Personality

Personality: an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting an individual’s unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits personality trait: a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations

free will or determinism? nature or nurture? past, present, or future? uniqueness or universality? equilibrium or growth? optimism or pessimism?

the “Big Five” extroversion neuroticism openness to experience agreeableness conscientiousness the Big Five are predictive of specific aspects of behavior and important life outcomes the dominant conception of personality structure in contemporary psychology

5 Personality Perspectives the psychoanalytic perspective the behavioral perspective the humanistic perspective the trait perspective the social-cognitive perspective

The Psychoanalytic Perspective psychoanalysis: links between distant past and troubled present a theory of personality and an associated treatment technique

conscious and unconscious mind mind as iceberg: the conscious mind, pre-consciousness, the unconscious mind Freud: a determinist dreams: manifest and latent content

structure of personality conflict between impulse and restraint personality: how we resolve these conflicts three interacting systems: id: the unconscious pleasure principle, primary process thinking ego: the mediator reality principle, secondary process thinking superego: the conscience the ideal

development of personality psychosexual stages oral (birth to 18 months) anal (18 – 36 months) phallic (3 – 6 years) latency (6 to puberty) genital (puberty on) fixation

defense against anxiety defense mechanisms: repression regression reaction formation projection rationalization displacement sublimation denial

Freud’s followers neo-Freudians: de-emphasized sexuality and aggression Adler, Horney: striving for superiority Jung: the collective unconscious psychodynamic theory: Freud’s legacy agrees with strong influence of unconscious, inner conflicts, shaping of personality in childhood

assessing unconscious processes objective assessment tools (agree/disagree tests) merely access the conscious mind projective tests: a psychological X-ray Thematic Apperception Test Rorschach inkblot test

evaluating the psychoanalytic perspective many of Freud’s specific ideas contradicted by modern research modern developmental psychology: a lifelong process sexual inhibition has diminished, but psychological disorders have not repression: a rare phenomenon

the modern unconscious mind two-track mind schemas, priming, parallel processing, implicit memories, emotion activation, influence of stereotypes defense mechanisms: need to protect our self-image Freudian concepts as scientific theory: few testable hypotheses, fails the test of falsifiability

the Behavioral Perspective behaviorism: a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior focus on learning rather than personality; personality develops as a product of conditioning B.F. Skinner

personality structure: no ego, id, superego can’t be observed! how does the external environment affect overt behavior? deterministic: behavior is fully determined by environmental stimuli personality: a collection of response tendencies that are tied to various stimulus situations

behaviorism: personality development as a product of conditioning most human responses are shaped by operant conditioning environmental consequences – reinforcement, punishment, extinction – determine people’s patterns of responding personality development as a continuous lifelong journey

The Humanistic Perspective humanism: a theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers backlash against psychodynamic and behaviorist theories self determination and self realization third-force perspective (after psychoanalytic and behaviorist perspectives) emphasizing human potential

Maslow: self-actualization motivation theory psychology: optimistic view of human nature hierarchy of needs

Carl Rogers Person-Centered Perspective the human potential movement; primed for growth and fulfillment growth nurtured by genuineness, acceptance, empathy unconditional positive regard central feature of personality: self-concept

Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective humanistic psychology: widespread impact counseling, education, child rearing, management “pop” psychology: is a positive self-concept the key to happiness? contemporary society’s emphasis on self-esteem criticism: concepts are vague, subjective and unscientific overestimates individualism  self-indulgence naïve: underestimates human capacity for evil

Positive Psychology Martin Seligman promoting the highest qualities of life: strength and virtue positive emotions positive character positive groups, communities, cultures

The Trait Perspective factor analysis: correlated clusters of behaviors reflect a basic factor Eysenck: reduce many individual variations to 2 or 3 dimensions extraversion-introversion emotional stability-instability basic factors are genetically influenced

Biology and Personality using brain-imaging procedures to explore traits genes affect temperament and behavioral style

assessing traits tests to measure stable and enduring traits profile of behavior patterns personality inventories Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) more objectively measurable than projective tests

the “Big Five” factors trait dimension endpoint conscientiousness organized, careful, disciplined disorganized, careless, impulsive agreeableness soft-hearted, trusting, helpful ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative neuroticism 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

the Big Five: how stable? how heritable? how predictive of other attributes?

evaluating the trait perspective the person-situation controversy behavior influenced by interaction of disposition and environment traits that endure over time and across situations? inconsistency of behavior  personality tests poor predictors constraint of social cues

The Social-Cognitive Perspective Bandura emphasizes interaction of our personality traits with our situations behavior influenced by conditioning AND mental processes beyond behaviorism: we are controlled by but also control our environment

creators and products of our environment reciprocal determinism: interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment creators and products of our environment what we choose how we react how we present

personal control personal control: the extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless external locus of control: the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate internal locus of control: the perception that you control your own fate

self-control: the ability to control impulses and delay gratification self-regulation/willpower: requires attention and energy learned helplessness (Seligman) feeling helpless/oppressed  control is external  resignation lower morale, increased stress diminished sense of personal efficacy

optimism vs. pessimism attributional style: how do you explain positive or negative events? optimism and health: illness, life expectancy, relationship success excessive optimism: provide hope but avoid complacency risks of positive-thinking bias overconfidence/ ignorance of one’s own incompetence

evaluating the social-cognitive perspective builds on psychological research on learning and cognition over focus on situation  failure to appreciate one’s inner traits and emotions