Personality Theories and Assessment 12 Personality Theories and Assessment

Personality Definition Personality Theories and Assessment Personality Definition Sum total of all typical ways of acting, feeling, and thinking that makes a person different from all others

Personality Trait theories Personality Theories and Assessment Personality Trait theories Traits are characteristics, aspects of personality Allport: traits can be ranked Motivational traits related to one’s values Cardinal traits dominate one’s life (ie: desire for social justice) Central/secondary traits are more common (ie: obtaining sexual gratification)

Personality Trait theories Five-factor model of personality traits Personality Theories and Assessment Personality Trait theories Five-factor model of personality traits Five dimensions measured in personality tests Neuroticism (anxious, worrisome) Extraversion (outgoing, social) Openness (creative, daring) Agreeableness (selfless, forgiving) Conscientiousness (reliable, hardworking)

Personality Validating personality traits Personality Theories and Assessment Personality Validating personality traits Eysenck’s introverts and extraverts Brain’s neural systems may work different Tests: Classical conditioning Functional MRI

Human Diversity Personality and culture Personality Theories and Assessment Human Diversity Personality and culture Personality influenced by culture Individualistic culture (ie: U.S.) – emphasize individual rights and characteristics Feeling of pride, superiority Seek own goals over those of others More willing to use embarrassment and aggression to prove oneself right Free time often spent in solitary pursuits

Human Diversity Personality and culture Personality Theories and Assessment Human Diversity Personality and culture Collective cultures (ie: Japan, China, India) – emphasize individual in terms of rights, duties, and expectations as member of a group Leisure time more often spent with family Less aggressive in conflict; say things to avoid embarrassment of others Characterized as having close ties, respectful, and friendly

Personality Theories and Assessment Human Diversity All personality theories must consider effects of culture People of different cultures tend to differ in some important ways There is tremendous variation within cultures Collective and individualistic traits are found among members of all cultures

Psychoanalytic Theory Personality Theories and Assessment Psychoanalytic Theory Freud’s theory and views Original interest in conversion disorder Case of Anna O. Three levels of consciousness Mind is iceberg; conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind are levels Repression pushes thoughts into unconscious

Superego Moral imperatives Ideals Ego Reality principle Secondary process thinking Unconscious Well below surface of awareness; difficult to retrieve Conscious Contact with outside world Preconscious Material just beneath surface of awareness Id Pleasure principle Primary process thinking

Psychoanalytic Theory Personality Theories and Assessment Psychoanalytic Theory Freud’s theory and views Personality has 3 parts Displacement Sometimes, ego must substitute a goal of the id Sublimation – best kind of displacement Identification Superficial act of imitation

Freud: Personality has 3 parts Superego Id Ego Life and death instincts Sexual, aggressive urges The selfish beast Libido The executive Pleasure principle Primary process thinking Ego Ideal The conscience Reality

Freud: Psychosexual Theory Personality Theories and Assessment Freud: Psychosexual Theory Fixation – stuck in one stage Five stages of developmental theory: Oral stage (birth to 1 year) – Erogenous zones Oral dependent oral personality oral aggressive personality Anal stage (1 to 3 years) Anal retentive personality Anal expulsive personality

Freud: Psychosexual Theory Personality Theories and Assessment Freud: Psychosexual Theory Phallic stage (3 to 6 years) Oedipus complex Castration anxiety Electra complex Phallic personality Latency stage (6 to 11 years) Genital stage (11 years on)

Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Personality Theories and Assessment Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Carl Jung Questioned Freud’s sexual motivation emphasis Opposites in all elements of mind (ie: selfish and generous, good and evil) Known for introversion and extraversion Personal unconscious: motives, conflicts, information repressed as threatening Collective unconscious: all humans born with it

Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Personality Theories and Assessment Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Alfred Adler Struggle with sexual and hostile impulses not primary factor in personality development Primary struggle: overcome inferiority feelings, develop superiority feelings in social relationships (later seen as unhealthy) Outgrow childhood inferiority, become competent adult All born with positive motive, social interest People’s lives governed by their goals

Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Personality Theories and Assessment Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Karen Horney Unconscious conflicts – source of most human misery and maladjustment Freud overemphasized sexual conflicts, penis envy, and criticized his views of women Conflicts result from inadequate child-rearing experiences (love and security produce no conflicts, positive personality results)

Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Personality Theories and Assessment Theories Derived from Psychoanalysis Others Erich Fromm, Harry Stack Sullivan, Erikson Revised Freud’s image of women De-emphasized importance of sexual and aggressive motivation Emphasized positive aspects of personality Asserted importance of adequate social relationships

Social Learning Theory Personality Theories and Assessment Social Learning Theory Social learning: sum total of all ways one to act, think, and feel as s/he does Albert Bandura People play active role in selecting behavior Cognition is important in personality Reciprocal determination (ie: social learning) Personality is learned behavior Behavior influences future learning experiences

Role of Cognition in Personality Personality Theories and Assessment Role of Cognition in Personality Helping others makes one more reliable and less stingy? Self-efficacy: subjective perception of what one is capable of High self-efficacy: accepts more challenges Bandura: emphasizes learning of personal standards (self-regulation) of reward and punishment from experience and watching others

Percentage of subjects stopping to help after finding a dime 25 50 75 100 Female Male Subjects Percent stopping to help Found a dime Did not find a dime

Situationism and Interactionism Personality Theories and Assessment Situationism and Interactionism B.F. Skinner – argued against idea of traits; behavior determined by situations one is in (situationism) People behave in ways to suit their situations Behavior cannot be consistent enough to be traits because situations change Solution: behavior influenced by both person and situation (person X situation interactionism) One situation influences people in different ways

Percent of pedestrians stopping to help Low noise High noise 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 10 Percentage of pedestrians stopping to help man in high and low noise conditions

Personality Theories and Assessment Humanistic Theory Third force in psychology; historically deep roots in philosophy (lack of unity) Inner-directedness (innate internal force pushing for growth); positive view of humans Personality develops from this and can only be understood by the individual (subjective reality) – everyone’s views are different Self-concept (subjective perception) is central to Roger’s personality theory

Congruence – consistencies between the two Roger’s Self-Concept Ideal self the person I think I am Self Congruence – consistencies between the two The larger the discrepancies between the two, the more psychological problems one experiences

Humanistic Theory Feelings and information are mentally symbolized Personality Theories and Assessment Humanistic Theory Feelings and information are mentally symbolized Reactions of others create one’s conditions of worth Self-actualization Maslow’s ultimate level of growth High level of moral development Open, honest, have courage Accurate and positive view of life Maslow’s peak experiences

Comparing the Theories Personality Theories and Assessment Comparing the Theories Personality Psychoanalytic Humanistic Social Learning unconscious yes no Learn what is good Innate knowledge of good and bad Innate selfishness Innate goodness Innate: neither good or bad Society influences

Psychological Methods Personality Theories and Assessment Psychological Methods Interviews and observations Projective personality tests Thematic Apperception test (TAT) Rorschach Inkblot Test Objective Personality Tests Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI and MMPI-2) Evaluation of personality tests

Relationship between types of physical aggression and the month of the year Amount of aggression Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Aggressive crimes Wife beating Rapes Assaults

Personality Theories and Assessment 12 The End