thought thought

Dream interpretation- based on Dream interpretation- based on the assumption that dreams have the assumption that dreams have meaning that provide clues to the meaning that provide clues to the unconscious mindunconscious mind

Freudian Slips-Freudian Slips-– Mistakes we make when talking Mistakes we make when talking

which reflect our unconscious which reflect our unconscious thoughts thoughts

Personality structuresPersonality structures

Id- Id- – Demands immediate gratificationDemands immediate gratification– Operates on the pleasure principleOperates on the pleasure principle– If it is not satisfied you feel like you If it is not satisfied you feel like you

are missing out on things in lifeare missing out on things in life

EgoEgo– Rational buffer between the id and Rational buffer between the id and

the super egothe super ego– Operates on the reality principleOperates on the reality principle

Super Ego-Super Ego-– Incorporates morals, values and Incorporates morals, values and

standardsstandards– If it is not satisfied, you feel guiltyIf it is not satisfied, you feel guilty

Defense MechanismsDefense Mechanisms

Defending the ego from Defending the ego from experiencing anxiety about failing experiencing anxiety about failing in its taskin its task

DisplacementDisplacement

Taking your feelings out on Taking your feelings out on someone or something less someone or something less threateningthreatening

Examples…Examples…

RepressionRepression

Blocking out unacceptable Blocking out unacceptable feelings or experiences and feelings or experiences and pushing them into the pushing them into the unconsciousunconscious

Reaction FormationReaction Formation

Substituting unacceptable Substituting unacceptable behaviors, thoughts or feelings behaviors, thoughts or feelings with acceptable ones with acceptable ones

RegressionRegression

Going back to an earlier less Going back to an earlier less mature statemature state

exex

ProjectionProjection

Inner personal feeling are placed Inner personal feeling are placed onto someone elseonto someone else

exex

RationalizingRationalizing

Covering up the true reason for Covering up the true reason for doing things with excuses and doing things with excuses and incorrect explanationsincorrect explanations

IntellectualizingIntellectualizing

Separating thought from feeling Separating thought from feeling so feelings are not overwhelming so feelings are not overwhelming

Psycho sexual stages of Psycho sexual stages of developmentdevelopment

A. Biologically determined stages A. Biologically determined stages driven from birth by driven from birth by sexual instinctsexual instinct

B. Different zones of the body B. Different zones of the body become sources of become sources of pleasure during pleasure during different stagesdifferent stages

C.C. Mal adaptive behavior in adults Mal adaptive behavior in adults results from results from unresolved conflicts unresolved conflicts that originate at any of the that originate at any of the stagesstages

D. At any time in these stages, D. At any time in these stages, a conflict could cause fixation- a conflict could cause fixation-

Oral Stage (birth – 18 Oral Stage (birth – 18 months)months) - - Sexual pleasure focuses on Sexual pleasure focuses on

sucking, biting and chewingsucking, biting and chewing fixation is linked to fixation is linked to excessive excessive

drinking, gum chewing, biting drinking, gum chewing, biting nails, pencil chewing , excessive nails, pencil chewing , excessive eatingeating

Anal stage 18 months- Anal stage 18 months- 3 years 3 years

- sexual pleasure is derived during- sexual pleasure is derived during elimination of feceselimination of feces

If conflict is not resolved you becomeIf conflict is not resolved you become

Anal expulsiveAnal expulsive

Messy disorganized adultsMessy disorganized adults

Anal retentiveAnal retentive

highly controlled, excessively neathighly controlled, excessively neat

Phallic stage 3-6Phallic stage 3-6

- children seek genital stimulation - children seek genital stimulation and develop unconscious...and develop unconscious...desires desires towards the parent of the towards the parent of the opposite sexopposite sex

- children have feelings - children have feelings of ...of ...hatred and jealousy for the hatred and jealousy for the rival parent of the same sexrival parent of the same sex

Oedipus Complex Oedipus Complex

- found in boys, due to feelings of - found in boys, due to feelings of guilt and fear of the rival parentguilt and fear of the rival parent

- boys fear castration by their - boys fear castration by their fatherfather

Electra CrisisElectra Crisis

- penis envy which symbolically - penis envy which symbolically translates into wanting to have a translates into wanting to have a child with their fatherchild with their father

How do kids deal with How do kids deal with this?this?

repression and trying to become repression and trying to become like the rival parent like the rival parent

This provides gender identity and This provides gender identity and strengthens the super egostrengthens the super ego

IV. Latency ( 6- puberty) IV. Latency ( 6- puberty) --the period of sexual repression in the period of sexual repression in

late childhoodlate childhood

Genital Stage Genital Stage ( puberty – adulthood) ( puberty – adulthood)

maturation of sexual interestmaturation of sexual interest

most choose sexual intercourse for most choose sexual intercourse for gratificationgratification