Objectives: List the major theories of personality theory. Define personality. List the major theories of personality theory. Explain why personality theories are useful.

A person’s pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. What is personality? A person’s pattern of thinking, feeling and acting.

a person’s broad, long-lasting YOUR UNIQUE PERSONAL STYLE Personality is… a person’s broad, long-lasting patterns of behavior; YOUR UNIQUE PERSONAL STYLE set of ways we are “born” with habits acquired as we grow & mature predisposed temperament character combination of develop over a lifetime tendencies experiences physical basis social environment influences

Theorists Discover patterns in the ways people behave 2. Explain the differences between individuals 3. Explore how people conduct their lives

Types of Personalities Type A Type B Feel time pressure. Easily angered. Competitive and ambitious. Work hard and play hard. More prone to heart disease than rest of population. Relaxed and easygoing. But some people fit in neither type.

Some concepts that may be important to you in the way you think about your own personality and the personalities of the people around you. Psychoanalytical Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic Neurobiological Sociocultural ____external environment ____temperament ____interpretation of experience ____conscious awareness ____childhood experiences ____rewards and punishments ____abilities ____organizations of reality ____ the self ____ unconscious motives ____ observable behavior ____ enduring characteristics ____ expectations ____ subjective feelings ____ sexual instincts ____external environment ____temperament ____interpretation of experience ____conscious awareness ____childhood experiences ____rewards and punishments ____abilities ____organizations of reality ____ the self ____ unconscious motives ____ observable behavior ____ enduring characteristics ____ expectations ____ subjective feelings ____ sexual instincts Think about each item and check the three items that are most important to your view of human personality. ????

A person’s general style of interacting with the world Why test personality? standardization A person’s general style of interacting with the world People differ from one another in ways that are relatively consistent over time and place “graded” the same for everyone establishing norms the majority; patterns of answers validity & reliability Does the test measure what it is suppose to & are the results consistent? TYPES OF TESTS: Aptitude & Achievement Tests Vocational Interest Tests Projective Tests ETHICAL?

Aptitude & Achievement Tests measure how much students have already learned. These tests help children measure their current knowledge and skills measure a student's ability to learn. These tests help teachers and parents predict how well a student is likely to do in school.

Vocational Interest Tests Vocational testing can be particularly useful for adolescents, young adults, and persons contemplating a mid-life career change. Such an assessment examines which occupations best fit with an individual's abilities, interests, and personality. Many vocational interest tests use the Holland codes, which group interests into six categories: REALISTIC (outdoors and hands-on occupations) INVESTIGATIVE (scientific) ARTISTIC (creative) SOCIAL (counseling and teaching) ENTERPRISING (management and sales) CONVENTIONAL (clerical)

used to assess personality (e.g., Rorschach or TAT tests) Projective Tests used to assess personality (e.g., Rorschach or TAT tests) How? provides ambiguous stimuli and subject projects his or her motives into the ambiguous stimuli In many cases, therapists use these tests to learn qualitative information about a client. Some therapists may use projective tests as a sort of icebreaker to encourage the client to discuss issues or examine thoughts and emotions. While projective tests have some benefits, they also have a number of weaknesses and limitations. For example, the respondent's answers can be heavily influenced by the examiner's attitudes or the test setting. Scoring projective tests is also highly subjective, so interpretations of answers can vary dramatically from one examiner to the next. Additionally, projective tests lack both validity & reliability.

Projective Techniques General Assessments: Interview Observation Self-report Projective Techniques Adv = tailored to the individual’s previous answers Disadv = low reliability focus on the # of time a particular behavior occurs – good reliability 10 primary scales measure personality dimensions used to diagnose psychological disorders individual provides an interpretation of ambiguous material (subjective)

“Characteristic pattern of thinking, Personality “Characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting.” Four major perspectives on Personality Psychoanalytic - unconscious motivations Trait - specific dimensions of personality Humanistic - inner capacity for growth Social-Cognitive - influence of environment