PERSONALITY THEORIES

PERSONALITY THEORIES (WHAT THEY DO) GOAL 1: To discover patterns in how people behave. Organize facts that we know about ourselves and other people. Determine if certain personality traits go together and why. GOAL 2: To explain the differences in individuals. Why do some people act one way and others act another way? GOAL 3: To explore how people conduct their lives. Theorists try to explain why problems arise, and why they are more difficult for some people to handle than others. Theorists are concerned with determining how life can be improved.

THEORISTS: FREUD Believed that mistakes were not mistakes at all, and that subconscious thoughts were very relevant. Thought that often memories buried deep within our subconscious shaped the lives that we led. Even though we cannot remember them on the surface. Believed that what we encountered as children would affect us our whole lives. ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO ID – What our instincts tell us. Example EGO – What we can do. Example SUPEREGO – What we should do. Example

DEFENSE MECHANISMS Freud believed that if the demands of the id and the ego could not be resolved, people might distort reality. He called these defense mechanisms. 1. Displacement Shifting anxiety from its source to another subject. Example 2. Repression Pushing thoughts that cause anxiety into the subconscious. Example 3. Reaction Formation Replacing a feeling thought to be unacceptable with the opposite. Example

DEFENSE MECHANISMS (CONT.) 4. Projection Projecting one’s true feelings on to somebody else. Example 5. Regression Acting in a way that has worked for you in the past. Example Freud was the first psychologist to come up with the idea of defense mechanisms and how people use them when they come into conflict. He also was the first psychologist to claim that infancy and childhood were critical times for forming a person’s basic character.

THEORISTS: ADLER Developed the idea of the inferiority complex. Stated that children often feel inferior to adults since they can’t do things that older people can do. Believed that this was the basis for learning throughout life. Believed the way that children were treated by their parents had a great influence on the life styles they chose. Pampering vs. Neglect Both lead to a lack of confidence in adulthood. Thought that a child should learn self-reliance and courage from their father and generosity and compassion for others from their mother.

BEHAVIORAL THEORIES Behaviorists believed that proper subject matter of psychology only consists of observable behavior. They believe that as individuals differ in their learning experiences, they obtain different behaviors and, in turn, different personalities.

B.F. SKINNER Believed that studying people’s actions could help fix problems. Every action had to be reinforced by something that caused it to reoccur. This approach is very common and widely believed. It doesn’t dwell on what is wrong, instead it tests out solutions. Came about as a type of learning, not a personality theory.

ALBERT BANDURA Believed that personalities are shaped through imitation, not reinforcement of behavior. Children learn their personalities by watching other people. This means that a child is very dependent on exposure to everyday models. Bandura found that if a model engaged in a behavior increase the observers willingness to perform the behavior. The most effective models are those who are most admired by the observer.

ABRAHAM MASLOW Based his personality theory on healthy, creative, successful individuals rather than disturbed individuals. He looked at people from history such as Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt. He noticed that they perceived reality accurately. They also accepted themselves the way they were. They appreciated the small things in life and rarely felt bored or uninterested. Believed that basic needs must be met first. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (next page)