Chapter 10 Personality

What Is Personality? A distinctive pattern of behavior, thoughts, motives, and emotions that characterizes an individual over time.

Traits Habitual ways of behavior, thinking and feeling. Examples: shy, brave, reliable, friendly, hostile, confident and so on.

Varying theories on Personalities Biological perspective- Qualities are genetically influenced and remain throughout life. Learning Perspective- People are influenced more by their learning histories and immediate circumstances.

More on Perspectives on Personalities Cognitive Perspective- Emphasizes perceptions influence on personality. Socio-Cultural Perspective- Traces cultural origins of traits and typical ways of behavior. Psychodynamic Perspective- Search for personality in the dark, unconscious recesses of one’s mind.

Central Traits of Personality Most have 5-10 central traits that reflect a characteristic of behaving, dealing with others, and reacting to new situations. Example: Some see the world as a hostile, dangerous place…some see it as fun.

Secondary Traits of Personality More changeable aspects of personality, such as musical preferences, habits, casual opinions and the like.

Ray B. Cattell Factor Analysis 16 Factors Warmth Intellect Emotional Stability Aggressiveness Liveliness Dutifulness Social Assertiveness Sensitivity Paranoia Abstractness Introversion Anxiety Open-mindedness Independence Perfectionism Tension

Personality Test http://personality-testing.info/tests/16PF.php

The Big Five Five Dimensions of Personality Researchers took Raymond Cattell and Gordon Allport’s research and theories on personality and came up with Five Dimensions of Personality

Extroversion vs. Introversion Extent to which people are outgoing or shy. Includes such traits as being talkative or silent; sociable or reclusive; adventurous or cautious, eager to be in the limelight or stay in the shadows.

Neuroticism Means negative emotionality. Includes traits such as anxiety, inability to control impulses, tendency to feel negative emotions such as anger, guilt, and resentment.

What does neurotic look like? Neurotic people are worriers, complainers and defeatists.

Agreeableness This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, kindness, affection, and other pro-social behaviors. ©

What does agreeableness look like? One would be good-natured, gentle and cooperative. If they do not have a high level of agreeableness they can be irritable, headstrong, and/or abrasive.

Conscientiousness Degree to which people are responsible. What does it look like: Responsible, persevering and steadfast. If they are not conscientious they would be more quick to give up, fickle, and/or undependable.

Openness to Experience The extent to which people are original, imaginative, artistic and/or capable of creative thinking.

Type A Personality Competitive, workaholic, perfectionist

Cardinal Trait Of the 16 personality traits, one that dominates a personality. Most people do not have a cardinal trait. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Psychological Perspectives on Personality Biological Perspective Believe that temperament (ways of reacting to environment) emerge early in life and can influence one’s personality. Studies of twins have shown adult personality traits are influenced by biology at a rate of 50% New research has shown that some inherited traits can be modified by experience. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Learning Perspective The role of experience is predominant in the make up of one’s personality. Personality consists of acquired patterns, but also learned expectations, habits, perceptions, and beliefs. Self-fulfilling prophecy-A person’s expectations about success or failure can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Socio-Cultural Perspective Belief that personality traits are heavily influenced by culture. Focused on the roles of ethnicity, gender, and culture in the formation of personality. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Individualist vs. collectivist cultures Individualist cultures (monochronic)- Accomplishments and schedules and are valued over people. Collectivist cultures (polychronic) – Cultures in which people tend to do several things at once and value relationships over schedules. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Humanistic Perspective A person’s subjective reality and choices shape personality, decisions and behavior. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Psychodynamic Perspective Personality is partly shaped by childhood experiences and conflicts. Psychodynamic psychologist Freud came up with a personality theory made up of the id, ego and superego. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Freud’s Structure of Personality Id: The collection of unconscious urges and desires that continually seek expression. Ego: The part of the personality that mediates between the demands of reality, the id, and superego. Superego: The social and parental standards the individual has internalized. ©\

Id Source of all energy Functions entirely in unconscious Think in terms of gut reaction Pleasure principle: The way the id seeks immediate gratification of an instinct.

Superego Represents the rules of society Strives for perfection. Internalizes moral standards Judges the activities of the id, handing out feelings of pride and satisfaction when you do something well and guilt when you do something wrong

Ego Mediates between desires of the id and desires of the superego; uses defense mechanisms to ward off unconscious anxiety

Narcisism A person characterized by egotism, vanity, pride or selfishness. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Defense Mechanism Methods used by the ego to prevent unconscious anxiety or threatening thoughts from entering consciousness. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Psychodynamic Theories Psychodynamic theories of personality consider behavior to be the result of psychological dynamics within the individual. Often these dynamics are unconscious processes. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Psychodynamic Theorists Sigmund Freud Carl Jung Alfred Adler Karen Horney Erik Erikson ©Prentice Hall 2003

Freud’s Three Levels of Consciousness Ideas, thoughts, and feelings of which we are aware. Preconscious: Material that can be easily recalled. Unconscious: All the ideas, thoughts, and feelings of which we are not and normally cannot become aware. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Freud’s Structure of Personality Id: The collection of unconscious urges and desires that continually seek expression. Ego: The part of the personality that mediates between the demands of reality, the id, and superego. Superego: The social and parental standards the individual has internalized. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Id Source of all energy Functions entirely in unconscious Pleasure principle: The way the id seeks immediate gratification of an instinct. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Ego Operates at all three levels Reality principle: The way in which the ego seeks to satisfy instinctual demands safely and effectively in the real world. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Superego Operates at all three levels The superego strives toward perfection, which is unrealistic. ©Prentice Hall 2003

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Two Subsystems of the Superego Ego-ideal: The rules for good behavior and standards of excellence towards which the ego must strive. Conscience: The rules about what behaviors are bad. The conscience uses guilt as punishment for bad behavior. ©Prentice Hall 2003

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Jung’s Two Levels of the Unconscious Personal unconscious: Contains the individual’s repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and undeveloped ideas Collective unconscious: The part of the unconscious that is inherited and common to all members of a species ©Prentice Hall 2003

Archetypes The thought forms common to all human beings. Archetypes are stored in the collective unconscious. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Archetypes Mother: Hero: Persona: A protective presence One who overcomes Persona: Our public self ©Prentice Hall 2003

Jung’s Two General Attitude Types Extrovert: One who focuses more on social life and the external world instead of his/her own thoughts and feelings. Introvert: One who focuses on his/her own thoughts and feelings. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Jung’s Two Types of Individuals Rational: One who regulates his/her actions by thinking and feeling. Irrational: One who bases his/her actions on perceptions, either through the senses or unconscious processes (intuition). ©Prentice Hall 2003

Differences Between Freud and Jung Stressed the primacy of sexual instincts Development is shaped in childhood Jung Stressed people’s rational & spiritual qualities Development only comes to fruition during middle adulthood ©Prentice Hall 2003

Alfred Adler’s Contribution Compensation: One’s effort to overcome imagined or real personal weaknesses Inferiority complex: Fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that results in emotional and social paralysis ©Prentice Hall 2003

Differences Between Freud and Adler We are controlled by our environment View of individual: selfish; Eternally in conflict with society Adler We can control our own fate View of individual: striving for perfection; Develops socially constructive goals ©Prentice Hall 2003

Erikson’s 8 Stages of Personality Development Trust vs. Mistrust (first year of life) Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt (ages 1-3) Initiative vs. Guilt (ages 3-6) Industry vs. Inferiority (ages 6-13) Identity vs. Role confusion (puberty) Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood) Generativity vs. Stagnation (ages 25-60) Integrity vs. Despair (ages 60 and up) ©Prentice Hall 2003

Trust Versus Mistrust Trust Mistrust Faith in the predictability of the environment Optimism about the future Mistrust Suspicious, fearful, and overly concerned with security ©Prentice Hall 2003

Autonomy Versus Shame and Doubt Gain control over bodily functions and coordination Shame & doubt Self-doubt about ability to control body Hostile rejection of all controls (internal & external) ©Prentice Hall 2003

Initiative Versus Guilt Parental support for trying new things leads to joy in exercising initiative and taking on new challenges Guilt Feelings of guilt, unworthiness, and resentment may occur if scolded for exercising initiative ©Prentice Hall 2003

Industry Versus Inferiority Learning the skills of personal care, productive work, & independent living Inferiority Failure to learn these skills leads to feelings of mediocrity, inadequacy, and low self-sufficiency ©Prentice Hall 2003

Identity Versus Role Confusion Integration of one’s roles in life into a coherent pattern Role confusion Failure to integrate these roles leads to a lack of personal identity and despair ©Prentice Hall 2003

Intimacy Versus Isolation In order to love another, one must have resolved all earlier crises Isolation Failure at intimacy brings a painful sense of loneliness and incompleteness ©Prentice Hall 2003

Generativity Versus Stagnation Experience meaning and joy in all the major activities of life Stagnation Failure to remain productive and creative Life becomes a drab routine Feelings of dullness and resentfulness ©Prentice Hall 2003

Integrity Versus Despair Acceptance of one’s life; A sense that it is complete and satisfactory Little fear of approaching death Despair Despair at the loss of former roles and missed opportunities Fear approaching death ©Prentice Hall 2003

Humanistic Personality Theory Any personality theory that asserts the fundamental goodness of people and their striving toward higher levels of functioning. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Carl Rogers Actualizing tendency: Self-actualizing tendency: The drive of every organism to fulfill its biological potential and become what it is inherently capable of becoming. Self-actualizing tendency: The drive of human beings to fulfill their self- concepts. Fully functioning person: An individual whose self-concept closely resembles his/her inborn potentials. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Determinants of a Fully Functioning Person Unconditional positive regard: The full acceptance and love of another person regardless of that person’s behavior. Conditional positive regard: Acceptance and love that are dependent on behaving in certain ways and fulfilling certain conditions. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Trait Theories Personality traits: Dimensions or characteristics on which people differ in distinctive ways. Trait theories focus on describing one’s current personality with less emphasis on how the personality developed. ©Prentice Hall 2003

The “Big Five” Dimensions of Personality Unlike psychodynamic and humanistic theories, however, trait theories are relatively easy to test experimentally, and research confirms the value of the five-factor model, referred to as the “Big Five," in pinpointing personality. ©Prentice Hall 2003

The Big Five Dimensions of Personality Extroversion Warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, excitement-seeking, positive emotions Agreeableness Trust, straightforwardness, altruism, compliance, modesty, tender-mindedness Conscientiousness/dependability Competence, order, dutifulness, achievement- striving, self-discipline, deliberation ©Prentice Hall 2003

The Big Five Dimensions of Personality Emotional stability Anxiety, hostility, depression, selfconsciousness, impulsiveness, vulnerability Openness to experience/culture/intellect Fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, values ©Prentice Hall 2003

Cognitive-Social Learning Theories Behavior is viewed as the product of the interaction of cognitions, learning and past experiences, and the immediate environment. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Bandura’s Contribution Expectancies: What a person anticipates in a situation or as a result of behaving in certain ways. Self-efficacy: The expectancy that one’s efforts will be successful. Performance standards: Standards that people develop to rate the adequacy of their own behavior in a variety of situations. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Rotter’s Locus of Control An expectancy about whether reinforcement is under internal or external control. Internal: One can control his/her own fate. External: One’s fate is determined by chance, luck, or the behavior of others. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Methods of Personality Assessment Personal interview Observation Objective tests (tests that are administered and scored in a standard way) Projective tests (tests consisting of ambiguous or unstructured material) ©Prentice Hall 2003

Two Types of Interviews Unstructured: The interviewer asks questions about any material that comes up and asks follow-up questions whenever appropriate. Structured: The order and content of the questions are fixed and the interviewer adheres to the set format. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Observation Although observation is a good way of learning about someone’s personality, the information may not always be accurate because people act differently when they are aware of being observed. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Objective Tests 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF): A personality test created by Cattell that provides scores on the 16 traits he identified. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI): The most widely used objective personality test, originally intended for psychiatric diagnosis. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Projective Tests Rorschach test: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): A test composed of ambiguous inkblots; the way people interpret the blots is thought to reveal aspects of their personality. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): A test composed of ambiguous pictures about which a person is asked to write a complete story. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Create a personality You are assigned to create a fictional character complete with a personality description. This personality can be a person similar to you, similar to a friend or family member, a fictional character you would create in a movie, book, video game, or other theatrical event. ©Prentice Hall 2003

Create a personality You should use terms from this section on personality including: Is the character an introvert or extrovert? Discuss one of the five dimensions of personalities that this character would demonstrate. Would your character demonstrate more Integrity or Despair? Is your character rational or irrational? ©Prentice Hall 2003