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Personality
Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning
Personality
Defined-a consistent pattern of behavior, thoughts and feelings that is different for every individual
Personality Assessment
Self-Report Inventories-Questionnaires given to individuals pursuing what characteristics an individual find to be true (ex: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)
Projective Tests-use ambiguous stimuli to assess personality (ex: Rorschach ink blots)
Freud
Believed that personality disturbance is due to unmet needs of sex and aggression
The needs exist in the unconscious and periodically we are given a brief view of what those needs are• (ex: through dreams, Freudian slips, etc.)
FreudParts of the Mind Id-the pleasure-seeking, instinctual part of
personality Ego-the reality-seeking part of personality Super-Ego-the element of personality
serves as your conscience
Defense Mechanisms-coping with anxiety Repression-when anxious thoughts are pushed into the
unconscious Projection-attributing unwanted thoughts and feelings to
other people Denial-refusal to acknowledge an anxiety-provoking
experience Rationalization-replacing unacceptable thoughts with
socially acceptable ones Reaction Formation-defeating anxiety by acting out in an
opposite manner than one’s own feelings Displacement-placing one’s feelings on a less threatening
person than the one who caused the feelings Sublimation-a form of displacement that involves aiming
an aggressive impulse toward a socially acceptable object Regression-returning to behaviors used at an earlier level
of development
Neo-Freudians Carl Jung
• broke from Freud• believed in the collective unconscious
Alfred Adler• believed people were driven by a need for superiority
Karen Horney• believed that personality disturbances are caused by
anxiety that we all feel when the world is an unfriendly place
Trait Theorists-Allport
Gordon Allport• Set out to compose a list of critical personality
traits• Used language to define stable characteristics
of humans• In the end, he composed a list of over 4500
words (its usefulness is questioned)
Trait Theorists-Cattell
Raymond Cattell• collapsed data from a large number of
personality measures to identify sixteen personality traits
• These traits can be used to describe anyone, however, the level of each of these traits that a person exhibits is different
Trait Theorists-Eysenck
Hans Eysenck• Identified three basic traits (collapsed
categories for personality lists)• extraversion-how much people focus on external
stimuli and are outgoing in their approach to life
• neuroticism-a measure of emotional instability
• psychoticism-a measure of impulsiveness and aggression
Trait Theories-the “Big Five” This theory believes that personality can be
broken down into five basic traits• extraversion-outgoing• agreeableness-someone who is trusting, warm,
giving and tolerant• conscientiousness-responsible and dependable• neuroticism-negative, anxious, and poor self-
esteem• openness to experience-creative and adventure
seeking
Learning Theories and Personality B. F. Skinner (Behaviorist)
• Believed that personality and behavior are determined by past experience with reinforcement and punishment
Social-Cognitive Theorists• Albert Bandura
• Proposed Social Cognitive Theory• Behavior is determined by an individual’s
cognitions and their environment– reciprocal determinism– self-efficacy-your beliefs about your ability to perform a
tast• Julian Rotter
• Proposed Social Learning Theory• Behavior is determined by expectancies and whether
you have an internal or external locus of control• Locus of Control
Humanistic Personality Theories
Abraham Maslow• Suggested that personality is determined by a
hierarchy of needs• Basic physiological needs supercede safety
needs, which supercede belongingness needs, etc.
• The goal is self-actualization
Humanistic Personality Theories
Carl Rogers• Believes that people’s efforts to achieve
personal fulfillment are being blocked• People’s self-concept are distorted by outside
influence• True psychological health occurs when the
perceived self-concept is consistent with your ideal self-concept
Biological Foundations of Personality Twin studies indicate that some personality
characteristics are inherited Evidence suggests that some personality
characteristics may be related to varying levels of certain neurotransmitters• (ex: decreased levels of serotonin are
correlated with aggressiveness)