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What is Personality?
Personality an individual’s
characteristic pattern
of thinking, feeling, and acting basic perspectives
Psychoanalytic Humanistic Social Cognitive Trait
Over and overI tried to prove my love to you
Over and overWhat more can I do?
Over and overMy friends say I’m a fool.
But over and overI’ll be a fool for you.
‘Cause you’ve got personalityWalk, Personality.Talk, Personality.
Smile, Personality.Charm, PersonalityLove, Personality/
And, or course, you’ve gotA great big heart.
Now, over, and over,I’ll be a fool for you.
But oh,oh,over and over,What more can I do?
Over and overI said that I loved you.
Over and over, Honey, now it’s the truth,
Over and over,They still say I’m a fool.
But over and over, I’ll be a fool for you.
Lloyd Price lyrics---“(You’ve Got) Personality”
Personality Perspectives
Psychoanalytic—importance of unconscious processes and childhood experiences
Humanistic—importance of self and fulfillment of potential
Social cognitive—importance of beliefs about self
Trait—description and measurement of personality differences
The Psychoanalytic Perspective
From Freud’s theory which proposes that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality
The Psychoanalytic Perspective Psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes
our thoughts and actions to unconscious
motives and conflicts techniques used in treating psychological
disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
The Psychoanalytic Perspective Free Association
in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious
person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
Dream Interpretation
“royal road to the unconscious” Hypnosis
The Psychoanalytic Perspective Unconscious
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories
contemporary viewpoint- information processing of which we are unaware
Preconscious information that is not conscious, but is
retrievable into conscious awareness.
Personality Structure Id
contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives operates on the pleasure principle, demanding
immediate gratification THE ID (“It”): functions in the irrational and emotional part of the
mind. At birth a baby’s mind is all Id - want want want. The Id is the primitive mind. It contains all the basic needs and feelings. It is the source for libido (psychic energy). And it has only one rule --> the “pleasure principle”: “I want it and I want it all now”. In transactional analysis, Id equates to "Child".
Id too strong = bound up in self-gratification and uncaring to others
Id: The Pleasure Principle
Pleasure principledrive toward immediate gratification, most fundamental human motive
Sources of energy Eros—life instinct, perpetuates life Thanatos—death instinct, aggression, self-
destructive actions Libido—sexual energy or motivation
Personality Structure Superego
the part of personality that presents internalized ideals
provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations
THE SUPEREGO (“Over-I”): The Superego is the last part of the mind to develop. It might be called the moral part of the mind. The Superego becomes an embodiment of parental and societal values. It stores and enforces rules. It constantly strives for perfection, even though this perfection ideal may be quite far from reality or possibility. Its power to enforce rules comes from its ability to create anxiety.
Superego too strong = feels guilty all the time, may even have an insufferably saintly personality
Superego: Conscience
Operates on the Morality Principle Internalization of societal and parental values Partially unconscious Can be harshly punitive using feelings of guilt
Personality Structure Ego
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways
that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
THE EGO: (“I”): functions with the rational part of the mind. The Ego develops out of growing awareness that you can’t always get what you want. The Ego relates to the real world and operates via the “reality principle”. The Ego realizes the need for compromise and negotiates between the Id and the Superego. The Ego's job is to get the Id's pleasures but to be reasonable and bear the long-term consequences in mind. The Ego denies both instant gratification and pious delaying of gratification. The term ego-strength is the term used to refer to how well the ego copes with these conflicting forces. To undertake its work of planning, thinking and controlling the Id, the Ego uses some of the Id's libidinal energy. In transactional analysis, Ego equates to "Adult".
Ego too strong = extremely rational and efficient, but cold, boring and distant
Ego: The Reality Principle
Reality principleability to postpone gratification
in accordance with demands of
reality Ego—rational, organized, logical, mediator to
demands of reality Can repress desires that cannot be met in an
acceptable manner
Personality Development
Psychosexual Stages the childhood stages of development
during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
Personality DevelopmentFreud’s Psychosexual Stages
Stage Focus
Oral Pleasure centers on the mouth--(0-18 months) sucking, biting, chewing
Anal Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder (18-36 months) elimination; coping with demands for
control
Phallic Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with (3-6 years) incestuous sexual feelings
Latency Dormant sexual feelings(6 to puberty)
Genital Maturation of sexual interests(puberty on)
Personality Development
Oedipus Complex a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother
and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Electra Complex a girl’s sexual desires toward her father
and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival mother
Personality Development Castration Anxiety
boys feel guilt and fear that their father would punish them (castration) for sexual desires for their mother & jealousy of their father.
Penis Envy women fixated in this stage symbolicallycastrate men through embarrassment,deception, and derogation.
Personality Development Identification
the process by which children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Fixation a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking
energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved
Personality Development
Oral fixation possibly because of overindulging or
depriving (abrupt, early weaning). They exhibit either passive dependence (like that of a nursing infant) or an exaggerated denial of this dependence--perhaps by acting tough and uttering biting sarcasm. They might also continue to seek oral gratification through excessive smoking or eating.
Personality Development
Anal fixation
never resolve anal conflict (Toilet training) Anal expulsive– messy & disorganized. Anal retentive– highly controlled and compulsively
neat.
Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms
the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Repression the basic defense mechanism that
banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
Defense Mechanisms
Regression defense mechanism in
which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
Defense Mechanisms
Reaction Formation defense mechanism by which the ego
unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites
people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings
Defense Mechanisms Projection
defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Rationalization defense mechanism that offers self-
justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one’s actions
Defense Mechanisms
Displacement defense mechanism that shifts sexual or
aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet
Defense Mechanisms Sublimation
people rechannel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities.
Freud suggested that Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of Madonna could be traced back to his desire for intimacy with his own mother.
Assessing the Unconscious Projective Test
a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) a projective test in which people express their
inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Assessing the Unconscious Rorschach Inkblot Test
the most widely used projective test a set of 10 inkblots designed by Hermann
Rorschach seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by
analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Drawbacks to Projective Tests
Examiner or test situation may influence individual’s response
Scoring is highly subjective Tests fail to produce consistent results
(reliability problem) Tests are poor predictors of future behavior
(validity problem)
A man goes to a Psychologist and says, "Doc I got a real problem, I can't stop thinking about sex."The Psychologist says, "Well let's see what we can find out", and pulls out his ink blots. "What is this a picture of?" he asks.The man turns the picture upside down then turns it around and states, "That's a man and a woman on a bed making love."
The Psychologist says, "very interesting," and shows the next picture. "And what is this a picture of?"The man looks and turns it in different directions and says, "That's a man and a woman on a bed making love."
The Psychologists tries again with the third ink blot, and asks the same question, "What is this a picture of?"The patient again turns it in all directions and replies, "That's a man and a woman on a bed making love."
The Psychologist states, "Well, yes, you do seem to be obsessed with sex.""Me!?" demands the patient. "You're the one who keeps showing me the dirty pictures!"
Neo-Freudians Accepted Freud’s basic ideas:
the personality structures of id, ego, and superego; the importance of the unconscious; the shaping of personality in childhood; and dynamics of anxiety and the defense mechanisms. But they veered away from Freud in two important ways.
1. They placed more emphasis on the role of the
conscious mind in interpreting experience and coping with the environment.
2. They doubted that sex and aggression were all-consuming motivations. Instead, they placed more emphasis on loftier motives and on social interaction.
Alfred Adler
Most fundamental human
motive is striving for superiority Arises from universal feelings of inferiority
that are experienced during childhood Overcompensation may cause superiority
complex where person exaggerates achievements and importance
Importance of childhood social tension
Karen Horney
Need for human love and security Looked at anxiety related to security and
social relationships Basic anxiety—the feeling of being isolated
and helpless in a hostile world Sought to balance Freud’s masculine biases-
women don’t have penis envy and they don’t have weak superegos
Carl Jung
Universality of themes- archetypesinherited universal human concepts– “Mother”
Collective unconsciousmemory traces from our human collective evolutionary history
PersonaA mask people wear to hide what they really are or what they really feel
First to describe introverts and extraverts
Freud’s ideas in light of modern research Freud died in 1939 and did not have the benefit of
all the modern-day research & tools that we have today.
--human development is not fixed in childhood, but over time. --gender identity does not form because of Oedipus Complex. --dreams do not disguise and fulfill wishes. --repression never occurs. --unconscious is not seething passions and repressive censoring but information processing that occurs without our awareness.
Is Repression a Myth?
Many researchers now believe that repression rarely, if ever, occurs.
Freud’s ideas as scientific theory Psychologists criticize Freud’s theory for its
scientific shortcomings. Good scientific theories explain observations and offer testable hypotheses. Critics say that Freud’s theory offers after-the-fact explanations of people and their behaviors. Contemporary psychologists are least likely to agree with Freud’s belief that conscience and gender identity form in the process of resolving the Oedipus Complex.
Humanistic Perspective
Carl Rogers– “Father of Humanism” Abraham Maslow
Free will
Self-awareness
Psychological growth
Humanistic Perspective Abraham
Maslow (1908-1970) studied self-
actualization processes of productive and healthy people (e.g., Lincoln)
Humanistic Perspective
Self-Actualization the ultimate psychological need that arises
after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved
the motivation to fulfill one’s potential
Mother Teresa
Humanistic Perspective Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals genuineness acceptance empathy
Humanistic Perspective
Unconditional Positive Regard an attitude of total acceptance toward
another person
Self-Concept all our thoughts and feelings about
ourselves, in an answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Exploring the Self
Spotlight Effect overestimating others noticing and evaluating
our appearance, performance, and blunders Self Esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth Self-Serving Bias
readiness to perceive oneself favorably
Exploring the Self
Possible Selves Your possible selves include your visions of the
self you dream of becoming – the rich self, the successful self, the loved and admired self.
They also include the self you fear becoming – the unemployed self, the lonely self, the academically failed self.
The Benefits of Self-Esteem
The Benefits of Self-Esteem
People who feel good about themselves have fewer sleepless nights, succumb less easily to pressures to conform, are less likely to use drugs, are more persistent at difficult tasks, are less shy and lonely, are less likely to see rejection where none exists, and are just plain happier.
Culture and Self-Esteem
Culture and Self-Esteem Ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and
women do NOT live lives of lower self-esteem.
They all report levels of happiness roughly comparable to others.
Blacks have a slightly higher self-esteem scores than Whites.
Exploring the Self
Individualism giving priority to one’s own goals over group
goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often
one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly
Exploring the Self
Morality Defined by individuals Defined by social networks (self-based) (duty-based)
Attributing Behavior reflects one’s personality Behavior reflects socialbehaviors and attitudes and roles
Value Contrasts Between Individualism and CollectivismConcept Individualism Collectivism
Self Independent Interdependent (identity from individual traits) identity from belonging)
Life task Discover and express one’s Maintain connections, fit in uniqueness
What matters Me--personal achievement and We-group goals and solidarity; fullfillment; rights and liberties social responsibilities and
relationships
Coping method Change reality Accommodate to reality
Relationships Many, often temporary or casual; Few, close and enduring;confrontation acceptable harmony valued
The Modern Unconscious Mind
Terror-Management Theory Faith in one’s worldview and the pursuit
of self-esteem provide protection against a deeply rooted fear of death
Evaluating Humanism
Difficult to test or validate scientifically Tends to be too optimistic, minimizing
some of the more destructive aspects of human nature
Contemporary Research– The Trait Perspective Trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior a disposition to feel and act,
as assessed by self-report inventories
and peer reports
GordonAllport
Raymond Cattell
Contemporary Research-- The Trait Perspective
Factor Analysis
theorists use this to identify a relatively small number of the most basic personality traits
The Trait Perspective Hans Eysenck uses
two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation
UNSTABLE
STABLE
cholericmelancholic
phlegmatic sanguineINTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED
MoodyAnxious
RigidSober
PessimisticReserved
Unsociable
Quiet
SociableOutgoing
TalkativeResponsiveEasygoing
LivelyCarefree
Leadership
PassiveCareful
Thoughtful
Peaceful
ControlledReliable
Even-temperedCalm
TouchyRestlessAggressive
ExcitableChangeable
ImpulsiveOptimistic
Active
The Trait Perspective
Extroversion-Introversion
Extroverts seek stimulation because their normal levels of brain arousal are relatively low.
Emotional stability-instability
Emotionally stable people react calmly because their autonomic nervous systems are not so reactive as those of unstable people.
Contemporary Research-- The Trait Perspective
Personality Inventory a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-
disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
used to assess selected personality traits
Self-Report Inventory
Psychological test in which an individual answers standardized questions about their behavior and feelings
The answers are then compared to established norms
Strengths of Self-Reports
Standardized—each person receives same instructions and responds to the same questions
Use of established norms: results are compared to previously established norms and are not subjectively evaluated
Weaknesses of Self-Reports
Evidence that people can “fake” responses to look better (or worse)
Tests contain hundreds of items and become tedious
People may not be good judges of their own behavior
The Trait Perspective Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI) the most widely researched and clinically used of
all personality tests originally developed to identify emotional
disorders (still considered its most appropriate use)
now used for many other screening purposes
MMPI
Originally designed to assess mental health and detect psychological symptoms
Has over 500 questions to which person must reply “True” or “False”
Includes “lying scales”
The Trait Perspective
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test profile
Hysteria(uses symptoms to solve problems)
Masculinity/femininity(interests like those of other sex)
T-score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
100 30 40 50 60 70 80
Hypochondriasis(concern with body symptoms)
Depression(pessimism, hopelessness)
Psychopathic deviancy(disregard for social standards)
Paranoia(delusions, suspiciousness)
Psychasthenia(anxious, guilt feelings)
Schizophrenia(withdrawn, bizarre thoughts)
Hypomania(overactive, excited, impulsive)
Social introversion(shy, inhibited)
Clinicallysignificant
range
After treatment(no scores
in the clinicallysignificant range)
Beforetreatment(anxious,
depressed,and
displayingdeviant
behaviors)
The Trait Perspective
Empirically Derived Test a test developed by testing a pool of items
and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
such as the MMPI
The Trait PerspectiveThe “Big Five” Personality FactorsTrait Dimension DescriptionEmotional Stability Calm versus anxious
Secure versus insecure Self-satisfied versus self-pitying
Extraversion Sociable versus retiring Fun-loving versus sober Affectionate versus reserved
Openness Imaginative versus practical Preference for variety versus preference for routine Independent versus conforming
Agreeableness Soft-hearted versus ruthless Trusting versus suspicious Helpful versus uncooperative
Conscientiousness Organized versus disorganized Careful versus careless Disciplined versus impulsive
The Five Factor Model
Openness; curiosity;
accepting of other points
of view
Conscientiousness; self-discipline; willingness to
achieve
Extraversion; sociable; outgoing
Agreeableness Neuroticism or emotional
stability
Research suggests that five personality factors are inherited or at least present at an early age.
O C E A N
William Sheldon
Somatotyping (body typing)
1. Endomorph— plump, relaxed, jolly
(Santa Claus)
2. Ectomorph— high strung and solitary (Sherlock Holmes)
3. Mesomorph— bold and physically active (Superman)
The Trait Perspective
Type A
intense, driven, goal-oriented, successful, task-oriented
Type B
laid back, easy-going, procrastinator
Evaluation of Trait Perspective
Doesn’t really explain personality, simply describe the behaviors
Doesn’t describe the development of the behaviors
Trait approaches generally fail to address how issues such as motives, unconscious, or beliefs about self affect personality development
Evaluation of Trait Perspective
Person-Situation Controversy
we look for genuine personality traits that persist over time and across situations.
If you consider friendliness a trait, friendly people must act friendly at different times and places.
Evaluation of Trait Perspective
Consistency of Expressive Style Our expressive styles are impressively
consistent. At any moment the immediate situation powerfully influences a person’s behavior, especially when the situation makes clear demands. Averaging our behavior across many occasions does, however, reveal that we do have distinct personality traits.
Barnum Effect
Barnum Effect
believing a horoscope describes you when its very generic.
"There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"
Social Cognitive Perspective
Social cognitive theory— the importance of observational learning, conscious cognitive processes, social experience, self-efficacy and reciprocal determinism in personality
Reciprocal determinism--model that explains personality as the result of behavioral, cognitive, and environmental interactions
Self-efficacy—belief that people have about their ability to meet demands of a specific situation
Social-Cognitive Perspective
Social-Cognitive Perspective
Personal Control our sense of controlling our environments
rather than feeling helpless External Locus of Control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond one’s personal control determine one’s fate
Social-Cognitive Perspective Internal Locus of Control
the perception that one controls one’s own fate
Learned Helplessness the hopelessness and passive resignation
an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events
Social-Cognitive Perspective Learned Helplessness
Uncontrollablebad events
Perceivedlack of control
Generalizedhelpless behavior
Social-Cognitive Perspective
Positive Psychology the scientific study of optimal human
functioning aims to discover and promote conditions
that enable individuals and communities to thrive
Assessing Behavior in Situations
Assessing Behavior in Situations
the best means of predicting future behavior is neither a personality test nor an interviewer’s intuition. Rather, it is the person’s past behavior pattern in similar situations.
Evaluation of Social Cognitive Perspective
Well grounded in empirical, laboratory research
However, laboratory experiences are rather simple and may not reflect the complexity of human interactions
Ignores the influences of unconscious, emotions, conflicts
