Notes Personality Theories

Cognitive Ideas of ­­­­­­­­­­­­oneself, of others, and of the world shape personalities Schemas — mental representation of people, events, and concepts Determine how we perceive things and respond to them How does this relate to the Social Learning Theory?

Humanistic Strive for self-actualization (one's unique potential) Developing sense of self; subjective Abraham Maslow (Self-actualization) & Carl Rogers (“The Self”)

How are these people similar?

Common Personality Traits Realistically oriented Accept the world as it is Spontaneous Creative Resist conformity Independent

Carl Roger’s “The Self” Positive regard — view of yourself based on positive interactions Conditions of worth — conditions one must meet to feel positively about oneself Unconditional positive regard — perception that significant others value you in your entirety

Trait Two basic ideas (assumptions): Everyone possesses all traits Traits can be quantified (put on a scale) Amount of each determines your personality

Gordon Allport (first trait theorist) Cardinal trait —so strong, person is identified with it (rare) Central trait — best describes a person Secondary traits — less consistent (preferences or occasions)

The “Big Five” Central for all people: Openness Conscientiousness Open-mindedness to close-mindedness Conscientiousness Being responsible to careless Extroversion Outgoing to reserved Agreeableness Sympathetic to cruel Neuroticism (emotional stability) Moody to calm/relaxed

Big Five Personality Test

Myers-Briggs Personality Test Based on Carl Jung’s writings Jung presented 4 ways in which people experience the world: Extroversion – Introversion Sensing – Intuition Thinking – Feeling Judging – Perception 16 types total Preferences; not better or worse

Personality Disorders Personality disorder — maladaptive ways of dealing with others and one’s environment; behaviors and experiences that differ from societal norms

Personality Disorder Party Determine which disorder goes with which guest Describe how you know which person has each disorder What are commonalities for the disorders in each cluster?

Cluster Commonalities Cluster A: Odd or eccentric disorders Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic disorders Cluster C: Anxious or fearful disorders

Prompt #4 Choose one of the articles/blogs about someone with a personality disorder Response: (should be AT LEAST a paragraph; 4-5 sentences) What personality disorder do they have? When and how did they discover they had a personality disorder?  How does it affect their life? How do they manage their personality disorder (if they do)?

Summary What is the difference between general personality traits and personality disorders?

Character Game Goal: Figure out your own person/character based on YES or NO questions Ex: Am I bossy? Allowed to ask one initial question: Am I a human? A cartoon? An animal? After that, ALL questions must be about personality.

Examples Example Questions: Am I considered “cool”? Do people/kids look up to me? Am I stuck in the past? Am I musical? Am I considered successful? Am I supportive (like a sidekick)? Am I submissive (get bossed around)? Would people say I am a leader? Example Characteristics: Outgoing Shy/reserved Aggressive Sympathetic Witty Intelligent Unintelligent Honest Serious Goofy/Childish Forgetful Practical Imaginative Strong/Fighter Easy-going Adventurous Optimistic Pessimistic Careless Violent Bossy Musical Active Lazy

Discussion What characteristics did you ask about that were the most helpful in figuring out the person’s character? Why were those the most helpful characteristics? Which theories does this most align with?