Ch 14 Personality Theory Notes

Trait Approach Aspect of personality considered to be reasonably stable Hippocrates Gordon Allport: dictionary of traits to describe a personality Traits are building blocks of personality Hans Eysenck: introverts vs extroverts and emotional stability vs instability

5 Factor Model “Big Five” Basic personality factors Extroversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotional Stability-Instability Openness to Experience Personalities mature rather than are shaped by environmental conditions Expression of traits affected by culture

Other Uses of the “Big Five” Studying politics Ways that they are connected with the ways people interact with friends/family Relationship between them and disorders Are there other personality factors that are important? Yes, but these 5 are agreed upon by most as the basic ones

Psychoanalytic Approach All people undergo inner struggles People are born with certain biological drives like aggression, sex, and need for superiority May come into conflict with laws, social norms, and moral codes that have been internalized Person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions represent the outcome of inner contests between the opposing forces of drives and rules

Sigmund Freud Conscious feelings occupy only small part of mind Unconscious holds deepest thoughts, fears, and urges Psychoanalysis used to explore the unconscious “talking cure” Dream analysis hypnosis

Structures of the Mind Id: basic drives Follows the pleasure principle: urge for immediate release of energy/emotion that will bring personal gratification, relief, or pleasure Ego: the self (reason and good sense) Reality principle: understanding that in real world we can’t always get what we want Provides conscious sense of self Superego: moral sense moral principle: values and standards

Defense Mechanisms Methods the ego uses to avoid recognizing ideas/emotions that may cause anxiety Repression Reaction Formation Rationalization Denial Displacement Sublimation Regression Projection Normal to use but should not be “crutches” because it becomes unhealthy

Stages of Development Oral Stage (birth to 1 ½) Anal Stage (1 ½ to 2 ½) Phallic Stage (3rd year) Latency Stage (5 or 6 to puberty) Genital Stage (puberty on)

Carl Jung Analytic psychology: more emphasis on influences of mysticism and religion on behavior People have a personal unconscious and a collective unconscious (store of human concepts shared by all people across all cultures) Archetypes: ideas and images of accumulated experience of all human beings (supreme being, young hero, fertile/nurturing mother)

1 archetype - Sense of self: unifying force of personality that gives people direction and a sense of completeness Characterized by 4 functions of the mind: thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation Individuation: integrating conscious elements with the collective unconscious

Alfred Adler People basically motivated by a need to overcome feelings of inferiority Inferiority complex: based on physical problems and need to compensate for them Self-awareness plays a major role in the formation of personality Creative self: strives to overcome obstacles and develop individual’s unique potential

Karen Horney Greatest influences on personality are social relationships Importance of childhood experiences Parent-child relationship extremely important Basic anxiety: insecurity children develop with neglectful parents Genuine and consistent love could temper the effects of the most painful childhoods

Erik Erikson Believed social relationships are most important factors in personality development Emphasized the general emotional climate of mother-infant relationship People are capable of making real and meaningful choices Developmental theory of personality with stages and traits that might develop at each stage

Learning Approach- Behaviorism Behaviorism: John B. Watson claimed that external forces/influences shape people’s preferences and behavior B.F. Skinner: emphasized the effects of reinforcement on behavior Environmental influences condition/shape us into wanting some things and not others Socialization: process by which people learn socially desirable behaviors of particular culture We are shaped into wanting what is good for society at early age and no one is really free

Social-Learning Theory Albert Bandura: focus on importance of learning by observation and the role of cognitive processes that produce individual differences People can act intentionally to influence the environment People engage in meaningful learning Internal variables also influence how we act in certain situations (skills, values, goals, expectations, self-efficacy expectations)

Humanistic Approach Begin with assumption that self-awareness is the core of humanity Focus on people’s pursuits of self-fulfillment and ethical conduct People are free to do as they choose with their lives and are responsible for the choices they make

Abraham Maslow Desire to achieve self-actualization Must follow own path to self-actualization

Carl Rogers “Father of Humanism” People shape personalities through free choice and action Self theory: revolves around people’s sense of self Self-concept: view of oneself as an individual Self is center of person’s experience

Pieces of His Theory Key to happiness and healthy adjustment is congruence: consistency between own self-concept and one’s experience Self-Esteem/Self-Respect and Positive Regard (unconditional positive regard vs conditional positive regard)

Sociocultural Approach Roles of ethnicity, gender, and culture in formation of personality Individualism vs Collectivism Sociocultural Factors and the Self Self-concept and self-esteem Acculturation (process of adapting to a new/different culture) and self-esteem