PERSONALITY An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Plan for this Module Freudian theory: Unconscious Structure of personality Development of personality Psychopathology: As a result of maladjusted development As a result of maladjusted functioning of personality structures Neo Freudian and post Freudian approaches Measurement of personality using psychoanalytic perspective Critical evaluation of the psychoanalytic perspective

How do we assess personality? We need to access the unconscious Cannot be achieved by asking direct questions Projective tests: give an ambiguous stimulus which will result in a projection TAT (thematic apperception test) – ambiguous pictures Rorschach inkblot test – ambiguous symmetric shapes

TAT picture What has led up to the event shown? What is happening at the moment? What are the characters thinking and feeling? What is the outcome?

Critique of projective tests Reliability (the consistency of results) is low Validity (whether it measures what it is supposed to measure) is questionable Many normally functioning adults are diagnosed as pathological Cannot discriminate between suicidal and non-suicidal patients Only hostility and anxiety measures have limited validity

Plan for this Module Freudian theory: Unconscious Structure of personality Development of personality Psychopathology: As a result of maladjusted development As a result of maladjusted functioning of personality structures Neo Freudian and post Freudian approaches Measurement of personality using psychoanalytic perspective Critical evaluation of the psychoanalytic perspective

Evaluation of the Psychoanalytic perspective: Contradictory evidence Personality and identity are not fixed at age 5-6 Gender identity can develop without a same-sex parent Dreams and slips of tongue can be explained by neural processes (not repression) Repression is not a common response to unsettling experiences Sexual inhibition or repression is not the major cause of psychopathology Unconscious includes a lot of automatic information processing Defense mechanisms are activated to protect our own self-image

Freud’s ideas vs. Scientific theory Freud’s ideas are not based on objective observations Freud’s theory does not offer hypotheses that can be empirically verified If a male student calls his mother more frequently than the norm, he has an unresolved Oedipus complex. If a male student calls his mother less frequently than the norm, he has an unresolved Oedipus complex. Freud’s theory cannot be used to predict personality traits or behaviors It explains phenomena after the fact

Module 34: The Humanistic Perspective on Personality Maslow (1908-1970) And Rogers (1902-1987)

Roots of the Humanistic Perspective Human thoughts, behaviors, and emotions should be studied by studying well-being Healthy, successful, exemplary individuals Human thoughts, behaviors, and emotions cannot be understood by observation only Only behaviors can be observed, not their motives or interpretations What makes us human is our subjective experiences In order to understand a person, one needs to understand his/her subjective experience: third force perspective Freud focused on negative aspects- that is one way to approach another way to figur eout human funct is to focus on healthy, happy, and successful people such as leaders, pop figures etc... their life stories, parenting experiences, desires, secure relationships etc... Today: positivist psy

The individual in the humanistic perspective - Individuals are good Individuals are motivated to fulfill their potential Individuals who can fulfill their potential are self-aware, self-accepting and self-respecting Individuals who have a positive self concept (evaluation of actual self is close to the ideal self) are successful and happy

Maslow’s self-actualization Individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs Physiological needs Need for personal safety Need for love, to be loved, and to love ourselves Need for self-esteem Need for self-actualization Characteristics of highly successful individuals (Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt) Self aware and self accepting Loving and caring Not a slave to other’s opinions Focused on their “mission”

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Rogers and the development of personality in relationship with others Personality development requires interpersonal relationships A relationship should be genuine (transparent and self-disclosing) A relationship should be (unconditionally) accepting A relationship should be emphatic (sharing feelings)

Rogers and the legacy of self esteem Give unconditional love Learn how to listen Take his/her feelings seriously Allow the child to try things Respect the child’s thoughts Accept his/her specific talents Acknowledge his/her uniqueness

Major criticisms of humanistic perspective Too much emphasis on western values – individualism Am I living in a way that expresses me and satisfies me? Does not consider the reality of human capacity for evil

Module 35 – Contemporary Perspectives on Personality The Trait Perspective and The Social Cognitive Perspective

Perspectives on Personality Psychoanalytic Humanistic Trait Social-cognitive

The Trait Perspective People’s behaviors follow a set of characteristic patterns There are a limited number of TYPES of behavior patterns People can be effectively described by set of behavior patterns: Traits Definition: Trait is a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act Traits can be assessed by self-report inventories or peer reports

Traits tend to cluster together People who have one trait tend to have a cluster of traits that go together Outgoing people tend to: like excitement, like to be with others, like practical jokes, dislike spending time for introspection We may be able to identify a few dimensions of traits that help us describe a person’s characteristic ways of acting and feeling HOW MANY DIMENSIONS?

Eysenck & Eysenck’s 2 axes of personality traits UNSTABLE Extraversion-introversion Emotional stability-instability Moody Touchy Anxious Restless Rigid Aggressive Sober Excitable Pessimistic Changeable Reserved Impulsive Unsociable Optimistic Quiet Active INTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED Passive Sociable Careful Outgoing Thoughtful Talkative Peaceful Responsive Controlled Easygoing Reliable Lively Even-tempered Carefree Calm Leadership STABLE

Today’s BIG 5 trait dimensions Extreme points of the dimension Conscientiousness Organized Careful Disciplined Disorganized Careless Impulsive Agreeableness Soft hearted Trusting Helpful Ruthless Suspicious Uncooperative Neuroticism (emotional stability) Calm Secure Self-satisfied Anxious Insecure Self-pitying Openness Imaginative Preference for variety Independent Practical Preference for routine Conforming Extraversion Sociable Fun-loving Affectionate Retiring Sober Reserved

QUESTIONS Are there biological bases for personality? Are the traits stable? Are the traits genetically determined? Does a person’s personality change across situations?

Are there biological bases for the traits? YES Extraverted individuals have low levels of brain arousal E.g. in the frontal lobe which is engaged in inhibition Fearless and uninhibited individuals have low levels of autonomic nervous system reactivity Even animals show such personality differences based on biological differences

Are the traits stable? Mostly YES: With age, personality traits become more stable

Are the traits genetically determined? Results for the “Big Five” personality dimensions: 40-50% of variability in personality is genetically determined.

Does a person’s personality change across situations Does a person’s personality change across situations? The Person-Situation controversy Specific behaviors change from one situation to another Personality tests cannot predict specific behaviors in specific situations People’s average tendencies across many situations tend to be consistent and predictable Our traits are reflected in our daily surroundings and preferences Music preferences, the way we organize our space, the way we express ourselves (e.g., web sites)