Theoretical Perspectives of Personality

Humanism Focused on positive aspects of personality. Looked at development and growth of personality. Natural motivation for improvement and positive growth . Centered around how individuals view themselves. Environment and negative experiences contribute to developing negative personality traits.

Gordon Allport Central traits-basis of personality. General demeanor such as sad, happy, moody. Secondary traits-preferences and attitudes Cardinal traits-traits that defined a person’s entire life. Only found rarely. Can be good or bad. Traits such as greed, power, sadism, compassion, charity.

Abraham Maslow Defined what it actually means to be mentally healthy. Looked at high achievers and famous historical figures. Developed hierarchy of needs. Top level is self-actualizing: healthy individuals who have met basic needs and are free to be creative and fulfill their potentialities. Maladjustment occurs when certain needs are not met or skipped over in favor of others.

Hierarchy of Needs

Carl Rogers Similar to Maslow developed concept of fully functioning individual. Healthy individual’s Identity and environment match up. Incongruence occurs when negative experiences that don’t fit an individual’s self-concept occur. Perceptions and feelings make up reality. This is called the phenomenal field. Experiences are all a matter of interpretation.

Unconditional positive regard-love without conditions attached. Rogers contributed heavily to fields of psychotherapy and education. Basic tenets of acceptance and shifting the focus to be on the student/client rather than the therapist/teacher. Spawned Positive psychology movement which researches happiness and the conditions in which people function most effectively.

Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura Observational learning applied to personality. Personality changes through reciprocal determinism, the interaction of environment, cognitions, and behavior.

Julian Rotter Locus of Control- individual’s sense of where his or her life influences originate. Internal vs. External attribution

How do you define your own personality? Write down 5 words that best describe you. Compare your words with the person sitting next to you What words are unique? What words frequently appear? What does that say about our culture?

Individual and Cultural construction of Personality Implicit Personality Theory-Assumptions about personality that are held by people to simplify the task of understanding others. “Birds of a feather flock together” “Opposites Attract” Making assumptions. Attractiveness + niceness Physical ability + Intelligence Creativity + Emotionality

Fundamental Attribution Error Tendency to attribute mistakes and flaws to an individual’s personal qualities rather than due to situational or environmental factors.

Collectivism vs. Individualism Cultural differences exist in how personality is shaped; the degree to which individuals form their identity in relation to groups or independently. Individualistic cultures place more importance on individual decisions, competition, achievement personal opinions and freedom of choice. Collectivistic cultures place more importance on group decision making, cooperation, less desire for achievement, and maintaining group and social harmony.

Cultural Differences in Japan

Dimensions of Collectivism vs. Individualism Status and respect Romance and Love Emotional Displays Locus of Control Thinking vs. Feeling

How do we measure personality? Hans Eysenck’s theory Neuroticism-susceptibility to neurotic problems Extraversion-introversion-outgoing vs. quiet and reserved