P S Y C H O L O G Y T h i r d E d i t i o n by Drew Westen PowerPoint  Presentation C h a p t e r 12 P E R S O N A L I T Y John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Lecture Outline n Personality Theories  Psychodynamic  Cognitive-Social  Trait  Humanistic © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Personality Research n Personality refers to enduring patterns of thought, feeling, motivation, and behavior that are expressed in different circumstances n The aim of personality research is to  Construct general theories of personality  Assess individual differences in personality © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Psychodynamic Views of Personality n Freud invoked a role of unconscious processes in the control of behavior  Based on his observations of clients n Topographical model: argued for 3 levels of consciousness  Conflict occurs between the different aspects of consciousness  Requires compromise formation © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Psychodynamic Interactions © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Freud’s Developmental Model © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. n Human behavior is motivated by two drives  Aggressive  Sexual Libido refers to pleasure-seeking and sensuality as well as desire for intercourse n Libido follows a developmental course during childhood  Stages of development  Fixed progression of change from stage to stage  Notion of fixation at a particular libidinal stage

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. STAGEAGE CONFLICTS AND CONCERNS

Freud’s Structural Model of Personality © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ego Defense Mechanisms © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. n Defense mechanisms are unconscious mental processes that protect the conscious person from anxiety  Repression: anxiety-evoking thoughts are kept unconscious  Denial: person refuses to recognize reality  Projection: person attributes their own unacceptable impulses to others

Ego Defense Mechanisms © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  Reaction formation: person converts an unacceptable impulse into the opposite impulse Jimmy Swaggart and sexuality  Sublimation: person converts an unacceptable impulse into a socially acceptable activity Mother Theresa and sexual/aggressive urges?  Rationalization: person explains away their actions to reduce anxiety

Projective Tests n Projective tests assume that persons presented with a vague stimulus will “project” their own impulses and desires into a description of the stimulus © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. "I see a …..”

Evaluation of Freud’s Contributions to Personality Theory n Contributions  Emphasis on unconscious processes  Identification of conflict and compromise  Importance of childhood experiences in shaping adult personality n Limitations  Theories are not solidly based on scientific observation  Excessive emphasis on drives such as sex and aggression © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cognitive-Social Personality Theory n Cognitive-social personality theory places emphasis on learned aspects of personality as well as expectations and beliefs of the person  Person must encode the situation as relevant  Situation must have personal meaning  Person must believe in their ability to carry out a behavior © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cognitive-Social Model of Behavior © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Evaluation of Cognitive-Social Personality Theory © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. n Contributions  Provided emphasis on the role of thought and memory in personality n Limitations  Overemphasis of rational side of personality  Avoidance of explanations of unconscious processes in personality

Trait Theories of Personality n Trait: refers to emotional, cognitive, and behavioral tendencies as well as the underlying dimensions that form personality n Traits can be measured by  Asking others to rate a person  Asking the person to fill out a questionnaire n How many traits are required?  Allport noted some 18,000 traits  Cattell argued for 16 distinct traits (factor analysis) © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Eysenck’s Personality Types © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (Figure adapted from Eysenck, 1953, p. 13)

The Big Five Factors of Personality n Openness to experience n Conscientiousness n Extroversion n Agreeableness n Neuroticism n OCEAN... © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Genetics of Personality n Biological relatives are more similar in personality than are strangers n Twins raised together and raised apart provide evidence for a genetic aspect of personality Raised ApartRaised Together MZDZMZDZ Well-being Social Closeness Genetic effect Environmental effect © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Evaluation of Trait Personality Theories n Contributions  Traits can be empirically measured  Theories assume individual differences in traits n Limitations  Trait theory heavily depends on self-report (which may not always be accurate)  Trait theory is tied to the sophistication level of the subjects that are used in the study  Statistical analyses used in trait studies may govern the outcomes  Do not explain how and why traits emerge © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Humanistic Personality Approaches n Humanistic personality theorists reject the behaviorist and psychodynamic notions of personality n Humanists emphasize the notion that each person has a potential for creative growth n The intent is to assist the person in developing to their maximal potential © 2002 John Wiley and Sons, Inc

Roger’s Person-Centered Approach n Rogers believed that humans are good by nature (in contrast to psychodynamic view of human nature) n Rogers emphasized the notion of self- concept n Each person has multiple selves:  True-self: the core aspect of being  False-self: the self that is created by distortions from interpersonal experiences  Ideal-self: what the person would like to be © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Evaluation of Humanistic Personality Theory © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. n Contributions  Focus on how humans strive to determine the meaning of life n Limitations  Humanistic approach is not a complete theoretical account of personality  The approach has not generated a body of testable hypotheses and research

Existential Personality Approaches n Existential personality theories suggest that each person is alone to themselves and must therefore create themselves  Sartre argued that we are able to create ourselves n Key issues include the  importance of subjective experience  centrality of the quest for meaning in life  danger of losing touch with one’s own feelings  danger of failing to remember that we can change ourselves at will © 2002 John Wiley and Sons, Inc

Copyright Copyright 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.