Download 12 Chapter 12,14 - Seabreeze High School

Personality: Theory,
Research, and Assessment
Personality Types
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Type A individuals can be described as impatient,
excessively time-conscious, insecure about their
status, highly competitive, hostile and aggressive,
and incapable of relaxation. They are often high
achieving workaholics who can multi-task, drive
themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about
the smallest of delays. Because of these
characteristics, Type A individuals are often
described as "stress junkies."
Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as
patient, relaxed, and easy-going.
The Nature of Personality
Defining personality: Consistency and
Distinctiveness
 The concept of personality is used to explain
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The stability in a person’s behavior over time and
across situations (consistency)
The behavioral differences among people
reacting to the same situation (distinctiveness)
 Personality- individual’s unique constellation
of behavioral traits.
Personality Traits: Dispositions and
Dimensions
 Personality trait- durable disposition to
behave in a particular way in situations.
Ex. Bill is timid
 Factor analysis- correlations among many
variables are analyzed to identify closely
related clusters of variables. (Spearman)
 All abilities and personalities are based on
general intelligence.(g)
 incorrect
John Holland
Carl Jung
Cattells 16 factor personality inventory
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http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/fe
hringer.html
Psychodynamic Perspectives
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Psychodynamic theories- include all the
diverse theories descended from the work
of Sigmund Freud, which focus on
unconscious mental forces.
Unconscious conflicts in early childhood
cause problems in ones personality which
may lead to mental illness.
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
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Freud developed psychoanalysis which
required lengthy verbal interactions with
patients.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory grew out of
his decades of interactions with clients in
psychoanalysis.
Structure of Personality
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Id- instinctive component of
personality that operates
according to the pleasure
principle.
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Ego-the decision-making
component of personality that
operates according to the
reality principle/mediator
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Pleasure principle- demands
immediate gratification of its
urges/libido
Reality principle- seeks to delay
gratification
Superego- moral component of
personality that incorporates
what's right and wrong.
Levels of Awareness
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Conscious- consists of whatever one is aware
of at a particular point in time.
Ex. train of thought of this text
Preconscious- contains material just beneath
the surface of awareness that can easily be
retrieved.
Ex. Your middle name
Unconscious- contains thoughts memories,
and desires that are well below the surface of
conscious awareness
Ex. childhood trauma
Anxiety and Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms- largely unconscious
reactions that protect a person from unpleasant
emotions to ward off anxiety.
 Rationalization- creating false but plausible
excuses to justify unacceptable behavior.
Ex. stealing then saying, “well everyone does it.”
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Repression- keeping distressing thoughts and
feelings buried in the unconscious.
Ex. Forgetting a bad experience.
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Projection- attributing one’s own thoughts,
feelings, or motives to another.
Ex. a woman doesn't like her boss.
because she feels her boss does not like her.
Displacement- diverting emotional feelings
(usually anger) from their original source to a
substitute target.
ex. Bad day at work, takes it out on kids.
Reaction formation- behaving in a way that is
the opposite of one’s true feelings.
Ex. Killing them with kindness
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Regression- a reversion to immature patterns of
behavior
Ex. An adult has a temper tantrum when he
doesn’t get his way.
Identification- bolstering self-esteem by forming an
imaginary or real alliance with some person or
group.
Ex. A kidnapped child creates a bond with their
kidnapper.
Sublimation-Re-channel their unacceptable
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impulses towards more acceptable or
socially approved activities.
ex. Channel feeling of homosexuality into
aggressive sports play.
Development: Psychosexual Stages
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Oral- (ages 0-1) Mouth (sucking, biting)
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Anal-(ages 2-3) Anus (expelling or
retaining feces)
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Sexuality complications,
homosexual/heterosexual, identification
with parent of opposite gender.
Latency-(ages 6-12) None (sexually
repressed)
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Anal retentive personality, controlling
personality. Type A
Phallic-(ages 4-5) Genitals (sexual urges)
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Oral fixation, trust
Social issues, identification with parent of
same gender.
Genital-(puberty onward-reproduction
urges)
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Attachment issues, love
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
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Personal unconscious- houses material that
is not within one’s conscious awareness
because it has been repressed or forgotten.
Jung discovered the existence of a deeper
layer called the collective unconscious.
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Collective unconscious- storehouse of latent
memory traces inherited from people’s ancestral
past.
According to Jung people share this with the
entire human race.
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Archetypes- emotionally charged
images and thoughts that have
universal meaning.
Introverts- tend to be preoccupied
with the internal world of their own
thoughts, feelings, and
experiences. Private, quiet, shy,
withdrawn, followers
Extraverts- tend to be interested in
the external world of people and
things. Outgoing, leaders, higher
self-esteem
It is good to be a chameleon when
necessary.
Adler’s Individual Psychology
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Striving for superiority- a
universal drive to adapt,
improve oneself, and
master life’s challenges
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Initially through birth order.
Compensation- involves
efforts to overcome
imagined or real inferiorities
by developing one’s
abilities.
You constantly try to
conquer inferiority to feel
superior.
Behavioral Perspectives
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Behaviorism- a theoretical
orientation based on the premise
that scientific psychology should
study only observable behavior.
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Personality traits that are
rewarded increase. Personality
traits that are ignored or that
are associated with a
consequence decrease. Simple
as that!!
Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory
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Personality is modeled
Bandura originally
called his modified
band of behaviorism
social learning theory.
Bandura refers to his
model as social
cognitive theory.
Reciprocal
determinism- the idea
that internal mental
events, external
environmental events,
and overt behavior all
influence one another.
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Observational learningoccurs when an
organism’s responding
is influenced by the
observation of others,
who are called models.
According to Bandura,
both classical and
operant conditioning
can occur vicariously
when one person
observes another’s
conditioning.
Model- a person whose
behavior is observed by
another.
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Internal Locus of Control- The perception that one
controls one’s own fate.
External Locus of Control-The perception that chance
or outside forces beyond one’s personal control
determine one’s fate.
Learned helplessness- The hopelessness and
passive resignation an animal or human learns when
unable to avoid repeated aversive events.
Mischel and the
Person-Situation
Controversy
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Mischel is an advocate of
social learning theory.
According to the Social
learning theory, people
try to gauge the
reinforcement
contingencies and adjust
their behavior to the
circumstances.
Ex. You work harder if
the reinforcement is
greater.
problems: burn out,
external rewards don’t
last forever, adjustment
time and consistencies
change.
Humanistic Perspectives
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Humanism- a theoretical orientation that
emphasizes the unique qualities of
humans, especially their free will and
their potential for personal growth.
Humanistic theorists take an optimistic
view of human nature
People can rise above their primitive
animal heritage and control their
biological urges.
People are largely conscious and
rational beings who are not dominated
by unconscious, irrational needs and
conflicts.
We can choose our personality.
Roger’s Person-Centered Theory
People are basically good. We
need genuineness,
acceptance (Unconditional
positive regard) and empathy
to grow.
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Roger’s approach is called a
person-centered theory.
Personality is determined due to a
lack of congruence between selfconcept and actual experiences.
One’s self-concept can determine
ones personality.
Self-concept- a collection of
beliefs about one’s own nature,
unique qualities, and typical
behavior.
Ex. Beliefs such as “I am a good
person.
Incongruence- the degree of
disparity between one’s selfconcept and one’s actual
experience
Maslow’s Theory of Self-Actualization
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Hierarchy of needs- a systematic
arrangement of needs, according to priority,
in which basic needs must be met before less
basic needs are aroused
Need for self-actualization- which is the need
to fullfill one’s potential; it is the highest need
in Maslow’s motivational hierarchy.
Maslow summarized this with the statement:
“what a man can be, he must be.”
Biological Perspectives
Eysenck’s Theory
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Twin, family, and adoption studies of heritability;
factor analysis studies of personality structure.
Genetic
Eysenck described personality structure as a
hierarchy of traits, with specific traits derived from
more fundamental, general traits.
Survival of the fittest. Personality traits that help an
individual survive are past down.
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Ex. Aggressiveness
EYSENCKS
The Five-Factor Model of Personality
Traits (OCEAN) (genetic & stable)
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Openness to Experience- curiosity, flexibility
Conscientiousness- disciplined, wellorganized, dependable
Extraversion- outgoing, sociable, friendly
Agreeableness- sympathetic, trusting, modest
Neuroticism- anxious, hostile, self-conscious
Contemporary Empirical Approaches to
Personality
Sensation Seeking: Life In the Fast
Lane
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Sensation seeking- a generalized preference for
high or low levels of sensory stimulation.
Ex. Always looking for thrills
Thrill and adventure seeking-sky diving etc.
Experience seeking-wild parties, unusual friends
Disinhibition- drug use, gambling
Susceptibility to boredom- easily become bored
Culture and Personality
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Self-enhancement- involves focusing on
positive feedback from others, exaggerating
one’s strengths and seeing oneself as above
average.
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These tendencies are persuasive in western
cultures but quite rare in Asian cultures.
How do we assess personality?
Hypnosis & Free Association
Personality Test
 Meyers Briggs, I/E, S/N, T/F, P/J-used for job
placement
Projective Test
 Rorschach- Most widely used projective test. Used for
treatment. Very valid & reliable.
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TAT-Thematic
Apperception Test -
people express their inner feelings
through stories they make about
ambiguous scenes
MMPI- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory.
Most widely used
respected.
Very valid
Reliable
500 T/F questions
Objective
used for diagnosis
Used in court