1. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 1 Personality Psychological qualities that bring continuity to an individual’s behavior in different situations and at different times

2. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 2 Theories of Personality “Big picture” explanations of personality Guide research Offer insight into ourselves and others

3. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 3 Three Theoretical Views of Personality Psychodynamic Humanistic Cognitive

4. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 4 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.

5. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 5 Sigmund Freud First and best example of a psychodynamic theory of personality. Others followed him such as Jung and Horney

6. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 6 Other Concepts from Freud Unconscious motivation Psychoanalysis

7. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 7 Personality Structure Three structures A battle between the id and the superego Mediated by the ego

8. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 8 Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego

9. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 9 Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Primitive, unconscious portion of personality, houses most basic drives

10. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 10 Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Moral attitudes learned from parents and society, same as conscience

11. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 11 Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Personality structure Id Superego Ego Conscious, rational part of personality, keeps peace between superego and id

12. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 12 Ego Defense Mechanisms Mental strategies used to reduce conflict or anxiety Largely unconscious

13. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 13 Denial Denying a problem exists Frequently seen in alcoholics, child abusers, and people engaged in risky behavior.

14. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 14 Rationalization Giving socially acceptable reasons for actions that are really based on unacceptable motives

15. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 15 Reaction Formation Acting in exact opposition to true feelings

16. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 16 Displacement Shifting your reaction from the real source of distress to a safer individual or object.

17. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 17 Regression Behaving in immature, juvenile fashion to deal with stress

18. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 18 Sublimation Gratifying sexual or aggressive desires in a socially acceptable way

19. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 19 Projection Attributing our own unconscious desires to other people or objects

20. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 20 Projective Tests Given by some psychologists to assess personality Assume people will project their hidden motives and conflicts into their interpretation of ambiguous images

21. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 21 Thematic Apperception Test

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23. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 23 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

24. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 24 Core Concept 11-2 Another approach describes personality in terms of stable patterns known as temperaments, traits, and types.

25. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 25 Temperaments Basic personality disposition apparent in early childhood Inherited Establish the temp and mood of the individual’s behaviors

26. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 26 Traits Stable personality characteristics that are presumed to exist within the individual and guide thoughts and actions under various conditions

27. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 27 “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.

28. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 28 Openness to experience Curiosity, independence Opposite pole--closed-mindedness

29. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 29 Conscientousness Dependability, cautiousness, perseverance, superego strength, prudence, or constraint Opposite pole--impulsiveness, carelessness, irresponsibility

30. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 30 Extraversion Social adaptability, assertiveness, sociability, boldness, or self- confidence Opposite pole--introversion

31. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 31 Agreeableness Conformity, likeability, friendly compliance, warmth Opposite pole--coldness or negativity

32. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 32 Neuroticism Anxiety, emotionality Opposite pole--emotional stability or emotional control

33. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 33 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

34. Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2003 34 Fundamental Attribution Error The assumption that another person’s behavior is the result of a flaw in personality rather than in the situation