Chapter 13: Personality

Each dwarf has a distinct personality. An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. Each dwarf has a distinct personality.

Psychoanalytic Perspective Freud’s clinical experience led him to develop the first comprehensive theory of personality, which included the unconscious mind, psychosexual stages, and defense mechanisms. Culver Pictures Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Divisions of Consciousness Conscious mind - level of the mind that is aware of immediate surroundings and perceptions. Preconscious mind - level of the mind in which information is available but not currently conscious. Unconscious mind - level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other information are kept that are not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness. Can be revealed in dreams and Freudian slips of the tongue.

Exploring the Unconscious A reservoir (unconscious mind) of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. Freud asked patients to say whatever came to their minds (free association) in order to tap the unconscious. http://www.english.upenn.edu

Psychoanalysis The process of free association (chain of thoughts) leads to painful, embarrassing unconscious memories. Once these memories are retrieved and released (treatment: psychoanalysis) the patient feels better.

Id, Ego, Superego The ego functions as the “executive” and mediates the demands of the id and superego. (rational and logical) Reality principle - principle by which the ego functions; the satisfaction of the demands of the id only when negative consequences will not result. The superego provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations; moral center Ego ideal - part of the superego that contains the standards for moral behavior. Conscience - part of the superego that produces pride or guilt, depending on how well behavior matches or does not match the ego ideal.

Id, Ego and Superego The Id- unconsciously strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operating on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification. Libido - the instinctual energy that may come into conflict with the demands of a society’s standards for behavior. Pleasure principle - principle by which the id functions; the immediate satisfaction of needs without regard for the consequences.

Fig. 12-2, p. 473 Figure 12.2: Freud’s model of personality structure. Freud theorized that people have three levels of awareness: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The enormous size of the unconscious is often dramatized by comparing it to the portion of an iceberg that lies beneath the water’s surface. Freud also divided personality structure into three components—id, ego, and superego—which operate according to different principles and exhibit different modes of thinking. In Freud’s model, the id is entirely unconscious, but the ego and superego operate at all three levels of awareness. Fig. 12-2, p. 473

The Neo-Freudians Neo-Freudians - followers of Freud who developed their own competing theories of psychoanalysis. Alfred Adler Karen Horney Carl Jung

The Neo-Freudians Like Freud, Adler believed in childhood tensions. However, these tensions were social in nature and not sexual. A child struggles with an inferiority complex during growth and strives for superiority and power. Preview Question 3: Which of Freud’s ideas did his followers accept or reject? National Library of Medicine Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Birth Order Theory- first born child more goal oriented than the next

The Neo-Freudians Like Adler, Horney believed in the social aspects of childhood growth and development. She countered Freud’s assumption that women have weak superegos and suffer from “penis envy” instead men suffer from “womb envy.” Basic anxiety - anxiety created when a child is born into the bigger and more powerful world of older children and adults. The Bettmann Archive/ Corbis Karen Horney (1885-1952)

The Neo-Freudians Jung believed in the collective unconscious, which contained a common reservoir of images derived from our species’ past. This is why many cultures share certain myths and images such as the mother being a symbol of nurturance. Personal unconscious - Jung’s name for the unconscious mind as described by Freud. Collective unconscious – Jung’s name for the memories shared by all members of the human species. Archetypes - Jung’s collective, universal human memories. Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective The scientific merits of Freud’s theory have been criticized. He is too male-centered. Psychoanalysis is meagerly testable. Most of its concepts arise out of clinical practice, which are the after-the-fact explanations.

Humanistic Perspective By the 1960s, psychologists became discontent with Freud’s negativity and the mechanistic psychology of the behaviorists. Person-centered and positive about human potential Preview Question 6: How did humanistic psychologists view personality, and what was their goal in studying personality? http://www.ship.edu Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Self-Actualizing Person Maslow proposed that we as individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. Beginning with physiological needs, we try to reach the state of self-actualization—fulfilling our potential. Ted Polumbaum/ Time Pix/ Getty Images http://www.ship.edu

Carl Roger’s Theory of Personality Self-concept - the image of oneself that develops from interactions with important, significant people in one’s life. Who am I? (How do I think of myself?) Self - archetype that works with the ego to manage other archetypes and balance the personality. Real self - one’s perception of actual characteristics, traits, and abilities. Ideal self - one’s perception of whom one should be or would like to be.

Roger’s Theory of Personality Positive regard – warmth, affection, love, and respect that come from significant others in one’s life. Unconditional positive regard - positive regard that is given without conditions or strings attached. Conditional positive regard- positive regard that is given only when the person is doing what the providers of positive regard wish. Fully functioning person – a person who is in touch with and trusting of the deepest, innermost urges and feelings.

Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective Humanistic psychology has a pervasive impact on counseling, education, child-rearing, and management with its emphasis on a positive self- concept, empathy, and the thought that people are basically good and can improve. Opponents view it as unrealistically positive and hard to measure empirically Preview Question 8: How has the humanistic perspective influenced psychology? What criticisms has it faced?

Each personality is uniquely made up of multiple traits. The Trait Perspective An individual’s unique constellation of durable dispositions and consistent ways of behaving (traits) constitutes his or her personality. Examples of Traits Honest Dependable Moody Impulsive Each personality is uniquely made up of multiple traits.

Exploring Traits Gordon Allport first developed a list of about 171 traits and believed that these traits were part of the nervous system. Cardinal Trait- single most dominant Central Traits- 5-10 significant tendencies Secondary Traits- often present but not as defining Raymond Cattell reduced the number of traits to between 16 and 23 with a computer method called Factor Analysis. 16 Personality Factors (16 PF) Preview Question 9: How do psychologists use traits to describe personality?

Trait Theories of Personality Factor analysis, a statistical approach used to describe and relate personality traits. Surface traits - aspects of personality that can easily be seen by other people in the outward actions of a person. Source traits - the more basic traits that underlie the surface traits, forming the core of personality. Example: Introversion - dimension of personality in which people tend to withdraw from excessive stimulation

Hans Eysenck Hans and Sybil Eysenck suggested that personality could be reduced down to two polar dimensions, extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability. PEN- Psychoticism- emotional caring Extroversion- outgoing Neuroticism- emotional stability

500 True or False Questions MMPI Personality inventories are questionnaires (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors assessing several traits at once. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. It was originally developed to identify emotional disorders. 500 True or False Questions

MMPI Test Profile

The Big Five Factors Today’s trait researchers believe that earlier trait dimensions, such as Eysencks’ personality dimensions, fail to tell the whole story. So, an expanded range (five factors) of traits does a better job of assessment. Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism Openness Extraversion Preview Question 11: Which traits seem to provide the most useful information about personality variation?

The Big Five Factors Conscientiousness - thoughtfulness of others; responsibility or dependability; reliable Agreeableness – the range from easygoing, friendly, and likeable to grumpy, crabby, and unpleasant; honest, considerate, likable Neuroticism - degree of emotional instability or stability; anxious, self conscious Openness - willingness to try new things and be open to new experiences. Extraversion - referring to one’s need to be with other people; outgoing, expressive Extraverts - people who are outgoing and sociable. Introverts - people who prefer solitude and dislike being the center of attention.

Endpoints

Questions about the Big Five Quite stable in adulthood. However, they change over development. 1. How stable are these traits? Fifty percent or so for each trait. 2. How heritable are they? These traits are common across cultures. 3. How about other cultures?

Evaluating the Trait Perspective The Person-Situation Controversy Walter Mischel (situationist) (1968, 1984, 2004) points out that traits may be enduring, but the resulting behavior in various situations is different. Therefore, traits are not good predictors of behavior. Average behavior remains the same Preview Question 12: Does research support the consistency of personality traits over time and across situations?