Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Personality Psychological qualities that bring continuity to an individual’s behavior in different situations and at different times

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Theories of Personality “Big picture” explanations of personality Guide research Offer insight into ourselves and others

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Three Theoretical Views of Personality Psychodynamic Humanistic Cognitive

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Core Concept 11-1 According to the psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive theories, personality is a continuously changing process, shaped by our internal needs and cognitions and by external pressures from the social environment.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Sigmund Freud First and best example of a psychodynamic theory of personality. Others followed him such as Jung and Horney

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Other Concepts from Freud Unconscious motivation Psychoanalysis

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Personality Structure Three structures A battle between the id and the superego Mediated by the ego

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Primitive, unconscious portion of personality, houses most basic drives

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Moral attitudes learned from parents and society, same as conscience

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Conscious, rational part of personality, keeps peace between superego and id

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Ego Defense Mechanisms Mental strategies used to reduce conflict or anxiety Largely unconscious

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Denial Denying a problem exists Frequently seen in alcoholics, child abusers, and people engaged in risky behavior.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Rationalization Giving socially acceptable reasons for actions that are really based on unacceptable motives

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Reaction Formation Acting in exact opposition to true feelings

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Displacement Shifting your reaction from the real source of distress to a safer individual or object.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Regression Behaving in immature, juvenile fashion to deal with stress

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Sublimation Gratifying sexual or aggressive desires in a socially acceptable way

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Projection Attributing our own unconscious desires to other people or objects

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Projective Tests Given by some psychologists to assess personality Assume people will project their hidden motives and conflicts into their interpretation of ambiguous images

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Thematic Apperception Test

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Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Humanistic Theories Proposed personality is not driven by unconscious conflicts and defenses Optimistic about human nature Emphasized positive traits “Positive Psychology”--contemporary research about mental health and happiness

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Core Concept 11-2 Another approach describes personality in terms of stable patterns known as temperaments, traits, and types.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Temperaments Basic personality disposition apparent in early childhood Inherited Establish the temp and mood of the individual’s behaviors

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Traits Stable personality characteristics that are presumed to exist within the individual and guide thoughts and actions under various conditions

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon “Big Five” Trait Theory Based on factor analysis of many studies People can be described by specifying their position on each of the five bipolar traits.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Openness to experience Curiosity, independence Opposite pole--closed-mindedness

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Conscientousness Dependability, cautiousness, perseverance, superego strength, prudence, or constraint Opposite pole--impulsiveness, carelessness, irresponsibility

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Extraversion Social adaptability, assertiveness, sociability, boldness, or self- confidence Opposite pole--introversion

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Agreeableness Conformity, likeability, friendly compliance, warmth Opposite pole--coldness or negativity

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Neuroticism Anxiety, emotionality Opposite pole--emotional stability or emotional control

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Implicit Personality Theory Assumptions that are held by people to simplify the task of understanding others Often naïve assumptions held by psychologically unsophisticated individuals Example: fundamental attribution error

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon Fundamental Attribution Error The assumption that another person’s behavior is the result of a flaw in personality rather than in the situation