PSYCHOLOGY:

Personality Testing & Theory Personality Testing: – Assess attributes/characteristics – Identify problems/disorders – Predict future behavior 2 Types: – 1. Objective – 2. Projective Objective Tests for Personality: – Forced choice tests – Must select one or all of possible responses – Strengths/Weaknesses? Projective Tests for Personality: – Encourage free response – Provide interpretation of test stimuli – Invite people to tell stories about pictures, diagrams or objects

Objective Personality Tests The MMPI, The CPI and The Meyers-Briggs Personality Tests

The MMPI Objective: – No right/wrong answers – 567 statements – Possible Responses True False Cannot Say Purpose of the Test: – Reveals habits, fears, delusions, sexual attitudes and disorders 10 “Clinical Scales” – Drawn from questions within the test Best for diagnosing extreme psychological disorders

CPI: California Psychological Inventory Purpose: “Assess the Normal Person” Not intended to reveal psychological illnesses Meant to predict adjustment to stress, leadership and job success (prediction = test validity) Measures responsibility, self-control and tolerance (reliability)

Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory Focus of the Test: – How individual takes in information & makes decisions – Basic day-to-day lifestyle Characterizes Personality on 4 Scales: – Introvert vs. Extrovert – Intuitive vs. Sensing – Feeling vs. thinking – Judging vs. Perceptive Goal of Test: Understand better how you relate to others based on your personality traits (above)

Projective Tests Encourage people to “project” their personality characteristics onto ambiguous stimuli Strategy: to encourage people to reveal more than they normally would under more concrete terms Advantages/Disadvantages…What do you think?

Rorschach Inkblots It’s illegal to show you the real ones! Projective Technique created by a Swiss Psychiatrist Based on interpretation of 10 ambiguous inkblots Most famous & widely used projective personality test Administration: 10 cards: 5 in black & white and 5 in color Psychiatrist asks “What might this be?” Hand inkblots to patient….records movements and interpretations Evaluation: Theory: Personality impacts someone more in vaguely defined circumstances & ambiguous situations Different psychologists drew different conclusions from same answers (depending on their expectations) James Exner (1986) = found ways to standardize the interpretations of the test

Thematic Apperception Test Person is asked to make up a story for each picture What is happening? What events led up to the scene? What will happen in the future? Designed by Christina Morgan & Henry Murray Wanted to measure people’s needs Includes 31 pictures in all ( Psychologists use up to 20 of their choice ) Some show men, some show women, some show both, some show neither, one is totally blank Theory : “When you tell a story about a person in the drawing, you probably identify with the person and so the story is really about yourself.” Likely to describe things you would not discuss openly

RELIABILITY vs. VALIDITY Reliability: Test consistency; its ability to yield the same result under a variety of similar circumstances. Validity: Test measures what it is intended to measure.

Researchers have developed many ways of assessing personality, but even if we do gain an understanding of how we are (personality), the question of why we are that way (theories of personality) remains. Figuring someone out involves exploring PERSONALITY Personality theories help us understand the differences among people

PERSONALITY DEFINED Personality is the consistent, enduring, and unique characteristics of a person Personality traits are characteristic behaviors and feelings that are consistent and long lasting Personality States are temporary patterns of behavior and feelings that may arise in a specific situation

PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES Emphasize the unconscious (part of the mind that contains material we are unaware of but that strongly influences behavior) Unconscious feelings as children = impact adulthood Main ideas developed by Sigmund Freud

Freud Described the following:

FREUD’S ID, EGO, SUPEREGO Freud used the Id, Ego, and Superego to try to explain how the mind functions and personality is shaped

Id instinctual & biological urges lustful, impulsive, fun – pleasure principle completely unconscious Seeks immediate gratification of impulses (what feels good) Ignores consequences Following the pleasure principle (ID) leads to conflict with others (parents) and results in the development of the EGO in the 2 nd and 3 rd year of life.

Ego Rational & thoughtful Based on the reality principle, the awareness that gratification of impulses has to be delayed in order to accommodate the demands of the real world.

Superego Responsible for society’s rules of behavior (moral standards). Feels guilty if rules are disobeyed. Based on morality principle, must follow moral standards and rules and breaking them causes guilt.

Freud believed that information in the unconscious emerges in slips of the tongue, jokes, dreams, illness symptoms, etc. These are called Freudian Slips. Freud’s techniques for exploring the Unconscious Dream interpretation, or analyzing dreams Psychoanalysis

ID – What you WANT TO DO EGO – What you CAN DO SUPEREGO – What you SHOULD DO ID & SUPEREGO are frequently in conflict. Ego must satisfy both. Rather than feel conflict or frustration when the ID’s desires & SUPEREGO’s rules cannot be satisfied, humans distort reality using DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Freud believed that all children are born with powerful sexual and aggressive urges. In learning to control these impulses, children acquire their personality. Freud divided this development into stages.

“Monkey see monkey do/ I don’t know why I’d rather be dead than cool” - Stay Away “Everything is my fault/I’ll take all the blame” - All Apologies Freud had trouble proving there was an unconscious, but he might have looked at these lyrics and said that Cobain was hiding some of his Unconscious feelings in his lyrics.

FREUD’S LEGACY 1 ST Person to propose unified theory to understand and explain human behavior No theory more complete, complex, or controversial Some criticize his theory for being impossible to test Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was the predecessor of all later personality theories

IN FREUD’S FOOTSTEPS…. Carl Jung Freud’s personal successor before relationship ended because Jung disagreed with Freud’s emphasis on sexual urges The Collective unconscious (part of the mind that contains inherited instincts, urges, and memories common to all people) holds Archetypes (an inherited idea based on experiences of one’s ancestors, which shapes one’s personality) Jung believed we fit our personalities to our Archetypes OTHER PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES

ALFRED ADLER Believed people are driven to overcome feelings of inferiority Inferiority Complex – when a person continually tries to compensate for his weakness and avoid feelings of inadequacy.

LEARNING THEORIES Group of theorists known as Behaviorists Main belief is that the environment and reinforcement shape personality As individuals differ in their learning experiences, they acquire different behaviors and, hence, different personalities Focus on observable behaviors (not thoughts)

B.F. SKINNER Personality arises from Operant conditioning (specifically reinforcement) What is the behavior and what causes (reinforces) it?

ALBERT BANDURA Personality acquired through reinforcement AND observational learning, or imitation People direct behavior by choice of models Called Social Cognitive Theory Behavior influenced by self-efficacy, or your view of your ability to succeed at a given behavior. (believing in yourself)

HUMANISTIC THEORIES Believe all humans strive for self-actualization, or the realization of their potential Becoming true to oneself and having an ability to grow

ABRAHAM MASLOW Hierarchy of Needs – emphasis on self actualization

CARL ROGERS Two sides to each person (What they value and what they believe others value in them) Self – one’s image of oneself (who they are) developed through interaction with others Everyone wants Positive regard – viewing oneself in favorable light due to supportive feedback from others People may reject parts of their person if they don’t receive positive regard The self and the person are often different but accepting your person results in becoming a fully functioning individual

TRAIT THEORIES Try to explain consistency and normal, healthy behavior in different situations Trait - relatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way Traits apply to all people. Can quantify traits (scale 1-10 how nice are you)

BIG FIVE TRAIT THEORY Current popular belief; all personality traits derive from five basic personality traits EXTRAVERSION AGREEABLENESS CONSCIENTIOUSNESS OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE NEUROTICISM

OCEAN

How/When do personality traits change? Longitudinal studies show that… Many consistencies in traits between ages 3 and 18 Major changes to emotional traits during adolescence Between 20 & 30 – become less emotional, less likely to seek thrills….. More mature Most changes to personality occur before age 30