Transcript PERSONALITY THEORIES

PERSONALITY THEORIES
Personality Theories
BEHAVIORISTS (Skinner)
 PSYCHOANALYTIC (Freud, Neo-Freudians,
Psychodynamic)
 SOCIAL COGNITIVE (Bandura, Mischel,
Seligman)
 HUMANISTIC (Rogers, Maslow)
 BIOLOGICAL (Eysenck)
 TRIAT (Allport, Catrell, Sheldon)

Skinner
Argued for determinism--behavior is fully
determined by environmental stimuli.
 Free will is but an illusion…”There is no
place in the scientific position for a self as
a true originator or initiator of action.”
 Collection of response tendencies that are
tied to various stimulus situations.

Social Cognitive Theories
Applies principles of learning, thinking and
social influences
 Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura)…idea
that internal mental events, external
environmental events and overt behavior
all influence one another. Your
environment determines your behavior &
your behavior can change your
environment.
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Behavior
Beliefs
Environment
Bandura continued…
*Observational Learning…
Bobo doll experiment
*Often
considered the
father of the cognitive
movement
Walter Mischel
Colleague of Bandura at Stanford (now at
Columbia)
 Extent to which situational factors govern
behavior…controversy over the consistency
of human behavior
 Emphasizes and highlights situational
determinants of behavior

Martin Seligman
Julian Rotter
Learned Helplessness
 Optimism
 Julian Rotter--Locus of control (internal
and external)

Humanists (Phenomenological)
Humans are essentially good
 Motivated toward self-actualization
 Maslow--Hierarchy of Needs
 Carl Rogers…Unconditional Positive
Regard…Self
 Holism (considers whole person like
Gestalt
 Phenomenological--everyone’s
individual frame of reference/point of

Biological
Hans Eysenck--personality structure as a
hierachy of traits
 Three high order traits (Extraversion,
neuroticism and psychoticism)

Trait Theorists
Gordon Allport- Personal traits (dispositions)--concrete,
easily recognized,consistencies in our
behavior
 Common traits (culturally)-liberal/conservative
 Central traits (building blocks)--5 to 10

Allport (continued)
Secondary traits(preferences, attitudes)
 Cardinal traits (define life)…Mother
Theresa--religious service
 Allport was so right about so many things
that his ideas have simply passed on into
the spirit of the times. Influenced many
others.
 Humanist????
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Other Trait Theorists...
Sheldon--Body types (endomorph,
ectomorph and mesomorph)
 Big Five Personality Factors (Emotional
Stability, Extraversion, Openness,
Agreeableness, Conscientiousness)
 Cattell--16 traits
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Sheldon
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Ectomorph - Endoderm
This is known to develop into the digestive tact which consists of the intestine, stomach. Heart
lungs etc. this somatotype is also the innermost layer of the embryo. The personality traits
associated with the endoderm body type is tolerance, love, comfort. In a word all the emotions
that have to deal with a great deal of affection. The body type is considered to be fat and can
easily be overweight. The love for people and the intimate relationship with food is also another
trait of this personality.
Mesomorph - Mesoderm
This is the middle layer which in turn develops into the muscle, blood vessels, bone etc. In terms
of body shape with this type of somatotype, Sheldon concluded that the physic of this body is all
about muscle. These are well defined muscle tones. In terms of personality this relates to very
energetic, courageous, active, aggressive, etc. all this can be seen as the personality of the Alpha
male.
Endomorph - Ectoderm
This is naturally the last layer. It has its association or develops are that it forms the nervous
system, skin and hair. These are people that are considered to be underweight because they are
so slim. They are often the intelligent nerds and their personality traits are that highly self-aware
therefore they are also very sensitive with an air of an artistic nature to them. In a way they are
society’s introverts because of their shy and timid nature.
Personality tests
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Objective Tests
MMPI
Myers-Briggs
Keirsey-Bates
www.allhealth.com
Http://keirsey.com
Projective tests
 Rorschach
 TAT (Murray)
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General
Personality
Information
Issues in Personality Theories
Free will or
determinism
Master of our fate, or victim to
destiny?
Nature or
Nurture
Inherited or shaped by
environment
Past, present When is personality
or future
developed? What influences
are there based on our past,
present and future
experiences?
Issues in Personality Theories
Uniqueness or Are there patterns or are we
universality
all individually unique?
Equilibrium or
growth?
Is our goal to reduce tension
or are we motivated by need
to reach our potential?
Optimism or
Pessimism
Are humans basically good or
evil?
Psychosexual
Stages of
Development
Stages of Development
• Freud believed that personality
is formed during childhood.
• Our past childhood
experiences are powerful
influences on our present
personalities
• The stages (Oral, Anal, Phallic,
Latency and Genital) represent
patterns of gratifying our basic needs
and satisfying our drive for physical
pleasure
• Insufficient or excess gratification
during any stage could cause a
person to reflect the stage throughout
life.
Stages
Oral (0-18 mo.) – Pleasure center is mouth –
sucking, chewing, biting.
Anal (18 mo-36 mo)– focus on gaining control,
bowel and bladder elimination & retention as
form of control.
Phallic (3-6 yr) – Pleasure zone is in the
genitals, focus on coping with incestuous sexual
feelings
Latency (6-puberty) – Repressed sexual
feelings
Genital (puberty on) – Maturation of sexual
interests
Stage Issues
• During the Phallic Stage, The
Oedipus complex occurs due to
boys feelings of guilt for love of
mother and fear of castration.
• During Oral Stage, deprivation or
overindulgence may result in
adult oral fixations or have
dependence issues
• If Anal Stage is not resolved,
may result in an anal expulsive
(messy, unorganized) or anal
retentive (controlled
compulsively neat) personality
Elements
of
Personality
THE ICEBERG CORRELATION
Id Pleasure Principle
Ego Reality Principle
Super
Ego
Ego
Super Ego
- Moral Principle
Id
Elements of the Personality
ID
• Unconcious energy
• Basic drives
• Immediate gratification
• Pleasure Principle
• Instinctual/biological
• Libidinal Energy
Elements of the Personality
EGO
• Partially conscious
• Cope with real world
• Gratifies ID in realistic ways
• Reality Principle
• Logical/Rational
• Struggles to reconcile ID &
Superego
Elements of the Personality
SUPEREGO
• Partially conscious
• Ideal behavior
• Moral Principle
• Conscience
THE ICEBERG CORRELATION
“the mind is like an iceburg - mostly hidden”
Conscious Awareness
small part above surface
(Preconscious)
Unconscious
below the surface
(thoughts, feelings,
wishes, memories)
Repression
banishing unacceptable
thoughts & passions to
unconscious
Dreams & Slips
Expressions of the Unconscious
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The work we choose
The beliefs we hold
Daily habits
Troubling symptoms
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Jokes
Dreams
Slips of the tongue
Accidents
Psychoanalysis
and
Freud
Freud’s Psychoanalytical
• Discovered the unconscious
• Used hypnosis and then free association to
unlock the unconscious
• Three levels of the mind: unconscious,
preconscious, and conscious.
• Freud believed we are most influenced by our
unconscious.
• Personality results from our efforts to resolve
conflict between pleasure seeking impulses and
internalized social restraints.
Psychoanalytic Personality Tests
Goal – to tap into the unconscious.
Projective Tests – user tells a story or gives a
description based on an ambiguous stimulus.
Examples:
• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) – share inner
feelings through stories made up about ambiguous
scenes.
• Rorschach inkblot – descriptions of inkblots reflect
inner feelings and conflicts.
Criticisms:
• Reliability? – NO
• Validity? – NO
• No universal scoring system or training system
Neo - Freudians
Neo - Freudians
Accepted Freud’s basic ideas:
• Id, ego, superego.
• Importance of conscious.
• Shaping of personality during childhood.
• Dynamics of anxiety & defense mechanisms.
Differences:
• More emphasis on conscious.
• Less emphasis on sexual motivations.
• More emphasis on noble motives & social
interactions.
Neo - Freudians
Horney:
• Dependent child’s sense of helplessness
creates anxiety
• Triggers desire for love & security
• Criticized Freud’s gender bias
Neo - Freudians
Alder:
• Childhood social conflicts influence
personality development
• Inferiority complex
Neo - Freudians
Jung:
• More emphasis on unconscious than other
neo Freudians
• Unconscious contains more than just
negative, but unrealized talents, gifts,
creativities & passions.
• Believed in a Collective Unconscious –
Part of unconscious shared by all.
Archetypes, the building blocks of the soul
which are inherited and shared by all, live
here.
Humanistic Perspective
 Positive
Approach
 Sense of Self = center of personality
 Goal = foster personal growth
 Emphasis = human potential
 Self concept shapes personality
Maslow
The self actualized person
 Self aware & self accepting
 Open & spontaneous
 Loving & caring
 Secure
 Creates deep relationships
 Is moved by personal peak experiences
 Has the courage to be unpopular
Carl Rogers
A growth promoting climate:
 Genuineness – openness
 Acceptance – unconditional positive regard
 Empathy – sharing our feelings and
reflecting our meanings
Positive self concept occurs when
IDEAL self
= ACTUAL self
Self-Esteem
People with higher
self-esteem typically:
 have
< sleepless nights
 < likely to conform under
pressure or use drugs
 more persistent at difficult tasks
 <shy & lonely
Criticisms of Humanistic Approach
Concepts
vague and subjective
Individualism can lead to self
indulgence, selfishness,
arrogance & pride.
Ignores our human capacity
for evil.
Social Cognitive Perspective
 Applies
principles of learning,
thinking & social influence
 Emphasizes importance of
external events and how we
interpret them.
 Emphasizes our sense of personal
control
Reciprocal Determinism
Bandura = process of interacting with our
environment
1. Different people choose different
environments
2. Different people interpret & react
differently to situations & events.
3. Our personalities create situations to
which we react. Ex – self fulfilling
prophesy, expectations.
Who controls your world?
Do you see yourself as controlling of, or
controlled by your environment?
 External locus of control – perception that
outside factors determine one’s fate.
 Internal locus of control – perception that
one has more control over own fate.
Typically these people achieve more in
schools, act more independently, are less
depressed, in better health and cope with
stress better.

Learned Helplessness
 Those
who feel helpless &
oppressed often view control as
external.
 When traumatic events occur
and people feel as if they have
no control, they often learn
helplessness, which can
generalize to other situations.
Criticism
Too
much focus on
situations, not enough
focus on person’s inner
traits
SCs argue that our traits &
emotions shine through in
our reactions & responses.
Trait Perspective
Describes Personality based on:
 Characteristic Behaviors
 Conscious Motives
 Describes, doesn’t explain
 Basically a classification system
Trait Tests
Myers – Briggs Test - Based
on Jung’s personality types:
 Extravert vs. Intravert
 Thinking vs. Feeling
 Judging vs. Perceiving
 Sensing vs. Intuitive
Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory
 Objective, normed personality inventory
with validity scales for faking & lying.
10 scales:
1. Hypochondriasis
6. Schizophrenia
2. Depression
7. Hypomania
3. Social Introversion
8. Hysteria
4. Psychopathic Deviancy 9. Paranoia
4. Masculinity/Femininity 10. Psychasthenia
Biology & Personality
 Low brain arousal results in more
extraversion
 Overactive Autonomic Nervous
System results in a more emotionally
unstable personality
 Inactive frontal lobe area results in a
more extraverted personality
 Genetics influence personality
Trait Perspective Criticism
 Person-situation controversy – Do traits
persist over time and across situations?
 Are behaviors consistent from one situation
to the next?
 Does trait perspective result in labeling &
pigeonholing?
Trait Perspective actually attempts to
predict AVERAGE behavior over many
situations to determine personality.