Chapter 11 (cont.) Personality 1

Humanistic Theories 1950s Carl Rogers – had many patients (not a researcher) People > grow, want to do good, be special 1. Person-centered theory Rogers’s idea Self-concept – special qualities, usual behaviors 2

Humanistic Theories Person-centered theory Incongruence – when self-concept & reality differ > level of disparity Development – how much love & attn did child receive ? Therapist – gives unconditional positive regard Sensitivity training, encounter groups 3

Humanistic Theories Person-centered theory Anxiety & defense – how valid is individual’s self-concept ? Is person acting in good way or maladaptive way ? – protecting self-concept 2. Maslow’s Theory of Self-Actualization Abraham Maslow 1960s, 70s Idea of healthy psychology 4

Humanistic Theories Self-Actualization Hierarchy of needs – prioritized – basic needs must be met first Needs may be met – good enough is OK Needs = Biological > safety > to belong/be loved > be esteemed (valued) > intellectual needs > aesthetics (arts) > self-actualization 5

Humanistic Theories The self-actualized personality – healthy > keep growing – childlike & mature – open – sensitive – interpersonal Judging humanistic theories pros Important Subjective Promote health & happiness 6

Judging Humanistic Theories Self-concept > important Cons Nearly impossible to research Too optimistic ?? Need for more research 7

Biological Theories Hans Eysenck Said everything was genetic Not conditioning > condition-ability > some people genetically programed to be conditioned Extraversion or introversion – extraverts more interpersonal, harder to condition Introverts quieter, easy to condition 8

Biological Theories Twin studies Identical twins reared apart – personality patterns – maybe personality is 40-60% genetic Not a shared environment Maybe parents do not shape children Critics say – they underestimated environ 9

Biological Theories Shared experiences may not be the same for all children in a family Silly to say parents don’t matter Darwinian approach Evolution favored some traits David Buss > since the Big 5 survived, they must be effective When people worked together, more likely to survive 10

Biological Theories Mostly cons Overestimated genetics, underest environ Do not really address personality Statistics may mislead 11

Personality Testing Why do it ? 1. clinical use 2. career, vocational counseling 3. personnel work 4. research Two types of tests Self-report inventories & projective tests 12

Self-Report Inventories Questionnaires MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) 10 traits (see p. 407) Have model profiles Usually patients show several elevations 13

Self-Report Inventories 16PF Cattell – 1970s 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire Normal traits Shorter than MMPI NEO Personality Inventory Measures Big 5 – popular – dev 1980s 14

Self-Report Inventories Better than interviews ? Depends on pt’s honesty, etc A. deliberate deception B. social desirability bias C. response sets – tendency to answer certain ways MMPI has a deception scale 15

Projective Tests Subject responds to ambiguous stimuli – reveals self Difficult to evaluate projective tests Pros More difficult for subjects to fake Are sensitive to Unc material 16

Projective Tests Cons Difficult to research Some said they can be faked Not really tests – just revealing Rorschach TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) 17

Rorschach 18

TAT 19