1. Instructor name Class Title, Term/Semester, Year Institution © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts Personality

2. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Personality: The Unique Way Individuals Think, Feel, and Act As one group of theorists noted, each of us is in certain respects like all other people, like some other people, and like no other person who has ever lived in the past or will exist in the future. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality The behaviors of personality. Certain perceived characteristics of behavior are seen as reflecting an individual’s personality. Personality Attributed to Behaviors Components of identity Perceived internal cause Perceived organization and structure

3. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Psychoanalytic Theory: Freud The first formal theory of personality was advanced by Sigmund Freud in the early years of the 20th century, and it is the prototype of the psychodynamic approach. Freud’s theory divides the personality into three levels of consciousness: 1. Conscious 2. Preconscious 3. Unconscious and three levels of the mind: 1. Id 2. Ego 3. Superego Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality

4. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Freud’s Model of Personality Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality Freud’s model of personality. Freud’s own representation of his three-part conception of personality shows the relation of the id, ego, and superego to the unconscious, preconscious, and conscious areas of the mind. Conscious Preconscious Unconscious Immediate awareness of current environment Available to awareness (e.g., names of friends, home address) Unavailable to awareness (infantile memories, repressed wishes and conflicts)

5. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Psychoanalytic Theory: Neo-Freudians Freud laid the foundation for important work done by a series of successors who were trained in traditional Freudian theory but later rejected some of its major points. These theorists are known as neo-Freudian psychoanalysts, and they include: Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and Karen Horner. Neo Freudians placed greater emphasis than Freud on the functions of the ego, suggesting that it has more control than does the id over day-to-day activities. Also minimized the importance of sex as a driving force in people’s lives. Paid greater attention to social factors and the effects of society and culture on personality development. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality

6. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Behavioral Theory Using basic principles of learning, behavioral theorists see both normal and abnormal behaviors as responses to various stimuli, responses that have been learned through past experience and that are guided in the present by stimuli in the individual’s environment. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality

7. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality Humanistic Theory: A Reaction to Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism Humanistic perspective emphasizes the responsibility people have for their own behavior, even when their behavior is seen as abnormal. Grew out of the work of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Concentrates on what is uniquely human, viewing people as basically rational, oriented toward a social world, and motivated to seek self-actualization (Rogers, 1995).

8. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality The Third Force: Humanism The humanistic theory of psychology is often referred to as the third force. Focus on the relationship of the individual to society, considering the ways in which people view themselves in relation to others and see their place in the world. Views people as having an awareness of of life and of themselves that leads them to search for meaning and self- worth. Though criticized for its reliance on unscientific, unverifiable information and its vague, almost philosophical formulations, it offers a distinctive view of abnormal behavior.

9. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality Carl Rogers: Self Concept The concept of the “self” is central to the personality theory of Carl Rogers and other humanists. Our self-concept is our subjective perception of who we are and what we are like. The concept of self is learned from our interactions with others. Rogers distinguishes between two self-concepts--there is the self--the person I think I am, and the ideal self--the person I wish I was.

10. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality Self-Actualization A major tenet of humanistic psychology is that humans possess an inner drive to grow, improve, and use their potential to the fullest. Abraham Maslow calls the ultimate in completed growth self-actualization. According to Maslow, the self-actualizing person is reaching the highest level of personal development and has fully realized her or his potential as a human being.

11. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality Unconditional Positive Regard Carl Rogers believed that we are born with an innate need for positive regard—for acceptance, sympathy, and love from others. Ideally, positive regard received from the parents is unconditional—that is, independent of how the child behaves. Unconditional positive regard communicates that the person is inherently worthy of love, regardless of accomplishments or behavior.

12. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Trait Theory Trait theory seeks to explain, in a straightforward way, the consistencies in individuals’ behavior. Traits are enduring patterns of behavior, such as thinking acting, and feeling, that are relatively consistent across different situations. Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality

13. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Five-Factor Model For the last two decades, the most influential trait approach contends that five traits or factors lie at the core of personality. Researchers have identified a similar set of five factors that underlie personality: 1. Openness to experience 2. Conscientiousness 3. Extraversion 4. Agreeableness 5. Neuroticism Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality

14. © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Behavior Genetics The study of the effects of heredity on behavior. Behavioral genetics researchers are finding increasing evidence that cognitive abilities, personality traits, sexual orientation, and psychological disorders are determined to some extent by genetic factors (Reif & Lesch, 2003; Viding et al., 2005). Introductory Psychology Concepts: Personality