1. Theories of Personality
Cognitive Theories of Personality
The Early Gestalt Connection
Lewin’s Field Theory
Asch and Witkin’s Field Dependence Theory
More Recent Cognitive Theories
Social-Cognitive Theory
Locus of Control Theory

2. Kurt Lewin

3. Early Gestalt Theories
Lewin’s Field Theory
The “life space” (or environmental forces) that affect one’s personality
Asch and Witkin’s Field Dependence Theory
High Field Dependence – sensitive to context
High Field Independence – problem focused

4. Field Dependence
The degree to which a person’s perception of information is affected by the surrounding perceptual contextual field.

5. Rod and Frame Task
Field Independent

6. Rod and Frame Task
Field Dependant

7. Characteristics Associated with Field Dependence
Domain Characteristics
Children's play preferences Field‑independent children are more likely to favor solitary play over social play.
Socialization patterns Field‑independent people are more likely to have been socialized with an emphasis on autonomy over conformity.
Career choices Field‑independent people are more likely to be in technological rather than humanitarian occupations
Preferred interpersonal Field‑independent people are more likely to distance for conversation sit farther away from a conversational partner
Level of eye contact Field‑independent people make less frequent and less prolonged eye contact with a conversational partner.

8. More Recent Cognitive Theories of Personality
Social-Cognitive Theories
Theories that look at how we think and feel
and why we behave the way we do
Julian Rotter’s Locus of Control Theory as an
example

9. Julian Rotter

10. Cognitive Factors of Locus of Control Theory
Internal and External Locus of Control
Learned Helplessness
Cognitive Styles and Explanatory Styles

11. Behavioural Factors of Locus of Control Theory
Outcome Expectancy – general and specific
Will I be rewarded for my behaviour ?
Reinforcement Value
How big will the reward be?
Behaviour Potential
What behaviour is required in this situation?
The Psychological Situation
A combination of the above three