1. Hans J. Eysenck

2. Personality
More or less stable and enduring organization of a person’s character, temperament, intellect, and physique, which determines his unique adjustment to the environment

3. Theory
Personality is mostly biological but can be influenced by environment
Biological view validated by:
The same three personality orientations are found universally regardless of social and cultural factors
These traits show stability within individuals over long periods of time in the face of differing experiences
Evidence supported by twin studies

4. Theory
Personality results from levels of excitation, arousal and inhibition of an individual’s nervous system.
Hereditary in nature
Involves reticular activating system and limbic systems

5. Theory Based on three dimensions (Types or Superfactors):
Extraversion / Introversion
Neuroticism / Stability
Psychoticism / Superego

6. Extraversion / Introversion
Extraverts
Have a “strong nervous system”
Have a higher sensory threshold (although lower sedative threshold)
Need and actively seek excitement and stimulation
Can tolerate relatively intense stimuli w/o being overwhelmed

7. Extraversion / Introversion
Introverts
Have a “weak nervous system”
Low sensory threshold (higher sedative threshold)
More easily aroused and autonomically reactive
Shy away from excitement and stimulation
Quickly overwhelmed by intense stimuli

8. Neuroticism / Stability
Greater brain activity shown in limbic (visceral brain) area (emotion) and in sympathetic nervous system.
Thought neuroticism was related to lability (changeability) of the autonomic nervous system
React emotionally to things others consider insignificant (overreactive autonomic nervous systems)
Not necessarily equated with debilitating psychological symptoms
Genetically predisposed toward neuroticism or emotional stability
Neurotic people show greater emotional arousal than stable people in response to stress
Have more trouble returning to “baseline” after an emotional event; stay angry longer and are less likely to forgive someone.
More vigilant to threats, especially social threats.

9. UNSTABLE STABLE INTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED
choleric
melancholic
phlegmatic
sanguine
INTROVERTED
EXTRAVERTED
Moody
Anxious
Rigid
Sober
Pessimistic
Reserved
Unsociable
Quiet
Sociable
Outgoing
Talkative
Responsive
Easygoing
Lively
Carefree
Leadership
Passive
Careful
Thoughtful
Peaceful
Controlled
Reliable
Even-tempered
Calm
Touchy
Restless
Aggressive
Excitable
Changeable
Impulsive
Optimistic
Active

10. Psychoticism / Superego Control
Does not necessarily refer to psychotic disorders
Characterized by degree of impulsivity and emotional detachment from others.
High score more aggressive, antisocial, cold and egocentric, nonconforming, impulsive, and hostile
Low score are more altruistic, highly socialized, caring, empathetic, cooperative, conforming, and conventional
Higher the score the lower the stress needed to push toward psychotic behavior

11. Psychoticism / Superego
Also includes creativity and genius
Cynical about religion
Males more than females (related to maleness)—men score twice as high as women
High genetic component but less than extraversion and neuroticism
Eventually determined that criminals score high on all three dimensions.

12. Energetic in everything
Types
Extraversion
Traits
Assertive
Traits
Sociable
Traits
Active
Habitual
Response
Expresses Needs
Habitual response
Considerate
Habitual response
Smiles at everyone
Habitual response
Shakes everyone's hand
Habitual response
Parties
Habitual response
Energetic in everything
Specific Response Level

13. Theory Hierarchy of Behavior Organization
1st level: types or superfactors
Made up of several interrelated traits
2nd level: traits
“important, semi-permanent personality dispositions”
“defined in terms of significant intercorrelations between different habitual behaviors”
3rd level: habitual responses
Behaviors or thoughts that recur under similar conditions
4th level: specific acts and cognitions
Individual behaviors or thoughts that may or may not be characteristic of a person

14. The Big Five: extension of Eysenck’s three-level theory (Costa & McCrae)
Five broad factors:
Surgency or Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional Stability
Openness/Intellect
Originally based on the combination of lexical and statistical approaches
Big Five taxonomy has achieved a greater degree of consensus than any other trait taxonomy in the history of personality trait psychology

15. The Big 5 Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness
Neuroticism

17. Evidence for the Five-Factor Model
Empirical Evidence for Five-Factor Model
Replicable in studies using English language trait words as items
Found by more than a dozen researchers using different samples
Replicated in different languages
Replicated in every decade for the past half century, suggesting five- factor solution replicable over time
Replicated using different item formats
Some disagreement remains about the troublesome fifth factor—it’s called by different names, valued differently in various cultures

18. Personality Disorders & the Big Five
There is considerable empirical support for Personality Disorders being understood as maladaptive variants of the Big 5. The first four in particular define the domains of impairment used to diagnose personality and mental disorders.
Extraversion & Agreeableness
Two largest domains account largely for all manner of interpersonal relatedness
Conscientiousness
Concerns control and regulation of behavior
Neuroticism
Primarily important to the fields of clinical psych and psychiatry
Openness
Primarily deals with culture or society’s interest in creativity, intellect, imagination, and conventionality. There are aspects of openness in PDs as well.