Personality Psychology By Dr K Yazdanbakhsh How do

Personality Psychology By Dr. K. Yazdanbakhsh

How do psychologists define and use the concept of “personality”? u The behaviors that make people different from one another are those behaviors that psychologists consider to be at the root of personality u Personality refers to the relatively enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another and that lead people to act in a consistent and predictable manner, both in different situations and over extended periods of time.

Personality “Characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. ” Four Major Perspectives on Personality Psychoanalytic - unconscious motivations Trait - specific dimensions of personality Humanistic - inner capacity for growth Social-Cognitive - influence of environment

Sigmund Freud pioneered personality psychology!

Psychoanalytic Perspective “first comprehensive theory of personality” University of Vienna 1873 Voracious Reader Medical School Graduate (1856 -1939) Specialized in Nervous Disorders Some patients’ disorders had no physical cause!

Sigmund Freud pioneered personality psychology! u What is the structure and development of personality, according to Sigmund Freud and his successors (i. e. , psychoanalysts)? u According to psychoanalysts, much of behavior is caused by parts of personality which are found in the unconscious and of which we are unaware u Freud’s – – – 3 levels of awareness/consciousness: the conscious mind; the preconscious mind; and the unconscious mind.

Psychoanalysis: The Unconscious “the mind is like an iceberg - mostly hidden” Conscious Awareness Unconscious small part above surface below the surface (Preconscious) (thoughts, feelings, wishes, memories) Repression banishing unacceptable thoughts and passions to unconscious: Dreams and Slips

Psychoanalysis: Freud’s Theory of Personality u Three levels of consciousness: – Conscious mind: mind things we are focusing on. – Preconscious mind: mind things are not currently aware of but which we could focus on. – Unconscious mind: mind that which we are unaware of.

Psychoanalysis: Freud’s Theory of Personality u Freud’s theory suggest that personality is composed of the id, id the ego, ego and the superego u id: the unorganized, inborn part of personality whose purpose is to immediately reduce tensions relating to hunger, sex, aggression, and other primitive impulses. u ego: restrains instinctual energy in order to maintain the safety of the individual and to help the person to be a member of society. u superego: the rights and wrongs of society and consists of the conscience and the ego-ideal.

Freud and Personality Structure Id - energy constantly striving to satisfy basic drives Pleasure Principle Ego - seeks to gratify the Id in realistic ways Reality Principle Super Ego Id Super Ego - voice of conscience that focuses on how we ought to behave

Freud’s Theory: “the ID” u The id uses the most primitive of thinking process. u Basic biological urges (e. g. , hunger, self-protection). u The id operates on the Pleasure Principle – Seeks pleasure and avoids pain: “I want what I want NOW!” NOW! u The – No direct contact with reality. u The – – id operates completely at an unconscious level. id has 2 major instincts: Eros: Eros life instinct = motivates people to focus on pleasure-seeking tendencies (e. g. , sexual urges). Thanatos: Thanatos death instinct = motivates people to use aggressive urges to destroy. u The energy for the id’s instincts comes from the libido, libido (the energy storehouse).

Freud’s Theory: “the Ego” u. The ego consists of a conscious faculty for perceiving and dealing intelligently with reality. u. The ego acts as a mediator between the id and the superego. – The ego is partly conscious. – Deals with the demands of reality. – Makes rational decisions.

Freud’s Theory: “the Ego” u The ego serves the ID: – The rational part of personality that maintains contact with reality. – Governed by ‘Reality Principle’ • u The – ego is the Executive of the personality The ego controls higher mental processes. • – “What consequences are there to my behavior? ” Reasoning, problem solving. The ego uses these higher mental processes to help satisfy the urges of the ID.

Freud’s Theory: “the Superego” u Superego: Superego the moral part of personality. – Internalized rules of parents and society. u Superego consists of two parts: – Conscience: Conscience “notions of right/wrong. ” – Ego Ideal: Ideal “how we ideally like to be. ” u Superego: constrains us from gratifying every impulse (e. g. , murder) because they are immoral, and not because we might get caught. u Superego: Superego partly conscious, partly unconscious.

Freud: superego, id, and ego u. According to Freud, an individual’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are the result of the interaction of the id, the superego, and the ego

Freud’s Theory of Personality: u The id, the ego, and the superego are continually in conflict with one another. u This conflict generates anxiety u If the ego did not effectively handle the resulting anxiety, people would be so overwhelmed with anxiety that they would not be able to carry on with the tasks of everyday living. u The ego tries to control anxiety (i. e. , to reduce anxiety) through the use of ego defense mechanisms u Ego defense mechanisms => next slides.

Ego Defense Mechanisms:

Ego Defense Mechanisms u Definition: Definition An defense mechanism is a psychology tendency that the ego uses to help prevent people from becoming overwhelmed by any conflict (and resulting anxiety) among the id, the ego, and the superego. u Defense mechanisms operate at an unconscious level: level – We are not aware of them during the time that we are actually using them. – However, we may later become aware of their previous operation and use.

Freud’s Theory: Defense Mechanisms u Repression: Repression pushing unacceptable and anxiety-producing thoughts into the unconscious; involves intentional forgetting but not consciously done; repressed material can be memories or unacceptable impulses. – A rape victim cannot recall the details of the attack. u Regression: Regression acting in ways characteristic of earlier life stages/earlier stage of personality. – A young adult, anxious on a trip to his parents/ home, sits in the corner reading comic books, as he often did in grade school.

Freud’s Theory: Defense Mechanisms u Reaction formation: formation replacing an anxiety- producing feeling with its exact opposite, typically going overboard; repressed thoughts appear as mirror opposites. – A man who is anxious about his interest in gay men begins dating women several times a week. u Rationalization: creating false but believable excuses to justify inappropriate behavior; real motive for behavior is not accepted by ego. – A student cheats on an exam, explaining that cheating is legitimate on an unfair examination.

Freud’s Theory: Defense Mechanisms u Denial: Denial claiming and believing that something which is actually true is false. – A person disbelieves that she is age, asserting that “I am not getting older. ” u Displacement: Displacement redirecting emotional feelings (e. g. , anger) to a substitute target; involves directing unacceptable impulses onto a less threatening object/person. – A husband, angry at the way his boss treated him, screams at his children. – Instead of telling your professor what you really think of her, you tailgate and harass a slow driver on your way home from school.

Freud’s Theory: Defense Mechanisms u Projection: Projection attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or beliefs to others; perceiving the external world in terms of one’s own personal conflicts. – An employee at a store, tempted to steal some merchandise, suspects that other employees are stealing. u Sublimation: Sublimation substitute socially acceptable behavior for unacceptable impulses. – Playing video games instead of getting in a fight.

Freud: Stages of Personality Development u Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality suggests that personality develops through a series of stages, stages each of which is associated with a major biological function. u More specifically, Freud theorized that as people age, they pass through several systematic stages of psychosexual development in their personality.

Psychosexual Stages of Development are Source of Unconscious Conflicts. u The stages of personality development involve critical events that occur in every child’s life. u At each level, there is a conflict between pleasure and reality – u At – The resolution of this conflict determines personality. any stage, “a fixation” can occur: occur If needs are either under-gratified or over-gratified, we become fixated at a particular stage u Each – stage also involves an erogenous zone Parts of the body that involve sexual pleasure.