Personality Personality an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking

Personality

• Personality – an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Freud and the Psychoanalytic perspective • Looking for the causes of unexplained neurological disorders • Tried hypnosis and free-association (saying whatever comes into your mind) • Freud’s theory is called psychoanalysis

The mind is an iceberg Ego Conscious mind Unconscious mind Superego Id

The power of the unconscious • According to Freud, our unconscious motivations and desires, although we are unaware of them, have a powerful influence on us • They express themselves in subtle ways: in our beliefs, habits, interactions, and even in our physical disorders • Dreams and “Freudian slips” are the pathways to the unconscious

Freudian Slips • With a telescope, the details of the distant landscape were easy to_______ • The lid won’t stay on regardless of how much I _____ • Bine Foddy • Videos

Freud and Personality • Believed our personality is the result of our efforts to resolve the conflict between pleasure-seeking biological impulses and social restraints

• Id – seeks to satisfy basic drives (pleasure principle); like a newborn baby • Ego – (reality principle) – reality sets in; seeks to gratify the Id’s impulses in socially acceptable ways • Super Ego – voice of conscience. What is ideal? How should I behave? Strives for perfection

Ego Conscious mind Unconscious mind Superego Id

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages Stage Focus Oral (0 -18 months) Pleasure centers on the mouth-sucking, biting, chewing Anal (18 -36 months) Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings Phallic (3 -6 years) Latency (6 to puberty) Dormant sexual feelings Genital (puberty on) Maturation of sexual interests

• Oedipus complex • Identification • Fixation

Defense Mechanisms • Anxiety is the result of the inner war between the Id and Super ego, so we come up with defense mechanisms

• Repression – gets rid of anxiety producing thoughts and feelings (but they come out in different ways) • Regression – we go back to an earlier, more comfortable stage • Reaction Formation – Makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites. Ever initially disliked someone, then were attracted to them? • Projection – attributes threatening impulses to others • Rationalization • Displacement – diverts sexual or aggressive impulses toward an object or person that is more acceptable (taking it out on someone else)

• Denial – denying uncomfortable ideas even when there is evidence to the contrary • Sublimination – converting an unacceptable urge or desire into something socially beneficial, such as a piece of art

Neo-Freudians • More emphasis on the conscious mind, less emphasis on sex and aggression • Alfred Adler- inferiority complex • Karen Horney – countered Freud’s male-biased theory • Carl Jung- collective unconscious; coined terms “introvert” and “extravert”

What have we gotten from Freud? • The unconscious is significant • Interactions with early childhood caregivers are important • Some research confirms defense mechanisms

Projective Tests • Thematic apperception test – shown a picture, make up a story • Other tests: Draw a person, complete a sentence • Rorschach inkblot test

Evaluating the Psychoanalytic perspective • Lots Freud got wrong; lots can’t be proven • Repression? • Unconscious mind is very important • #6 experiment • Terror-management theory – fear of death leads us to pursue self-esteem, and deepens our faith in our own worldview • False consensus effect – kinda like projection. We overestimate how often others behave and think like we do

Humanistic Perspective • Self-reported feelings and experiences; personal growth • Abraham Maslow – Studied healthy, creative people, living and dead (hierarchy of needs; self actualization)

• Carl Rodgers – People basically good; Unconditional Positive Regard; Self Concept (“who am I? ” positive or negative) • Genuine • Accepting • Empathic

Fig. 12 -9, p. 488

Criticsims • Subjective • Too individualistic • Are people basically good?

Trait Perspective • Describes Personality traits • Myers-Briggs test • Introversion and extraversion • Big Five

Myers-Briggs types • I = Introverted – Inner world • E = Extraverted – Outer world • S = Sensing – Basic information • N = Intuition – Interpret meaning • T = Thinking – Logic and consistency • F = Feeling – People and special circumstances • J = Judging – Firm decisions • P = Perceiving – Open to new ideas and possibilities

Big Five Theory The “Big Five” Personality Factors Trait Dimension Description Emotional Stability (Neuroticism) Calm versus anxious Secure versus insecure Self-satisfied versus self-pitying Extraversion Sociable versus retiring Fun-loving versus sober Affectionate versus reserved Openness Imaginative versus practical Preference for variety versus preference for routine independent versus conforming Agreeableness Soft-hearted versus ruthless Trusting versus suspicious Helpful versus uncooperative Organized versus disorganized Careful versus careless Disciplined versus impulsive Conscientiousness

Extraversion • Reverse: 6, 21, 31 • Add: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 36

Agreeableness • Reverse: 2, 12, 27, 37 • Add: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 37, 42

Conscientiousness • Reverse: 8, 18, 23, 43 • Add: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33, 38, 43

Neuroticism • Reverse: 9, 24, 34 • Add: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29, 34, 39

Openness • Reverse: 35, 41 • Add: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 41, 44

You might be an introvert if… • You prefer one on one conversations to group interaction • You dislike small talk • You tend to prefer, quieter, softer music compared to other people you know • You dislike conflict and argumentation • You are sensitive to caffeine, loud noises, strong smells etc. • You sometimes feel “overstimulated” • Meeting new people, especially in a large group setting, is exhausting • You find yourself coming up with excuses not to go to a party or large social event because you want to spend

Introversion and Extraversion • No difference in IQ between Introverts and Extraverts • In western cultures, Extraverts are often seen as more intelligent. In Eastern cultures, Introverts are seen as more intelligent • Introversion correlates with higher SAT scores and higher grades in high school and college • Introverts are better problem solvers and are more persistent • Introverts are more likely to be “highly sensitive” (noise study) • Extraverts make more money and hold more positions of power • Extraverts are more likely to commit adultery, and engage in risky behaviors (gambling, drugs etc. ) • Who’s a better leader? • Groups?

Person-situation controversy • Are our traits stable, or do they depend on the context/situation? • Rubber band theory

Consistency of Expressive Style • Thin slicing – tends to be very accurate • Irrepressibility of expressiveness – even when people try to act a certain way, it isn’t natural

Social-Cognitive Perspective • Albert Bandura • Behavior is the result of interactions between thinking and the environment • Personal Control • Internal Locus – They control their own destiny • External Locus – chance or fate • Learned helplessness • Too many choices – can be bad; we may feel regret over a choice

Optimism vs. Pessimism • Optimism is good for health, but realism about the future can help us take action or avoid risks • Blind optimism can lead to risky behaviors • Ignorance makes us overconfident

Assessing Behavior in Situations • The best predictor of future performance is past performance

The Self • Selves? • Spotlight Effect – people don’t notice us nearly as much as we think they do • Clothes, public speaking • Self-esteem – feeling of self-worth – cause or consequence? • People whose self-esteem is damaged are more likely to put down others or show racial prejudice. They tend to be thin-skinned and judgmental • Who commits the most violent crime?

Self-serving bias • We accept more responsibility for our successes than our failures • Most people see themselves as above average • Attractive vs. unattractive morphed faces • Pride – High self-esteem + rejection/criticism causes people to lash out and act aggressively • Defensive and secure self-esteem • Less based on external evaluations

Name-Letter Effect

• Self-handicapping • Creates a no-lose situation for our self-esteem • Correlated with lower selfesteem