Personality and Attitudes

 Peter Drucker (1974)- Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices   “An employer has no business with a man’s personality. It is immoral as well as an illegal intrusion of privacy. It is an abuse of power. Employment is a specific contract calling for a specific performance…an employee owes no “loyalty”, he owes no “love” and no “attitudes”—he owes performance and nothing else.”

 Definition: The unique qualities of an individual and how those qualities affect understanding of themselves and others  The Role of Heredity and the Brain External appearance – due to genetics Internal characteristics – nature vs. nurture – Twin Studies show that 30%-40% are fixed…60% developable

 Thousands of “Traits”  Significant Overlap  Futile to Study Personality  Barrick and Mount Propose the “Big 5”  Big 5 now Widely Accepted and Used  Other Personality Traits or “Individual Differences” Still Researched

Sources: P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, The NEO-PI Personality Inventory (Odessa, Fla.: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992); J. F. Salgado, “The Five Factor Model of Personality and Job Performance in the European Community,” Journal of Applied Psychology 82 (1997):

 Self-Esteem Your belief as to your competence and your image High self-esteem – positive attitudes, feelings, and satisfaction  Locus of Control  Generalized Self Efficacy  Neuroticism (emotional stability) Core Self Evaluation Traits

Self-Esteem Feelings of Self Worth Success tends to increase self-esteem Failure tends to decrease self-esteem

Locus of Control InternalExternal I control what happens to me! People and circumstances control my fate!

Learned Helplessness Uncontrollable bad events Perceived lack of control Generalized helpless behavior Important Issue Nursing Homes Prisons

Generalized Self-Efficacy - beliefs and expectations about one’s ability to accomplish a specific task effectively Sources of self-efficacy Prior experiences and prior success Behavior models (observing success) Persuasion Assessment of current physical & emotional capabilities

 Swim with Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive  Harvey B. Mackay (2005)  “…to connect with celebrities you need to avoid the “fan syndrome” and instead talk to them about their interests.”

A strong situation can overwhelm the effects of individual personalities by providing strong cues for appropriate behavior