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)