1. Personality Development
Dr Ros Weston
Psychology

2. Definition:
Child (1968)
“More or less stable, internal factors that make one person’s behaviour consistent
from one time to another, and different from the behaviour other people would
manifest in comparable situations”
Stable
Internal
Consistent
Different
Personality is ‘INTERNAL’
Freud’s theories on Personality Development
Change and development are the key words : internal process + past experiences
The dynamics of behaviour which is what distinguishes this theory from the cognitive
(Glassman, 1995)

3. Psycho - sexual Development
Innate drives + early experiences
id ego super ego pleasure principle defence mechanisms
Anna Freud
“defence against instinct”
The child learns
defensive behaviours to
control id
Defence Mechanisms
1 Repression
2 Displacement
3 Projection
4 Denial
5 Intellectualisation
Psycho - sexual Development
Energy - libido
&
Eros & Thanatos
Oral
Anal
Phallic (Oedipus & Electra complexes)
Latency
Genital

4. Other Defence Mechanisms
Fixation
Affective strategies in personality development
Regression
Case studies: Anna O
Little Hans
Myers & Brewin (1994) Childhood Memories
Williams (1994) Sexual Abuse
McGunnies (1949) Perception defence
“things are likely to be ignored if they are unpleasant or
emotionally threatening”
Levinger & Clarke (1961) supported this using emotionally
provoking words. (they recalled the words that had neutral
associations)
(Evaluatory comment on each of these and on Freud’s theory of personality
development)

5. natural processes expectations of of maturation society
Neo - Freudians
Erikson (1959)
Conflict
WAR
natural processes expectations of
of maturation society
Parents
friends
teachers
employers
norms & values

6. Chart of Eight Stages
Evaluatory Comments
Used clinical evidence (therapist case studies using Freud’s clinical method)
theory imprecise & anecdotal
experimental research provides indirect support for Erikson
(Ainsworth & Bell: 1970) (Bowlby, 1952)
Stage 4 has been supported by work of Damon & Hart (1988)
(older children used more internal psychological terms. Younger children focused on concrete & tangible )
Strengths : - focuses on social process & ego development
- the facing of developmental tension / conflicts
- most of the conflicts lie with the family (Freud also said : When
you are looking at a ‘sick’ (mentally) or disturbed person you often
don’t have to look far for a cause. (that does not mean the parents are to blame. It is the conflict that is problematic)
Does not give detail of how you move from one stage to another
Dwaretzky (1996) feels there is little convincing evidence for E theory
Hard to test this theory
The evidence is correlational
It gives a very tidy account of development

7. Social Learning Theory
Key term : Significant others
Social Modelling
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Conditioning
Bandura’s work
What would help a child learn self - efficacy?
-? ? ? ?
Continue…………
Classical
Operant
Observation & internalisation
Vicarious
reinforcement
This is exact opposite of learned helplessness
Reciprocal determination
Self efficacy (self - image & belief in self

8. Evidence - Bobo doll
- Harter & Monsour (1992)
- Bandura & Cervone (1983)
Evaluatory Comment
- More than one self? (Baars, 1997)
- Not a development theory

9. Situationalism
Bandura suggested that personality is not a stable trait of an individual
Mischel & Peake’s theory (1982) suggest a consistency paradox. Research failed to show consistency
Behavioural specificity (M & P, 1982)
We think it is a stable trait because we see people in similar situations
Individual differences (M & P, 1993)
Person variables
Cognitive & behavioural
Encoding & personal constructs
Expectancy
Subjective stimulus value
self - regulatory systems & plans
Evidence
Context - dependent learning research (Abernety, 1940)
Generalising learning
Lack of fragmentation

10. (as part of personality)
What is gender?
(as part of personality)
Gender
Sex
Sexual identity
Gender identity
Behaviour
Situation (upbrining & social context)
Gender role
Gender stereo types
See : - Debates and all the work we did on real and perceived differences
- Psychoanalytical theory
- Social learning
- Cognitive (Kohlberg)
- Behaviourist
- Humanistic (Carl Rogers : Erikson)

11. Kohlbergs (1966) Cognitive - developmental theory (1966)
“The child actively constructs his own experiences and they are not products of social
training”
Basic - gender identity (2-3½)
Gender stability (3½ - 4½)
Gender consistency (4½ - 7yrs)
(fits with Piaget’s notion of conservation)
Evidence
Munroe, Shimmin & Munroe (1984)
These stages are cross - cultural.
Slaby & Frey (1975) - attending to some sex models.
Ruble, Balabon & Cooper (1981) Adverts & gender consistency.
Evaluatory Comments
Cross cultural
interactivity
gender identity - increases gender role
How they interact in the world requires gender identity
Criticism : gender role behaviour - depends on gender consistency
Contradictions
Individualistic (not social context)

12. Gender Schema Theory
An organised set of beliefs about the sexes (Martin et al, 1987)
in group, out group schema
our gender schema
children are not passive
gender - schema’s help them pay attention to ………… & interpret the world & what they remember
gender schemas structure experience
Evidence : (Martin et al, 1987)
(Bradbard et al, 1986)
(Masters et al, (1979)
Evaluatory Comment
seems to explain & fit with other theories of child development specially cognitive
individualistic
schemas are overaggerated
should be able to change schemas. As Durkin (1995) found: it is easier to change concepts
Continued……...

13. Now :
Compare social learning theory yourself using biological; social
biological theory by explaining
Theory (giving)
evidence (including)
evaluatory comment

14. Theories of Adolescent Development
What evidence is there that these are important
The Isle of Wight Study (1976) Rutter’s large scale study.
What factors cause disturbance in young people?
What is the problem of retrospective data?
Relationship with parents Relationship with peers Cultural differences
Marcia’s theory ( )
Alternatives to choose from
Have fun commitment been made
Four possible identity statuses
Identity diffusion
Foreclosure
Moratorium
Identity achievement
Evidence to support : Meilman (1979)
Evidence against : (Munroe & Adams (1977)
Delinquency
Erikson’s theory (1902, 1994)
Identity diffusion
Identity crisis
Counter evidence
Support evidence
Intimacy Diffusion Diffusion of industry Negative identity
Gender & individual differences alpha & beta bias
Coleman’s focal theory (1974)
‘Storm & Stress’