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Personality
Personality
The organization of enduring behavior patterns that often serve to distinguish us from one another
Psychoanalytic Approach
See behavior as the result of psychological dynamics within the individualMuch of mental life is unconscious and
personal life experiences
Freud’s Structure of Personality
Freud’s Psychosexual Theory
Libido Instinctual life forceEnergizes id
FixationToo much or too little gratification
Freud’s Psychosexual Theory
Oral stageAnal stagePhallic stage
Oedipus complex Electra complex
Latency stageGenital stage
Evaluating Psychoanalytic Theory Doesn’t fit qualities of a good theory Inconsistent with modern research Relied on case studies Can explain anything (retrospective)
Significant contributions have been madeUnconsciousDefense mechanisms/anxiety
Psychodynamic – Jung
Two levels of unconsciousnessPersonal unconscious
Individual’s repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and undeveloped ideas
Collective unconscious The part of the unconscious that is inherited and
common to all members of a species Archetypes
Psychodynamic – Alfred Adler
CompensationOne’s effort to overcome imagined or real
personal weaknesses
Inferiority complexFixation on feelings of personal inferiority that
results in emotional and social paralysis
Psychodynamic – Karen Horney
Nonsexual factors play a larger role than sexual ones
Biology is not destiny
Neurotic lifestylesSubmissionAggressionDetachment
Psychodynamic – Erikson
Evaluating Psychodynamic Theories Criticisms
Difficult to test empirically
Serve as bridge to more modern theories
Humanistic Theories
Humanistic theories stress the potential for growth and change.We are responsible for our own lives.Focus on here and now, rather than the pastGiven reasonable conditions, people develop
in socially desirable directions (personal growth).
Maslow
Self-actualizationMotivation to fulfill our potentialArises after basic needs are met and self-
esteem is achieved Self-transcendence
Striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self
Carl Rogers
Self-actualizing tendencyThe drive of human beings to fulfill their
conceptions of themselves (self-concepts)
Fully functioning personAn individual whose self-concept closely
resembles his/her inborn potentials Helped along with unconditional positive regard,
instead of conditional positive regard
Evaluating Humanistic Theories
Difficult to test scientifically
Overly optimistic
Reflects Western values
Trait Theories
People differ according to the degree to which they possess certain personality traits.Use of factor analysis to cluster traits
Research confirms the value of the five-factor model, referred to as the “Big Five”.
Evaluation of Trait Theories
Most research reflects this approach
Largely descriptive
How many traits?
Social-Cognitive Approach
The Person
The Situation
The Interaction
The Person
The Situation
The immediate situation exerts a powerful influence on our behaviorThis is especially true if the demands of the
situation (e.g., sitting in church, taking an exam) are clear
Elements of personality are more apparent in informal situations
The Interaction
The Interaction
1. Different people choose different environments
2. Personalities affect interpretations and reactions
3. Personalities help create situations
Evaluation of Social-Cognitive
Based on widely held principles
Has been put to use
Empirically verified
Personality Assessment
Validity
Reliability
Norms
Personality Assessment
The personal interviewsUnstructured
The interviewer asks questions about any material that comes up.
Structured The order and content of the questions are fixed;
set format.
Personality Assessment
Direct ObservationSystematic observation
Issues of observer bias Time consuming and expensive People may alter their behavior when observed
Objective Tests Standardized tests
Forced-choice or multiple choice formats
LimitationsRely entirely on self-reportFamiliarity with the test affects responses
Common testsSixteen Personality Factor QuestionnaireMinnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
Projective Tests
Use of ambiguous stimuliRorschach testThematic Apperception Test
(TAT)