Personality

The organization of enduring behavior patterns that often serve to distinguish us from one another

Psychoanalytic Approach See behavior as the result of psychological dynamics within the individual  Much of mental life is unconscious and personal life experiences

Freud’s Structure of Personality

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Libido  Instinctual life force  Energizes id Fixation  Too much or too little gratification

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory  Oral stage  Anal stage  Phallic stage Oedipus complex Electra complex  Latency stage  Genital stage

Evaluating Psychoanalytic Theory Doesn’t fit qualities of a good theory Inconsistent with modern research Relied on case studies Can explain anything (retrospective) Significant contributions have been made  Unconscious  Defense mechanisms/anxiety

Psychodynamic – Jung Two levels of unconsciousness  Personal unconscious Individual’s repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and undeveloped ideas  Collective unconscious The part of the unconscious that is inherited and common to all members of a species Archetypes

Psychodynamic – Alfred Adler Compensation  One’s effort to overcome imagined or real personal weaknesses Inferiority complex  Fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that results in emotional and social paralysis

Psychodynamic – Karen Horney Nonsexual factors play a larger role than sexual ones Biology is not destiny Neurotic lifestyles  Submission  Aggression  Detachment

Psychodynamic – Erikson

Evaluating Psychodynamic Theories Criticisms  Difficult to test empirically Serve as bridge to more modern theories

Humanistic Theories Humanistic theories stress the potential for growth and change.  We are responsible for our own lives.  Focus on here and now, rather than the past  Given reasonable conditions, people develop in socially desirable directions (personal growth).

Maslow Self-actualization  Motivation to fulfill our potential  Arises after basic needs are met and self- esteem is achieved Self-transcendence  Striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

Carl Rogers Self-actualizing tendency  The drive of human beings to fulfill their conceptions of themselves (self-concepts) Fully functioning person  An individual whose self-concept closely resembles his/her inborn potentials Helped along with unconditional positive regard, instead of conditional positive regard

Evaluating Humanistic Theories Difficult to test scientifically Overly optimistic Reflects Western values

Trait Theories People differ according to the degree to which they possess certain personality traits.  Use of factor analysis to cluster traits Research confirms the value of the five- factor model, referred to as the “Big Five”.

Evaluation of Trait Theories Most research reflects this approach Largely descriptive How many traits?

Social-Cognitive Approach The Person The Situation The Interaction

The Person

The Situation The immediate situation exerts a powerful influence on our behavior  This is especially true if the demands of the situation (e.g., sitting in church, taking an exam) are clear Elements of personality are more apparent in informal situations

The Interaction

1. Different people choose different environments 2. Personalities affect interpretations and reactions 3. Personalities help create situations

Evaluation of Social-Cognitive Based on widely held principles Has been put to use Empirically verified

Personality Assessment Validity Reliability Norms

Personality Assessment The personal interviews  Unstructured The interviewer asks questions about any material that comes up.  Structured The order and content of the questions are fixed; set format.

Personality Assessment Direct Observation  Systematic observation Issues of observer bias Time consuming and expensive People may alter their behavior when observed

Objective Tests Standardized tests  Forced-choice or multiple choice formats Limitations  Rely entirely on self-report  Familiarity with the test affects responses Common tests  Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire  Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Projective Tests Use of ambiguous stimuli  Rorschach test  Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)