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Unit 10 Personality.

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1 Unit 10 Personality

2 Personality Personality – an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking feeling and acting consistent behaviors Example –

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4 Personality Theories Psychoanalytic Theory Humanistic Theory
Trait Theories Social Cognitive Theories

5 HistoricalTheories Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud)
childhood sexuality and unconscious drives influence personality Included stage theory of psychosocial development Humanistic Theory (Maslow, Rogers) focused on our inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment “Man is Good” philosophy

6 Psychoanalytic Theory
Psychoanalysis – Freud’s theory of personality AND the technique used in treating psychological disorders by exposing and interpreting unconscious tensions. Healing occurs through the recovery of repressed wishes and desires from the unconscious Techniques used to expose the unconscious included: Hypnosis Dreams – latent and manifest Free association – way of exploring unconscious by having person relax and say whatever comes to mind

7 Our Personality Conscious- things we are aware of.
Preconscious- Forgotten memories that we can easily recall Unconscious- thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories of which we are largely unaware. Repression - thoughts that are too unsettling for people to acknowledge Expressed in disguised forms Freudian slips Dreams Forgetting

8 Freud’s Idea of the Minds Structure

9 Parts of Personality Id - unconscious impulses that want to be gratified, without regard to potential punishment. pleasure principle – avoid pain and receive instant gratification, unconscious Ex. Ego– moderates the impulsive demands of id and restraining demands of superego. Reality principle, partly conscious Superego - tells us right from wrong and our ideal standards Moral principle, unconscious, develops last – 5 years

10 Parts of Personality Ego is personality executive
Healthy person’s ego is stronger than id Strong Superego – virtuous, but guilt ridden Strong Id – self-indulgent, remorseless

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12 ID

13 ID leads us to eating and drinking

14 Superego

15 Ego

16 Id controlling Marge.

17 Freud’s Psychosexual stages
Psychosexual development – a series of developmental stages that an individual passes through and forms their personality Id’s pleasure seeking energies centers on distinct erogenous zones as we pass through the early stages. Preoccupation with any one area results in a fixation on it. Psychosexual stages – childhood stages of development during which the id’s pleasure seeking energies focus on specific erogenious zones (area of body sensitive to sexual stimulation) Freud believed that personality forms as children pass through a series of psychosexual stages Freud suggested that pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones as we progress through various psychosexual stages

18 Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Oral (0-18 months) Anal (18-36 months) Phallic (3-6 years) Latency (6-Puberty) Genital (Puberty on) Owen And Phillip Like Girls

19 Oral Stage Important erogenous zone = mouth Biting, sucking, chewing
Fixation Weaned too early = oral fixation Ex. overeating, smoking, passive dependence (dependence on friends or family), or exaggerated denial of dependence (acting tough)

20 Anal Stage Develops during toilet training (2-4).
Important erogenous zone = anus Focused on controlling waste and expelling waste. Fixation potty training too early = anal-retentive Ex. Overly neat and fussy Potty training not encouraged or haphazard = anal-expulsive Ex. overly slovenly and messy Two-year-old Damien frequently refuses to obey his parents because he derives immense pleasure from demonstrating his independence from their control. Freud would have suggested that Damien is going through the anus stage of development.

21 Phallic Stage Period of time when children first recognize their gender (4-7). Important erogenous zone = genitals Unconscious sexual desires for parent of the opposite sex Oedipus Complex – boys’ feelings of guilt and fear of punishment over sexual desire for mother and feelings of hostility toward father. Electra Complex – girls’ feelings of guilt and fear of punishment over sexual desire for their father and hostility toward mother Penis Envy(girls realization that they don’t have a penis and blame Mom) and Castration Anxiety (boys fear of penis removal) Identification – children incorporate same sex parents’ values into superego = successful conflict resolution in Phallic stage Fixation problems in relationships narcissistic--excessively vain and proud. afraid or incapable of close love homosexuality

22 Latency Stage Libido is hidden (7-11). Cooties stage
Dormant sexual feelings. Boys hang with Dad, Girls hang with mom Fixation - none

23 Genital Stage Libido is focused on their genitals (12-death).
Maturation of sexual interests All stages resolved = mentally healthy and sexually matured

24 Psychosexual Stages

25 Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms tactics of the ego to reduce anxiety by distorting reality Ex: Repression Rationalization Reaction formation Projection Regression Displacement Sublimation Denial

26 Scenario Quarterback of the high school football team, Brandon, is dating Jasmine. Jasmine dumps Brandon and starts dating Drew, president of the chess club. Jasmine Brandon Drew

27 Repression Pushing anxiety arousing thoughts into our unconscious.
Underlies all other defense mechanisms Slips of the tongue are incomplete repressions Why don’t we remember our Oedipus and Electra complexes? Ex. Banishes anxiety arousing wishes from consciousness – underlies all other defense mechanisms Ex. Don’t remember childhood lust for a parent Can seep out in dreams and slips of tongue Although Camile has detailed memories of her high school experiences, she remembers very little about the boyfriend who abruptly broke off their marriage engagement. When she was 8 years old, Inge was sexually abused by her uncle. At 14, Inge felt uncomfortable whenever she saw this uncle but was unable to understand why she felt this way. Slip of the tongue are in complete repressions

28 Denial Not accepting the ego-threatening truth.
Frank refuses to believe that he is addicted to drugs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

29 Displacement Redirecting one’s feelings toward another person or object. Often displaced on less threatening things. Children who release unexpressed anger toward their parents by kicking the family pet While Mr. Gomez was going through a painful divorce, he tended to create unnecessarily difficult tests and gave his students unusually low grades. Shortly after receiving a traffic ticket for speeding, Fred made numerous hostile comments to his wife about the incompetence of women drivers.

30 Projection Disguise unacceptable, unconscious impulses by attributing them to others. Believe that the feelings one has toward someone else are actually held by the other person and directed at oneself. disguise unacceptable, unconscious impulses by attributing them to others. Abdul mistakenly believes that his classmates are unusually hostile. In fact, Abdul is the most quarrelsome and aggressive child in the school. Mrs. Smith, who is White and unconsciously in favor of racial segregation, tells her friends that most Blacks prefer to live in residential neighborhoods inhabited predominantly by Blacks

31 Reaction Formation Expressing the opposite of how one truly feels.
Cootie stage in Freud’s Latent Development. consciously express feelings that are the opposite of unacceptable unconscious impulses. Parents who disguise hostility toward their children by becoming overly protective conscious expression of feelings that are the opposite of unconscious feelings A religious leader who attempts to overcome his hidden doubts with intense expressions of spiritual certainty As her parents became increasingly more abusive toward her, Amity began, with apparent sincerity, to emphatically express her great admiration for her parents. Although Eduardo has repressed his own homosexual desires, he is distressed by a false suspicion that many men frequently stare lustfully at his body

32 Regression Returning to an earlier, comforting, more infantile form of behavior. Excessive Fixation Coping with anxiety by retreating to behavior patterns characteristic of an earlier, more infantile stage of development Four-year-old Timmy had not wet his bed for over a year. However, he started bed-wetting again soon after his sister was born. Excessive fixation For several months after he lost the job he had held for nearly 20 years, Mr. Ullomi frequently lost his temper and suffered periodic crying spells.

33 Rationalization Coming up with a beneficial result of an undesirable outcome. Brandon thinks he will find a better girlfriend. “Jasmine was not all that anyway!” defense mechanism in which self-justifying explanations replace the real, unconscious reasons for actions Unconsciously motivated by miserliness, Mr. Rioja refused to send his son money to buy the books he needs for his college courses. In defending his actions, Mr. Rioja explained that “parental financial aid prevents teenagers from developing into mature, independent adults.” Melissa is unconsciously fearful that her husband is a better cook than she. Recently, she refused his offer to prepare dinner because, said she, “You could better spend the time playing with the kids.”

34 Sublimation Channeling one’s frustration toward a different socially acceptable goal. Sometimes a healthy defense mechanism. After an argument with your girlfriend, you go to the gym and lift weights to burn off your pent-up energy the transformation of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motivations Bruce has unconscious impulses toward violent aggression, but his ego channels these impulses into his work as a district attorney, putting violent criminals in jail.

35 Neo-Freudian Theorists Psychodynamic Theory
Accept Freud’s basic ideas Struggle with inner conflicts (wishes, fears, values) Importance of unconscious Personality develops in childhood Different More emphasis on conscious mind Disagreed with the importance of childhood sexual instincts Adler and Horney – social not sexual tensions are important to personality development

36 The Neo-Freudian Theorists
Adler – inferiority complex – personality is influenced by efforts to conquer feelings inferiority Horney sense of helplessness – childhood anxiety is caused by the dependent child’s sense of helplessness Women’s superego is not weaker as Freud claimed Jung’s collective unconscious - Different cultures share same legends EX. Neo Freudians – accepted Freud’s basic ideas (id, ego, superego, importance of unconscious, personality develops in childhood) Different in 2 ways More emphasis on conscious mind Doubted that sex and aggression were all consuming motivations Ex. Adler inferiority complex – behavior is driven by effort to conquer childhood feelings of inferiority Horney – childhood insecurity is driven by efforts to conquer childhood feelings of inferiorty feelings that trigger our strivings for superiority and power Jung – believed unconscious contains more than repressed thoughts and feelings, but is a collective unconscious – common resevoir of images derived from our species universal experiences Psychodynamic theory assumes that much of our mental life is unconscious, we struggle with inner conflicts, and childhood shapes our personality and ways of bcm attached to others.

37 Getting into the Unconscious
Psychodynamic Psychologist – contemporary Freudian Psychologist Projective Tests - personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli to trigger inner dynamics Examples Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) – Identify inner feelings through stories made up from ambiguous pictures/scenes Rorschach Inkblot Tests - Identify inner feelings by analyzing interpretations of ink blots Criticized for lacking validity Tools for assessing personality differ because they are tailored to specific theories Projective tests – personality tests such as the Roschach ink blot test and TAT tests that provide ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics Ex. Shown a daydreaming boy, those who imagine he is fantasizing about an achievment are presumed to be projecting their own goals Rorschach - most widely used projectivie tests –10 inkblots tries to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations If see weapon = aggressive tendency Weakness – multiple interpretations depending on the clinician today, a computer aided tool to improve agreement among raters and enhance validity Not reliable, only a few (hostility and anxiety have demonstrated validity) Henry Murray found that children's perceptions of photographs were biased by their previous participation in a frightening game. Their perceptual reactions most clearly highlighted the potential value of projective tests Mr. Dutoit was asked by his psychotherapist to look at some ambiguous pictures and make up a story about each. Mr. Dutoit was most likely taking the TAT personality assessment tools has been the most harshly criticized for lacking validity

38 Criticisms of Freud’s theory:
1.   Freud had no scientific data to support his theories. 2.   Freud’s theories (unconscious, libido, etc.) cannot be observed. 3.   Theory explains behavior (post-hoc) after the fact. 4.  Doubt that conscience and gender identity form as child resolves Oedipus complex at age 5-6—we gain gender identity early and become masculine or feminine even without a same sex parent 5. Research contradicts that painful memories are repressed Research contradicts many of his specific ideas Development is lifelong, not fixed in childhood Neural networks not mature enough to sustain the emotional trauma as Freud assumed Freud overestimated parental influence and underestimated child abuse and peer influence Doubt that conscience and gender identity form as child resolves Oedipus complex at age 5-6—we gain gender identity early and become masculine or feminine without a same sex parent New ideas of why we dream dispute Freud’s belief that dreams disguise and fulfill wishes. Slips of tongue can be explained through competition between similar verbal choices in our memory network Little support that defense mechanisms disguise sexual and aggressive impulses Suppressed sexuality doesn’t cause psychological disorders 9. Repression – sometimes spare ego’s by neglecting info that is threatening, but repression is rare mental response to terrible trauma. High stress and stress hormones enhance memory Freud was right that we do have limited access to all that goes on in our minds. Procedural/implicit memory demonstrates two track mind Unconscious is processing that occurs without our awareness schema that auto control our perceptions and interpretations Priming by stimuli Right hemisphere activity that enables split brain patient’s left hand to carry out instruction, patient can’t verbalize Parallel processing of different aspects of vision and thinking Implicit memories that operate without conscious recall –even with amnesia Emotions that activate instantly before conscious analysis (fear) Self-concept and stereotypes that automatically and unconsciously influence how we process info False consensus effect – the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors (people see failures and attitudes in other—similar to Freud’s projection) Ex. Student’s who cheat on tests, think others do to Reaction formation – defends self-esteem; defense mechanisms protect our self esteem rather than are motivated by impulses as Freud claimed Terror management theory – theory of death related anxiety-explores emotional responses to reminders of impeding death. Ex. Death anxiety increases contempt for others and esteem for oneself, promotes religious sentiments, cling to close friendships 13. Lack of scientific evidence – offers after the fact explanations of any characteristic yet fails to predict such behaviors. Good theories make testable predictions Ex. Anger over mothers death – unresolved childhood dependency needs are threatened Not angry – you are repressing your anger Supporters – some ideas enduring – attention to the unconscious and irrational, self-protective defenses, importance of human sexuality, tension b/w bio impulses and social well-being.

39 Criticism’s of Freud 6. Neural networks not mature enough to sustain the emotional trauma as Freud assumed 7. Freud overestimated parental influence and underestimated child abuse and peer influence 8. New ideas of why we dream dispute Freud’s belief that dreams disguise and fulfill wishes. 9. Slips of tongue can be explained through competition between similar verbal choices in our memory network False consensus effect – what Freud called projection – tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors. Ex. Students who cheat on tests tend to think many others do likewise. Terror management theory – theory of death related anxiety, explores people’s emotional behavioral responses to reminders of their impeding death. Death anxiety increases prejudice and esteem for oneself

40 Pros of Freud’s theory 1. Argued that childhood experiences are important in personality development. 2. Information outside of awareness does influence us, but much different than Freud’s concept of unconsciousness Examples: Procedural memory (implicit), parallel processing of movement, color, shape in a visual scene 3. Defense mechanisms—good descriptions of some of our behaviors. Examples: Projection = false consensus effect 4. Defense Against Anxiety Terror management theory – anxiety is triggered by awareness of impeding death reaction formation that defend self esteem , but not for displacement. Defense mechanisms are motivated by our need to protect our self image and less by our impulses People who break speed limits tend to think that many others do the same = false consensus effect People who cheat on their taxes are especially likely to think many others do as well. = false consensus Support that we defend ourselves against anxiety

41 Humanistic Theory of Personality
Do not believe in Determinism (your actions are dictated by your past). They believe that humans have free will (our ability to choose your own destiny). We are innately good and as long as our self-esteem and self-concept are positive we will be happy. Studied healthy ways people strive for self-actualization and self-determination Self –determination – people enjoy activities more if they have control and are intrinsically motivated Third force psycholgy – Prior to 1960s psychologists were divided into two main camps—behaviorist and psychoanlysts, now a third option aka third-force perspective that emphasized hman potential

42 Abraham Maslow’s Self Actualizing Person
Hierarchy of Needs Self- actualization - motivation to fulfilling our potential. Self-transcendence – meaning purpose and communion beyond the self Studied healthy people

43 Who did Maslow study? Abraham Maslow studied the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Eleanor Roosevelt in order to understand the nature of self actualization Those notable for rich productive lives – shared common characteristics: Self aware, self accepting, open, spontaneous, loving caring, secure in who they were, interests were problem centered rather than self-centered. Focused on a task they regarded as their mission in life

44 Self-Actualized People
Problem centered rather than self-centered. Focused their energies on a particular task. Few deep relationships, rather than many superficial ones.

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46 Self-Actualized People
They share certain characteristics: They are self aware and self accepting Open and spontaneous Loving and caring Not paralyzed by others’ opinions. Least likely to experience defensive self esteem Least likely to be conforming They are secure in who they are.

47 Carl Rogers The object of humans is to become self-actualized.
We are like Acorns What do Acorns need to grow? Water sun and soil. To grow into healthy humans we need interactions with others who are : Genuine Accepting (Unconditional Positive Regard) Empathetic Mrs. Sunstedt believes that parents should accept and try to understand their children's feelings and should honestly disclose their own inner feelings to their children. Her approach to parent-child interaction was most explicitly recommended by Carl Rogers

48 Roger’s Person-Centered Perspective
Carl Rogers Unconditional positive regard – total acceptance of another person Ex. – Self-concept – all of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves Central feature of personality Promoted by unconditional positive regard Assessing Personal Growth Ideal self vs. Actual self Congruency – Ideal Self = Actual Self Same when have positive self-concept Genuineness – being open with feelings, dropping facades, being transparent and self-disclosing defense mechanisms described by Freud are used to minimize the perceived discrepancy between Ideal Self and Actual self Accepting – people nurture growth by offering unconditional positive self regard –attitude of total acceptance toward another person Empathy – by sharing and mirroring our feelings and reflecting our meanings Self-concept – all of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to question “who am I” – If self concept is positive, act and perceive the world positively, if negative (fall short of ideal self) we feel dissatisfied and unhappy Nadine tells her therapist that she is jealous of her best friend's popularity and wants to tell everyone about her friend's negative traits. Nadine is afraid her therapist will criticize her for those thoughts, but instead the therapist expresses empathy for Nadine's feelings. This Rogerian therapist is offering unconditional positive regard Negative self concept – person will fall short of their ideal

49 Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective
Renewed interest in self-concept Criticisms Vague and subjective Individualistic and Western biased Naïve Impact is pervasive – influenced much of today’s popular psych. Self- esteem is very impt Concepts are vague and subjective Ex. Description of self-actualizing person – open spontaneous loving Individualism is encouraged – trusting and acting on one’s own feelings, being true to oneself, fulfilling oneself – those who focus beyond self most likely to experience social support, enjoy life, cope with stress Fails to appreciate reality the human capacity for evil Which personality theorists have most clearly been credited with encouraging the popular belief that a positive self-concept is the key to happiness and success? Humanistic

50 The Trait Perspective

51 Trait Theory Trait Theory (Gordon Allport) – describe personality in terms of traits Trait – a characteristic behaviors and conscious motives (self and peer reported) Describe rather than explain Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classifies people according to personality types identified by Carl Jung (flattering terms) Used in counseling and work development Not valid predictor EX. Rather than focusing on unconscious forces or unsuccessful growth opportunities, dome researches define personality in terms of stable and enduring behavior patterns. Gordon Allport was first to define personality by traits Traits- characteristic behaviors and conscious motives Allport defined personality in terms of identifiable behavior patterns He was more concerned with describing individual traits than with explaining them Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Meyers attempted to sort personality according to Carl Young’s personality types based on responses to a questionaire – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Remains a counseling and coaching tool not a research tool Kelsey is consistently optimistic, talkative, and impulsive. Each of these characteristics most clearly represents a trait classifying the many ways in which individuals may differ from one another is most characteristic of the trait perspective.

52 Factor Analysis Eysenck and Eysenck
Factor analysis – statistical analysis used to identify the most basic personality traits Factor - cluster of behavior tendencies that occur together Ex. Eysenck and Eysenck 2 Dimensions Extroversion versus introversion Emotional stability versus instability Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Trait dimensions allow us to describe countless personality traits Factor analysis – a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of correlated test items that tap basic components of intelligence such as spatial ability or verbal skill Eysenck and Eysenck – reduce many normal individual variations to two or three dimensions Eysenck and Eysenck personality test – answers analyzed and Introverted-extroverted and emotional stability emerged as basic personality dimensions - believe these factors are genetically influenced Which of the following is a statistical procedure that allows researchers to identify clusters of correlated test items that tap basic components of personality, such as outgoingness, talkativeness, and sociability that reflect extraversion? Factor Analysis

53 Factor Analysis Shows personality as a continuim
Martin is optimistic, impulsive, excitable, and restless. In terms of the Eysencks' basic personality dimensions, he would be classified as unstable, extroverted Coretta is quiet, pessimistic, anxious, and moody. In terms of the Eysencks' basic personality dimensions she would be classified as unstable introverted

54 Biology and Personality
Brain scans Brain arousal low in extroverts Frontal lobe activity low (less inhibition) Genetics Temperament Autonomic nervous system reactivity is high in extroverts Greater anxiety, less inhibition Extroverts seek stimulation because their normal brain arousal is relatively low PET scans show frontal lobe are involved in behavior inhibition is less active in extraverts than introverts Dopamine tends to be higher in extraverts Automatic nervous system – Jerome Kagan attributed differences in children’s shyness and inhibition to their ANS reactivity = respond to stress with greater anxiety and inhibition. People respond to stress with greater anxiety if they have highly reactive autonomic nervous systems By selective breeding, researchers can produce bold or shy birds. This best illustrates that some personality differences among birds are genetically influenced

55 Assessing Traits Personality inventory – assess several personality traits at once Example: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) – assesses abnormal personality Empirically derived test - utilizes only those items that have been shown to differentiate particular groups of people Objective test Lie scale – assesses faking Personality inventory – long questionairres covering a wide range of feelings and behaviors , assess several traits at once. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) – assesses abnormal personality tendencies rather than normal personality traits Emperically derived – developed by testing a large pool of items then selecting those that discriminate between groups. Test are objective – can be scored by a computer, but doesn’t mean valid Dr. Zytowics wants to assess the extent to which a client is suffering from depression, social withdrawal, and other symptoms of an emotional disorder - MMPI Can give socially desirable answers, but can also score high on a lie scale –I sometimes get angry is a universally true statement People who take personality inventories can lie to create a good impression. – not valid Over the last few years, Mr. Helmus has been obsessed with bizarre thoughts and has become increasingly agitated and socially withdrawn. - MMPI would be good

56 The Big Five Factors The Big Five – evaluates personality on 5 dimensions (more comprehensive) Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism Emotional stability vs instability Openness Extraversion trait factors such as Eysenchs introverted-extroverted and unstable-stable dimensions are too simple Test specifies where you are on 5 dimensions (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion –best approximation of the basic trait dimensions Use mneumonic – Ocean or CANOE Helping and trusting = high on agreeableness Highly imaginative = high on openess Emotional instability = neuroticism = highly anxious and insecure Organized and disciplined in work = conscientiousness Sociable and fun-loving = extraversion Advantage – more comprehensive personality assessment

57 The Big Five Factors

58 The Big Five Factors Stability – Big 5 stable over time
Heritablity – 50%+ on each dimension Predictability – Yes Conscientious people earn better grades and are more likely morning types Extroverts – evening types Big 5 traits are quite stable Heritablity – extent to which individual differences are attributable to genes runs about 50% or more for each dimension Big 5 predict other personal attributs such as highly conscientious earn better grades

59 Somatotype Theory A biological Theory by William Sheldon.
Endomorphs (Fat) tend to be friendly and outgoing. Mesomorphs (muscular) tend to be more aggressive. Ectomorphs (thin) tend to be more shy and secretive. Study has not been replicated.

60 Traits and the Stars Aries (March 21-April 19): Do some detective work so that you can better understand those you love. Figure out what the other person is going through. Only then will you find out how you can help. Taurus (April 20-May 20): In your midst, there's a person intent on the worst-case scenario. He or she is a valuable ally today. You'll find humor in the exaggeration, and your laughter is healing. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Go out of your way to add elements of absurdity to your day. Your quality of life will be increased immeasurably. Cancer (June 22-July 22): A strength exaggerated becomes a weakness. But does a weakness exaggerated become a strength? Highlight a limitation and you'll find you're better off for having this flaw. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): People pay attention when you walk into the room today. Make your exit with equal grace. Leave before they want you to and they'll want more. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Show up in person. You have more than your fair share of charisma today. Noting your winning presence, others will want to help you succeed. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You have a talent for making relationships work. You're full of solutions, but it's important to know which problem is the most pressing. Pump the other person for information. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): There is a fine line between sharing and over-sharing. Give others the sense of who you are. But do it briefly. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Relating to others has very little to do with what or who you know. Most people are thinking about themselves and what you can do for them. If you make them feel good about themselves, they'll like you. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You're in danger of being too thrifty. Show some disregard for the rules of frugal finance. As you spend, you'll widen the channel for greater earning. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It would benefit you to get involved in a group effort. There is much you could contribute, and you have much to gain. You'll ask excellent questions and learn all you need to know to fit in nicely. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): You will be certain of your course. But that alone will not be enough to make it go the way you want. Whatever happens, don't complain or explain. Stock spiel – builds on the observation that each of us is in some ways like no one else and in other ways just like everyone Barnum effect – Peoples tendency to accept stock positive descriptions. “There’s a sucker born every minute”

61 The Person-Situation Controversy
Person-situation controversy – debate regarding consistency of personality traits across situations Traits are stable over time People don’t act consistently in all situations (Walter Mischel studies) Scores on Personality Tests fail to predict behavior in real-life situations Ave. outgoingness (expressive style), happiness or carelessness over many situations is predictable Extraversion correlated with number of social interactions in 1 month Classical, jazz, blues, and folk music lovers - Open Country, pop and religious – Extroverts and Conscientious Person-situation controversy – Are traits consistent across various times and places or is personality ever changing tailored to the particular role or situation As people grow older, personality stabilizes Traits are socially significant – they influence our health, thinking job performance Personality traits predict mortailty, divorce and occupational attainment People don’t act with predictable consistancy – may be late for class, but not late on assignments Inconsistency of behaviors makes personality test scores weak predictors of behaviors – personality scores on extraversion, don’t predict how socialble youll be on any given occasion Predicting behavior Music preferences – classic, jazz blues folk – open to experience, verbally intelligent Religious, county, pop – cheerful, outgoing conscientious Bedrooms/offices – reasonable accuracy of our conscientiousness & open to new experiences Personal web sites – facebook = present our personalities can detect someone’s personality Walter Mischel's studies of college students' conscientiousness revealed only a modest relationship between a student being conscientious on one occasion and being similarly conscientious on another occasion. According to Mischel, this should make psychologists more cautious about emphasizing the consistency of personality Traits Sheen is usually animated and talkative when he is with his girlfriend, but he is often quiet and reserved at home. He actively participates in many class discussions but frequently seems reluctant to talk with friends at the local soda shop. According to Walter Mischel, Sheen's behavior should lead us to question the consistency of personality traits. In unfamiliar formal situations – traits remain hidden as attend to social cues In familiar informal situations – feel less constrained, allowing our traits to emerge—traits are consistent

62 The Social-Cognitive Perspective

63 The Social-C Cognitive Perspective
Social-cognitive perspective (Bandura) – interactive influences on traits and situation on behavior learn many of our behaviors either through conditioning or observing others (social part) Emphasize the importance of mental processes (cognitive part) Focus on our interaction with the environment (interpretation and response to external events) Albert Bandura –social cognitive perspective – views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including thinking) and social environment Social-cognitive theorist believe : (sometimes called cognitive-behavioral approach) 1. learn many of our behaviors either through conditioning or observing others (social part) 2. Emphasize the importance of mental processes (cognitive part) Focus on our interaction with the environment (interpretation and response to external events) Dr. VanBrunt believes that individuals learn many of their behaviors by observing others and through conditioning. She also emphasizes that how people think about the situations they are involved in affects their behavior. Dr. VanBrunt is most likely a social-cognitive psychologist

64 Social-Cognitive Theories on Personality
Focus on how we interact with our culture and environment Reciprocal Determinism - traits, environment and behavior all interact and influence each other. Example:

65 Reciprocal Influences
Ways individuals and the environment interact Different people choose different environments Our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events Our personalities help create situations to which we react

66 The Biopsychosocial Approach to the Study of Personality

67 Personal Control Personal control – extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless Two ways to study personal control Correlate people’s feelings of control with their behaviors and achievements Experiment by raising and lowering people’s sense of control and noting the effects Social Cognitive Perspective emphasizes - Personal control – extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless

68 Internal and External Locus of Control
External locus of control – the perception that one's fate is determined by luck reflects Can lead to a state of learned helplessness. Ex. Internal locus of control – the perception that you control your own fate External locus of control – perception that chance or outside forces determine their fate. Internal locus of control – perception that you control your own fate - achieve more in school and work, act more independently, enjoy better health and feel less depressed than externals. Better at delaying gratification and coping with various stressors like marital problems Intrinsic motivation is similar to locus of control. When we are motivated by internal factors then we are likely to feel in control of our feelings toward a situation. When we are motivated by extrinsic factors, then we are at the mercy of others to determine our feels of self worth Schindler’s list

69 Self-Control Self-control – ability to control impulses and delay gratification Predicts good adjustment, better grades, social success Requires attention and energy Self control- the ability to control impulses and delay gratification—predicts better grades, social success, good adjustment. Self control varies – willpower depletes mental energy and depletes blood sugar and neural activity associated with mental focus –requires attention and energy

70 Benefits of Personal Control
Learned helplessness – people feel powerless to change their situation Tyranny of choice – information overload from too many choices People who feel helpless and oppressed often perceive control as external and my develop learned helplessness. Measures that increase control (prisons, nursing homes, schools improve health and moral. Tyranny of choice – too many choices/excess freedom in western cultures contributes to decreasing life satisfaction. Tyranny of choice = info overload, and greater likeliood that we will fell regret over some of the chosen options.

71 Optimism Versus Pessimism
Optimism and Health Excessive Optimism Blindness to one’s own incompetence Positive psychology (Seligman) - uses the scientific method (different from Humanistic Psych) to study the positive aspects of human behavior (similar to Humanistic Psych) Self Serving Bias – attributing success to personal characteristics Pessimistic attributional style – attribute poor performance to lack of ability or to situations beyond their control – more likely to persist in getting poor grades Optimism and health – optimists outlive pessimist or live with fewer illnesses Excessive Optimism – realistic anxiety over possible future failures can fuel energetic efforts to avoid the dreaded fate. –may outperform more confident peers. Success requires enough optimism to provide hope and enough pessimism to prevent compacency. Excessive optimism can blind us to real risks Blindness to ones owns incompetance – people are most overconfident when most incompetent. Positive psych – study fo optimal human functioning—aims to promote and discover strengths and virtues that enable individuals to thrive. Shares with humanism an interest in advancing human fulfillment, but methodology is scientific. Positive pillars Positive emotions - happiness Positive character – exploring and enhancing creativity, courage, compassion, integrity Positive groups, communities and cultures – healthy family, neighborhood, schools

72 Evaluating the Social-Cognitive Perspective
Based on research Focuses too much on the situation Builds from research on learning and cognition Fails to appreciate persons inner traits – focus too much on sitution

73 Comparing Research Methods

74 Exploring the Self

75 Self Self – center of our personality, organizer of our thoughts, feelings and actions Possible selves – who we hope to become and fear becoming Motivates us to achieve success and avoid failure Ex. Spotlight effect – overestimate others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance Adolescents

76 The Benefits of Self-Esteem
Self-esteem – one’s feeling of high or low self worth

77 Self-Serving Bias Self-serving bias – readiness to perceive yourself favorably People accept more responsibility for good deeds than for bad, successes than failures Most people see themselves as better than average Defensive self-esteem - Self-confidence that is easily punctured by criticism

78 Culture and the Self Individualism Collectivism

79 Individualism versus Collectivism


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