Transcript C1 Notes_Intro
Theories of Personality Seventh Edition
By Jess Feist and Gregory J. Feist © McGraw-Hill
© 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Introduction to Personality Theory Chapter 1 © McGraw-Hill
© 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Outline • What Is Personality?
• What Is Theory?
– Theory Defined • Why Different Theories? • What Makes a Theory Useful?
• Dimensions for a Concept of Humanity • Research in Personality Theory © McGraw-Hill
What Is Personality?
• Word stems from “persona” – Latin for “mask” • Personality Defined: – A pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior © McGraw-Hill
What Is Personality?
• Traits – Consistency over time – Individual differences in behavior – Stability across situations • Characteristics – Unique qualities (e.g., temperament, physique, and intelligence) © McGraw-Hill
What Is a Theory?
• Theory Defined – A set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses © McGraw-Hill
Theory and Its Relatives • Philosophy – Broader than theory • Speculation – Must be tied to empirical data and science • Hypothesis – Specific guess that can be tested using scientific method • Taxonomy – Classification according to natural relationships © McGraw-Hill
Why Different Theories?
• Different Personal Backgrounds – Childhood experiences – Interpersonal relationships • Different Philosophical Orientations • Unique Ways of Looking at the World • Data Chosen to Observe is Different © McGraw-Hill
Theorists’ Personalities & Their Theories of Personality • Psychology of Science – The empirical study of scientific thought and behavior (including theory construction) of the scientist • The personalities and psychology of different theorists influence the kinds of theories that they develop © McGraw-Hill
What Makes a Theory Useful: Criteria for Evaluating a Theory • Generates Research • Is Falsifiable (Verifiable) • Organizes Known Data • Guides Action (Practical) • Is Internally Consistent • Is Parsimonious © McGraw-Hill
Dimensions for a Concept of Humanity • Determinism v. Free Choice • Pessimism v. Optimism • Causality v. Teleology • Conscious v. Unconscious Determinants of Behavior • Biological v. Social Influences on Personality • Uniqueness v. Similarities © McGraw-Hill
Research in Personality Theory • Must Generate Research – Theory gives meaning to data – Data comes from experimental research designed to test hypothesis generated by the theory • Systematic observations – Predictions are consistent and accurate © McGraw-Hill
Research in Personality Theory • Two Empirical Criteria for Instruments – Reliability • Consistency of Measurement – Validity: • Construct Validity – Convergent – Divergent – Discriminant • Predictive Validity © McGraw-Hill