1. Unit 10 Personality

2. Personality Today’s Plans: Reading Tonight Pgs. 479-484
Psychoanalytic Perspective
Reading Tonight Pgs
Be ready for some reading pop quizzes this week 

3. Free association! Do now: I will read a random list of words.
Write down the first word that comes to mind when I read the word. Don’t stop and think. Just go with the very first thing that comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense.
Do any of these words seem to reveal any hidden feelings you might have about someone or something in your life? Why or why not?
Would you want people to read meaning into this list of freely associated words? Why or why not?
Frog, rain, flower, banana, sandwich, mountain, teapot, feather, trip, hand

4. What is Personality? Personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
basic perspectives
Psychoanalytic
Humanistic

5. Two Broad Theories
Psychoanalytic – Childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations are the big influences
Humanistic– Focuses on our inner capacities for growth and self- fulfillment

6. The Psychoanalytic Perspective
From Freud’s theory which proposes that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality

7. The Psychoanalytic Perspective
Psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes our thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

8. The Psychoanalytic Perspective
Free Association
in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious
person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

9. The Psychoanalytic Perspective
Unconscious
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories
contemporary viewpoint- information processing of which we are unaware

10. Personality StructureId
contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy
strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives
operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

11. Personality Structure
Superego
the part of personality that presents internalized ideals
provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations

12. Personality Structure
Ego
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality
mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality
operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

13. Personality StructureId
Superego
Ego
Conscious mind
Unconscious
mind
Freud’s idea of the mind’s structure
Super Cheesy explanation video watch?v=6a8mwidjG8s
Another way to explain: think about cartoons… when a character had the angel and the devil on its shoulder, and the character would have to choose which one to listen to. The devil represents the id that encourages more licentious (bad) behavior. The angel represents the superego, the part that advises the obedience to moral and ethical principles. The character represents the ego, which must take in both types of advice to make the most realistic decision.

14. Personality Development
Psychosexual Stages
the childhood stages of development during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
Oedipus Complex
a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

15. Personality Development
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Stage Focus
Oral Pleasure centers on the mouth--
(0-18 months) sucking, biting, chewing
Anal Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder
(18-36 months) elimination; coping with demands for control
Phallic Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with
(3-6 years) incestuous sexual feelings
Latency Dormant sexual feelings
(6 to puberty)
Genital Maturation of sexual interests
(puberty on)

16. Personality Development
Identification
the process by which children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Fixation
a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved

17. Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms Repression
the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Repression
the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
Pushes away unwanted thoughts, feelings, memories, ect.

18. Defense Mechanisms Regression
defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
EX: Homesick college students may long for the security of home

19. Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation
defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites
people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings
EX: Hating someone may turn into loving them…

20. Defense Mechanisms Projection Rationalization
defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
when you feel a certain way and put it onto someone else feeling that way
Happens a lot in unhealthy relationships
Rationalization
defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one’s actions

21. Defense Mechanisms Displacement
defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet
EX: students upset about something may snap at a friend or parent (usually someone they feel safe with)

22. Defense Mechanism’s Sublimation Denial
Transformation of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motivations
People re-channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities
Denial
People refuse to believe or even to perceive painful realities

23. Defense Mechanisms (Know these!)
Your Turn: Give a personal or real-life example for at least three of the Freudian Defense mechanisms
Repression
Regression
Reaction Formation
Projection
Rationalization
Displacement
Sublimation
Denial

24. Neo-Freudians and beyond
Accepted id, ego, superego
Agreed that personality is shaped in childhood
More emphasis on conscious mind
More emphasis on social influences
Doubted sex and aggression were the big motivations
Adler: Concept of inferiority complex
Horney: Childhood anxiety triggers need for love and security; argued with his sexism and tried to balance the bias
Jung: Collective unconscious concept; personality archetypes
Today’s psychodynamic theory:
We struggle with inner conflicts, about fears, wishes and values
Much of our mental life is unconscious
Childhood shapes personality and attachment to others.

25. Alfred Adler – Simplified Theory

26. Jungian Archetypes
Caroline Myss is known for her work with Jung’s archetypes, too.
It’s the basis of the Myers-Briggs Test (validity?)
What’s yours? Check it out at

27. Assessing the Unconscious
Projective tests – apply feelings to a picture; reveal hidden feelings/experiences
Rorshach -- inkblots
Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) – ambiguous pictures
Reliability: Results are consistent over time.
Validity: It measures what it says it measures.
A great question over whether repression is real.
A different idea of what the unconscious does (review p. 488) Corresponds to Unit 3B and Unit 5

28. Rohrshach Test
Most widely used projective tests- used to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.

29. What about defense mechanisms?
Research indicates there’s some support – just not quite the way Freud saw it:
False consensus effect
We do seem to be motivated to use defenses to protect our self- image
We do seem to defend ourselves against anxiety
Terror-management theory
Freud also criticized for being non-scientific—few testable hypotheses

30. Personality
Today’s Plans
Humanistic Perspectives
Read pgs

31. The Humanistic Perspective
Third-force perspective (Skinner and Freud being the first two)
Focus on healthy people striving to be better people and accomplish goals (self-determination; self-actualization)
Maslow – self-actualizing person
Rogers – Person-centered perspective

32. Evaluating Humanism Pervasive influence
Huge impact on popular psychology
Do now: Is a positive self-concept the key to happiness and success? How Important is self-esteem?
“Happy” a PBS show argues that.
Criticized for being vague and subjective
Can being true to oneself lead to negative aspects such as selfishness?
Criticized for being naïve (neglecting capacity for evil)

33. Humanistic Perspective
Abraham Maslow ( )
studied self- actualization processes of productive and healthy people (e.g., Lincoln)

34. Humanistic Perspective
Self-Actualization
the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved
the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

35. Humanistic Perspective
Carl Rogers ( )
focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals
genuineness
acceptance
empathy
Rogers would often answer questions with a question… “How does that make you feel?”
He believed that the therapists role was simply to provide support.

36. Humanistic Perspective
Unconditional Positive Regard
an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
Self-Concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an answer to the question, “Who am I?”

37. Contemporary Research-- The Trait Perspective
a characteristic pattern of behavior
a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Personality Inventory
a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
used to assess selected personality traits

38. The Trait Perspective- Factor Analysis
Hans and Sybil Eysenck use two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation

39. The Trait Perspective
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests
originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use)
now used for many other screening purposes

40. The Trait Perspective Empirically Derived Test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
such as the MMPI

41. The Trait Perspective
Hysteria
(uses symptoms to solve problems)
Masculinity/femininity
(interests like those of other sex)
T-score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hypochondriasis
(concern with body symptoms)
Depression
(pessimism, hopelessness)
Psychopathic deviancy
(disregard for social standards)
Paranoia
(delusions, suspiciousness)
Psychasthenia
(anxious, guilt feelings)
Schizophrenia
(withdrawn, bizarre thoughts)
Hypomania
(overactive, excited, impulsive)
Social introversion
(shy, inhibited)
Clinically
significant
range
After
treatment
(no scores
in the clinically
significant range)
Before
(anxious,
depressed,
and
displaying
deviant
behaviors)
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test profile

42. The Trait Perspective- The Big 5

43. Social Media personality
Discuss in small groups “ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS”
Do you start or maintain relationships (friendly or otherwise) with people you do not know in “real” life
WHY OR WHY NOT?
How can you tell if someone is being genuine online? What are some of your own criteria for determining someone’s personality?
What are some etiquette rules for communicating your desires to joking around with others? Expressing your anger or displeasure? Using sarcasm?

44. Social-Cognitive Perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between persons and their social context
Reciprocal Determinism
the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors

45. Social-Cognitive Perspective

46. Social-Cognitive Perspective
Personal Control
our sense of controlling our environments rather than feeling helpless
External Locus of Control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond one’s personal control determine one’s fate

47. Social-Cognitive Perspective
Internal Locus of Control
the perception that one controls one’s own fate
Learned Helplessness
the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

48. Social-Cognitive Perspective
Learned Helplessness
Uncontrollable
bad events
Perceived
lack of control
Generalized
helpless behavior

49. Social-Cognitive Perspective
Positive Psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning
aims to discover and promote conditions that enable individuals and communities to thrive

50. Exploring Self Write down your possible selves:
The self you hope to become
The self you fear you will become
The self you think you are to your friends
The self you think you are to your family
The self you are at school

51. Exploring the Self Spotlight Effect Self Esteem Self-Serving Bias
overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
Self Esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth
Self-Serving Bias
readiness to perceive oneself favorably

52. Exploring the Self Individualism Collectivism
giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism
giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

53. Exploring the Self

54. The Modern Unconscious Mind
Terror-Management Theory
Faith in one’s worldview and the pursuit of self-esteem provide protection against a deeply rooted fear of death

55. Personality Labs Thursday and Friday Plans
Meet in here tomorrow first to go over lab
We will be in the computer lab taking multiple personality tests
You will analyze and think critically about your personality