PSYCHOLOGY:

Figuring someone out involves exploring PERSONALITY Researchers have developed many ways of assessing personality, but even if we do gain an understanding of how we are (personality), the question of why we are that way (theories of personality) remains. Personality theories help us understand the differences among people

PERSONALITY DEFINED Personality is the consistent, enduring, and unique characteristics of a person Personality traits are characteristic behaviors and feelings that are consistent and long lasting Personality States are temporary patterns of behavior and feelings that may arise in a specific situation Personality is a construct, like consciousness.

PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES Emphasize the unconscious (part of the mind that contains material we are unaware of but that strongly influences behavior) Unconscious feelings as children = impact adulthood Main ideas developed by Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis involves analyzing thoughts and feelings to reveal what is going on beneath the surface (unconscious)

Freud Described the following:

FREUD’S ID, EGO, SUPEREGO Freud used the Id, Ego, and Superego to try to explain how the mind functions and personality is shaped

Id instinctual & biological urges lustful, impulsive, fun – pleasure principle completely unconscious Seeks immediate gratification of impulses (what feels good) Ignores consequences Following the pleasure principle (ID) leads to conflict with others (parents) and results in the development of the EGO in the 2nd and 3rd year of life.

Ego Rational & thoughtful Based on the reality principle, the awareness that gratification of impulses has to be delayed in order to accommodate the demands of the real world.

Superego Responsible for society’s rules of behavior (moral standards). Feels guilty if rules are disobeyed. Based on morality principle, must follow moral standards and rules and breaking them causes guilt. Ask students what would happen to a person with a weak superego? Possible answers – no stopping id, self-centered, only worry about their own needs Ask students what would happen to a person with a strong superego? Possible answers – driven by morals and guilt, just thinking bad thoughts would cause guilt and stress The superego is like the “angel” or police force. The superego would let us die rather than break a rule. Superego: internalized societal and parental standards of "good" and "bad" and "right" and "wrong" behaviour. By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development, the Superego develops.  The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers

ID & SUPEREGO are frequently in conflict. Ego must satisfy both. ID – What you WANT TO DO EGO – What you CAN DO SUPEREGO – What you SHOULD DO ID & SUPEREGO are frequently in conflict. Ego must satisfy both. Rather than feel conflict or frustration when the ID’s desires & SUPEREGO’s rules cannot be satisfied, humans distort reality using DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Freud’s techniques for exploring the Unconscious Freud believed that information in the unconscious emerges in slips of the tongue, jokes, dreams, illness symptoms, etc. These are called Freudian Slips. Dream interpretation, or analyzing dreams Psychoanalysis

“Everything is my fault/I’ll take all the blame” - All Apologies “Monkey see monkey do/ I don’t know why I’d rather be dead than cool” - Stay Away “Everything is my fault/I’ll take all the blame” - All Apologies Freud had trouble proving there was an unconscious, but he might have looked at these lyrics and said that Cobain was hiding some of his Unconscious feelings in his lyrics.

FREUD’S LEGACY 1ST Person to propose unified theory to understand and explain human behavior No theory more complete, complex, or controversial Some criticize his theory for being impossible to test Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was the predecessor of all later personality theories

OTHER PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES IN FREUD’S FOOTSTEPS…. OTHER PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES Carl Jung Freud’s personal successor before relationship ended because Jung disagreed with Freud’s emphasis on sexual urges The Collective unconscious (part of the mind that contains inherited instincts, urges, and memories common to all people) holds Archetypes (an inherited idea based on experiences of one’s ancestors, which shapes one’s personality) Jung believed we fit our personalities to our Archetypes Jung began to separate from Freudian theory, rejecting Freud's emphasis on sex as the sole source of behavior motivation Personal unconscious – repressed feelings and thoughts developed during life Jung believed the human psyche exists in three parts: the ego (the conscious mind), the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Jung believed the collective unconscious was a reservoir of all the experience and knowledge of the human species.

ALFRED ADLER Believed people are driven to overcome feelings of inferiority Inferiority Complex – when a person continually tries to compensate for his weakness and avoid feelings of inadequacy. For those of us who strive to be accomplished writers, powerful business people, or influential politicians, it is because of our feelings of inferiority and a strong need to over come this negative part of us according to Adler.  This excessive feeling of inferiority can also have the opposite effect.  As it becomes overwhelming and without the needed successes, we can develop an inferiority complex.  This belief leaves us with feeling incredibly less important and deserving than others, helpless, hopeless, and unmotivated to strive for the superiority that would make us complete.

LEARNING THEORIES Group of theorists known as Behaviorists Main belief is that the environment and reinforcement shape personality As individuals differ in their learning experiences, they acquire different behaviors and, hence, different personalities Focus on observable behaviors (not thoughts)

B.F. SKINNER Personality arises from Operant conditioning (specifically reinforcement) What is the behavior and what causes (reinforces) it?

ALBERT BANDURA Personality acquired through reinforcement AND observational learning, or imitation People direct behavior by choice of models Called Social Cognitive Theory

HUMANISTIC THEORIES Believe all humans strive for self-actualization, or the realization of their potential Becoming true to oneself and having an ability to grow

ABRAHAM MASLOW Hierarchy of Needs – emphasis on self actualization

CARL ROGERS Two sides to each person (What they value and what they believe others value in them) Self – one’s image of oneself (who they are) developed through interaction with others Everyone wants Positive regard – viewing oneself in favorable light due to supportive feedback from others People may reject parts of their person if they don’t receive positive regard The self and the person are often different but accepting your person results in becoming a fully functioning individual

TRAIT THEORIES Try to explain consistency and normal, healthy behavior in different situations Trait - relatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way Humanistic Psychology gets its name from its belief in the basic goodness and respect of humankind Traits apply to all people. Can quantify traits (scale 1-10 how nice are you)

BIG FIVE TRAIT THEORY Current popular belief; all personality traits derive from five basic personality traits EXTRAVERSION AGREEABLENESS CONSCIENTIOUSNESS OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE NEUROTICISM

O C E A N penness xtraversion euroticism greeableness onscientiousness This is an example of a mnemonic device used to help remember (retrieval)

PERSONALITY TESTS – WHY? Personality Tests ASSESS an individual’s CHARACTERISTICS and IDENTIFY PROBLEMS. They can help PREDICT future behavior.

OBJECTIVE PERSONALITY TESTS A limited- or –forced choice test in which a person must select on of several answers MMPI-2 – Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) – Most widely used objective test 567 questions divided into groups. People answer true, false, cannot say. Originally to help diagnose mental disorders MBTI - Myers-Briggs Test – Rate personality on four scales Extraversion vs. Introversion Intuition vs. Sensing Feeling vs. Thinking Judging vs. Perceiving

PROJECTIVE PERSONALITY TESTS Require subjects to respond to pictures and phrases that can be interpreted in many different ways. Rorschach Test – series of ten inkblots that subjects look at and determine what they see. Most widely used. The Rorschach is currently the second most commonly used test in forensic assessment, after the MMPI Originally created by Hermann Rorschach in 1921, the scoring system was improved after his death What do you see in this picture? (TAT) Thematic Apperception Test – series of pictures containing a variety of vague but suggestive scenes. 2nd most widely used