Psychology 100:12Psychology 100:12

Chapter 12Chapter 12

Personality IPersonality I

Outline• The Psychodynamic

Approach• Trait theories of personality

– The Big Five

• Psychobiology of personality• Situationism, traitism,

and interactionism

Study Questions:• According to Freud, what are fixations and when do they

occur? How are fixations related to personality?• Describe the “Big 5” theory of personality traits

PsychodynamicsThe mind is a battlefield for the warring factions of instinct, reason, & conscience

• Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939).– Obtained M.D.

> Early training in Neurology with von Brück.

> Dissection and observation

– Unable to gain a position in a University.

> Studied with Charcot in Paris.> Hypnotism

– Opened up medical practice in Vienna.

PsychodynamicsFreud’s Topography

– The unconscious> Instincts, wishes, and

impulses.> Many are socially

unacceptable

– Consciousness is the “tip of the iceberg”

– Categories of instincts> Eros: The life force.> Thanatos: The death force.

– Tension reduction principle.

> Maintain psychic equilibrium

• The preconscious and conscious– Libido: The primary source of motivation, which comes from

the unconscious.> “Psychic Energy”.> Eros & Thanatos give rise to tension.> Reduce tension by attaching libido to objects (Carthexis).

E.g., You are hungry• Apply psychic energy to obtaining food (form a carthexis).• Tension is reduced.

– The preconscious: Emotions, thoughts, and feelings that can be called up into consciousness.

– The problem of limited libido> Struggle for limited resources involves the conscious

as well as the unconscious We need to operate on the external world

Psychodynamics

Psychodynamics

Id: Unorganized, uninhibited, and irrational set of instincts.– Entirely unconscious

Ego: Rational, mostly conscious aspect of a person– Partly pre and unconscious

Superego: Societal prescriptions for appropriate behaviour– Partly conscious, pre and

unconscious– From our parents

Psychodynamics • Psychosexual Development

– The pleasure principle: Rule of the id: Gratify me!

> Main drives: Hunger and sex> Development of digestive and sex organs are critical in

the development of adult personality Erogenous zones: instinctual sources of pleasure

– Stage approach to psychosexual development> Each stage is linked to an erogenous zone> Conflicts occur over control of instincts at each stage> Excessive gratification or frustration results in fixation

Psychodynamics

• The oral stage (0-2 yrs)– Too much or too little attention -> oral fixation

>Overgratification: Optimistic, gullible, and admiring

>Undergratification: Pessimistic, suspicious, and envious

Psychodynamics

• The anal stage (> 2 yrs) – Ego development

– Conflict over the parent’s attempt to control when gratification can occur.>Strict training (Anal retentive): Obstinate, stingy,

orderly, meticulous>Undergratification (Anal expulsive): Acquiescent,

generous, messy

Psychodynamics • The Phallic stage (3-5 yrs)

– Superego development– The Oedipus Complex (boys)

> Castration anxiety> Identification with the morals of the father

reduces the anxiety

– The Electra Complex (girls)> Believes mother is responsible for her

castration> Develops penis envy. Wants to have a

child by her father to indirectly acquire a penis.

> Identifies with mother to gain vicarious satisfaction

Psychodynamics • The latency period (5 - 11)

– A respite from conflict

• The genital stage (Puberty)– Becomes an adult

> No longer polymorpheus perverts> Some fine tuning of Ego> Can obtain gratification from others

• Adulthood– Personality is riddled with unconscious conflicts

> Leads to a rise in anxiety> Ego must defend the conscious mind from unconscious

impulses

Psychodynamics • Defense mechanisms: controlling unconscious thoughts.

– Repression: Bury them deep in the unconscious

– Reaction formation: Replace a threatening idea with the opposite.

> E.g, Homophobia

– Projection: Deny your own desires, and perceive others as presenting them.

> “I’M NOT THE ONE WHO’S ANGRY!!!!!”

– Sublimation: Divert energy into something acceptable.> Sexual energy --> creative energy

– Rationalization: Invent a reason for unacceptable behaviour

> E.g.,only buying the magazines for the interviews…

• Personality assessment– Objective tests of personality

>Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Construction• Taken from previously published “inventories”

Scale items• Statistically reduced to 566 items; 10 scales• E.g, Depression, paranoia, introversion, etc.

Personality

Personality– Objective tests of personality

>Validity scales The ? scale - Number of questions not answered The L scale - Catch lies The F scale - Frequency (90%) The K scale - Defensiveness.

>Predictive Validity Criterion validity: r = .3 Less than other measures like past behaviour

Personality

Hypochondria

Depression

Conversion Hysteria

Psychopathic deviate

Masculinity-Feminity

Paranoia

Neurosis

Schizophrenic

Hypomania

Introversion

Standard Score

30 50 70 90(97.5 %) (99.9 %)(50 %)

MMPI Profile for Kenneth Bianchi (The hillside strangler)

PersonalityPersonality

Personality• Projective tests of personality

– The Rorschach inkblot test>Unstructured/subjective> Indices have no external validity

Personality

Personality– The thematic apperception test.

>Tell a story about the picture What is happening? What lead to the scene? What will happen next?

> No predictive value

Personality

Personality• Trait theories of personality

– Personality. A pattern of behaviour and thought that prevails across time and situations that differentiates one person from another.

– Personality type: Different categories into which personality characteristics can be assigned.>E.g., Theophrastus -> Thirty personality types

Assumed to be consistent across settings.

Personality

Personality• Trait theories of personality

– Hipprocates -> Four humours (basic substances)

– Galen -> personality and the humours.1) Blood -> Sanguine (active/ overconfident)

2) Yellow bile -> Choleric (quick to anger/violent)

3) Black bile -> Melancholic (sad/depressed)

4) Phlegm -> Phlegmatic (slow moving/emotionally flat)

Personality

Personality• Trait theory

– Personality Traits: Enduring dispositions causing a person to behave in a certain way in a certain situation.

> There are also personality states: Temporary moods.

Trait -> influences the likelihood of being -> State

Brooding -------------------> Miserable

Submissive -------------------> Resigned

Aggressive -------------------> Angry

Emotionally Unstable -------------------> Infactuated

Personality

Personality• Trait theory on limited dimensions.

– Allport (1936) > Started with 18,000 descriptive words

Cardinal traits: Rare, strong unifying effect. Central traits: Less singular, capture important

characteristics. Secondary traits: Minor influences on behaviour.

Personality

Personality

• Trait theory– Cattell’s theory

> Used Allport’s list as a starting point, reduced to 171 Reduced the list further and had 200 others rated Performed Factor Analysis:

• E.g., Aggression, stubborn, leadership

Dominant ----- Submissive Developed 16 source traits Developed the 16 PFQ

• 200 questions

I like to go to parties

Yes ..... Occasionally .......No

Personality• Trait theory

– Eysenck’s three factor theory>Collected large amount of data -> accounted for it

with 3 factors Introversion - Extroversion

• (introspective vs. gregarious) Neuroticism - Stability

• (anxiousness, excitability vs. calmness) Psychotocism - Self-control

• (antisocial vs. considerate)

>Developed Eysenck Personality Inventory

Personality

Melancholic Choleric

Sanguinephlegmatic

stable

ExtrovertedIntroverted

Anxious

Sober

unstableMoody

Rigid

PessimisticReserved

Unsociable

Quiet

TouchyRestless

AgressiveExcitableChangeable

ImpulsiveOptimistic

Active

PassiveCarefulThoughtful

Peaceful

Reliable

Even-tempered

Calm

Sociable

Outgoing

Talkative

EasygoingLively

Carefree

Leadership

• Eysenck’s two factor model and Galen.

PersonalityPersonality

Personality• Trait theory

– The Big Five> Dimension Example

Extroversion - Introversion fun-loving - sober

Neuroticism - Placidity worrying - calm

Agreeable- Antagonistic selfless - selfish

Conscientious- Indirectedness reliable - unreliable

Openness - Nonopenness independent - conforming

> Measured by Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness Personality Inventory ( NEO-PI)

Self ratings/ ratings by others

Personality

Personality• Brain mechanisms in Personality: Zuckerman

– Extroversion -> High sensitivity to reinforcement> Infants with high activity levels ---> Extroverts> Extroverts show reinforcement seeking behaviour

Introverts have higher internal arousal levels Extroverts have lower internal arousal levels

– Neuroticism -> High sensitivity to punishment> Oversensitive amygdala

– Psychopathy -> Low sensitivity to punishment> Cannot learn when NOT to do something

High tolerance (set point) for arousal and excitement

Personality

Personality• Situationism

– Consistency>Mischel’s View: Traits are situation specific

Low consistency across situations Honesty scale and cheating behavior: r = .20-.30

>Interactionism Behaviour is a product of disposition, situation, and

the interaction between disposition and situation

Personality

W. W. Norton

Personality• Concordance rates for traits

Personality

Personality– Heritability of personality traits

>Twin studies (Compiled by Zuckerman (1991) Heritability

• Extroversion -> 70 %• Psychotocism-> 59 %• Neuroticism -> 50%

What about the rest of the variability?• Reared together/apart -> No difference• Adopted /Parents: 4-7% of variability

50 + 7 = 57% Where does the rest of the variability come from?

• The interaction between nature and nurture

Personality

Personality• Three levels of personality(McAdams)

– Dispositional traits> Internal, global, and stable (e.g., friendliness)

– Characteristic adaptation>Personal adaptation to motivational, cognitive,

developmental challenges

– In ‘life stories’ people say their personality changes>Narratives of the self to integrate the past,

resent and future.

Personality