Unit Ten Personality What is Personality n Definition

Unit Ten: Personality

What is Personality? n Definition A relatively enduring set of behavioral, emotional and mental characteristics n remains relatively stable over time n makes each of us unique n Begin Lec. 1 Guide

Enduring Issues in Psychology n Nature vs. Nurture n Is personality genetically encoded or learned?

Enduring Issues in Psychology n Unconscious or Conscious? n Do you know why you do what you do?

Enduring Issues in Psychology n Fixed vs. Situational n Is personality stable or does it change from situation to situation?

Sigmund Freud Background n Hot. Victorian Era n n A time of repression Rigid gender roles separate spheres for males and females Clothing restricted movement and covered head to toe Rumors said people were even scandalized by bare table and piano legs! Queen Victoria of England

Sigmund Freud Background n Personal History Remarriage of his father n Older half-brothers n Young, doting mother n “Golden Sigi” n Favored over his other siblings n ABOVE: Freud and his Dad. BELOW: Freud and his Mom

Sigmund Freud Three Main Beliefs Childhood experiences determine the adult personality n Unconscious mental processes influence everyday behavior n Conflict causes most human behavior n

Sigmund Freud 3 -Part Theory of Personality Structure n Part 1: The Id n Born with this intact n Governed by “Pleasure Principle” n Houses unconscious drives of sex (libido) and aggression n Selfish, irrational, seeks instant gratification DO IT NOW!

Sigmund Freud 3 -Part Theory of Personality Structure n Part 2: The Superego Develops during childhood (6 years) n Governed by “Judicial” or “Moral Principle” n The internalized parent n Seeks to do what is right and good (conscience) n Causes us to feel guilty for our desires/id impulses n Behave!

Sigmund Freud 3 -Part Theory of Personality Structure n Part 3: The Ego Develops during childhood (6 months) n Governed by “Reality Principle” n Seeks to gratify Id urges at an appropriate time n Inherits inevitable anxiety produced by Id -Superego conflict n ?

Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious n Dream Interpretation Dreams allow unconscious urges to leak out n Dreams allow unconscious wishes to be fulfilled in a safe way n Dreams are symbolic and may be interpreted n

Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious n “Slip of the tongue” n n AKA “Freudian Slip” Your unconscious thoughts leak out and you say something you did not mean to

Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious n Free Association n Freudian therapeutic technique n Say whatever comes to mind without censorship n Unconscious comes to the surface

Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious n “Tip of the Iceberg” saying that implies we are unaware of most of what motivates us n What is conscious is just the “tip of the iceberg” n A LOT more is beneath the surface S’up. n Freudian What we are aware of at any given time. What we can easily retrieve What we are unaware of and is deeply buried

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Oral Stage (0 -1. 5) Erogenous Zone=Mouth n Libido satisfied by breast feeding n Major conflict: weaning n Failure to resolve the issue leads to an oral fixation n Suck/chew things for security n Smoking, obsessive eating, nail biting, pen chewing, drinking n Sarcasm, aggressiveness n

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Anal Stage (1. 5 -3) n n Erogenous Zone=Anus Libido satisfied by defecating Major conflict: toilet training Failure to resolve the issue leads to an anal fixation Anal Retentive - tightly controlled, OCD, fear of dirt, obsessed with punctuality n Anal Expulsive - messy, disorganized, rebellious, overly giving, obsession with bathroom humor n I refuse!

Sigmund Freud HA! The Psychosexual Stages n Phallic Stage (4 -6) BOYS Erogenous Zone=Penis n Libido satisfied by genital stimulation n Oedipus Complex WT*!! n n Boy desires mother, wants to eliminate father Uh-oh Resolved through castration anxiety, where boy fears father will find out about his plan and cut “it” off Boy relinquishes desire for mom and befriends dad out of fear AHA!!

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Phallic Stage (4 -6) GIRLS Erogenous Zone=Clitoris n Libido satisfied by genital stimulation n Oedipus Complex n n Resolved FAST due to PENIS ENVY Girl then seeks penis through father during Electra Complex Girl resolves this by replacing her desire for a penis with her desire for a baby and plays with dolls WHAT!? Take MUAHAHAHA That! HAHA! Nope. You don’t have one.

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Phallic Stage (4 -6) Major conflict: relinquishing desire for opposite sex parent n Failure to resolve the issue leads to fixation n Excessive masturbation, overly flirtatious n Excessive modesty, or excessively timid n Overly proud n Promiscuous n

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Latency (7 -11) Erogenous Zone=NONE n Child goes to school n Sexual feelings repressed n Child develops academic, social and extracurricular skills n Typically plays in same-sex play groups n

Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages n Genital (puberty on) Erogenous Zone=Penis/Vagina n Begins when child hits puberty/sexual maturity n Normal sexual relationships occur at this stage Hi, I’m your dad! n No he’s not.

Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms The inevitable conflict between id and superego produces anxiety. n This anxiety is inherited by the ego, which uses the defense mechanisms to better manage it. n

Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms n Denial (Negation) n n Repression n n Taking on the characteristics of other to avoid feeling incompetent Regression n n Attributing one’s own feelings, motives, or wishes to others Identification n n Unpleasant thoughts are excluded from consciousness; “motivated forgetting” Projection n n Refusal to acknowledge a painful reality Reverting to childlike behavior Rationalization n Making up a logical explanation for an emotionally painful event rather than dealing with the pain

Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms n Intellectualization n n Reaction formation n n Shift repressed motives from an original object to a substitute object Sublimation n n Expression of exaggerated ideas and emotions that are opposite of true feelings Displacement n n Thinking about stressful problems in an abstract way to detach oneself from them Redirecting repressed motives and feelings into socially acceptable activities Undoing n After-the-fact defense mechanism involving “making up” for guiltproducing actions

Neo Freudians General Themes n n n The Neo-Freudians were a group of psychologists who followed Freud’s teachings and were often his best and brightest students. They eventually had some minor disagreements with Freud about his theory, and developed theories of their own. Freud had little patience for these dissenters, and quickly kicked them to the curb. Begin Lec. 2 Guide

Neo Freudians Alfred Adler n n n He was the younger, “weaker” son in his family Inferiority was the key to understanding personality Inferiority complex n n Fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that can lead to emotional and social paralysis Fictional Finalism n Setting long-term goals that may never be reached, but help you to achieve a sense of satisfaction along the way

Neo Freudians Alfred Adler n Birth Order n n n Dethronement n n Oldest Middle Youngest Only When the next child is born, the older one is forced to share parental attention Compensation n Our efforts to win back parental love after dethronement

Neo Freudians Karen Horney (Horn-EYE!) n n One of the first female psychoanalysts to study with Freud. Got divorced to pursue her career – rare at the time! Viewed anxiety as a powerful motivating force Environmental and social factors important seen as being as important as unconscious sexual conflict

Neo Freudians Karen Horney n Developed Coping Mechanisms to deal with insecurity Compliance – moving toward others n Aggression – moving against others n Withdrawal – moving away from others n n Neurotic trends n Irrational strategies for coping with emotional problems

Neo Freudians Carl Jung n n One of Freud’s best students – his “surrogate son” Freud was said to have fainted in his presence several times! Believed in the collective unconscious, in addition to the personal unconscious Collective unconscious was comprised of archetypes

Neo Freudians Erikson n Another of Freud’s best students and biggest advocates Strayed from Freud’s theory due to disagreement with the psychosexual stages Erikson believed in the psychosocial stages which involved a series of conflicts that lasted throughout the entire lifespan n n n n Trust vs. mistrust Autonomy vs. shame and doubt Initiative vs. guilt Industry vs. inferiority Identity vs. role confusion Intimacy vs. isolation Generativity vs. stagnation Ego integrity vs. despair

Personality Assessment: Psychodynamic Theories n Projective tests Ambiguous stimuli presented to subject/client n Open-ended – no “correct” answer n Answers are interpreted by therapist for underlying meaning n Preferred by psychodynamic theorists to unleash the unconscious n n Examples Rorschach test n Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) n

Personality Assessment: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) n n n Developed by Henry Murray in 1935 Examiner chooses 10 cards with ambiguous black-and-white drawings of people in various situations Subjects must tell a story about each card Results analyzed based on need for achievement, affiliation, and aggression Heroes, needs, themes and outcomes of the stories provide insight Relies too much on the examiner’s interpretation – little reliability/validity

Personality Assessment: Rorschach. Test n n n Developed by Hermann Rorschach in 1921 10 inkblots – 5 color, 5 bw Subjects describe all 10 inkblots Examiner then goes through cards again and asks questions for clarification/detail Provides subject with considerable freedom to respond, but lacks reliability and validity.

Assessing Psychodynamic Theories of Personality n Strengths n n Early experiences shape personality and these should be studied from a developmental perspective Human emotion and motivation are important in understanding personality Concept of the unconscious Therapeutic techniques n Criticisms n n Untestable Data to support this theory comes primarily from case studies based on the memories of clients, which we know can be flawed Pessimistic outlook on human nature Sexist/biased against women

Humanistic Theories n n n As you already know, these theories stress the potential for human goodness and the natural desire to achieve personal goals Unlike psychodynamic theories, humanistic theories give individuals the power to control their own destiny Representatives include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers Begin Lec. 3 Guide

Humanistic Theories Abraham Maslow

Humanistic Theories Carl Rogers n REAL SELF IDEAL SELF n Behavior is goal-directed and worthwhile Positive Regard n n n REAL SELF IDEAL SELF Conditional – you are only loved when you conform to others’ wishes Unconditional – you are loved no matter what choices you make Positive regard impacts personality and happiness n n n Real self – what you really are Ideal self – what you want to be Should have some overlap – you will if you get unconditional positive regard!

Trait and Type Theories Personality is best explained in terms of descriptive adjectives and categories comprised of related qualities n Earliest of all types of personality theories n Representatives include Hippocrates and Galen, Allport and Eysenck n

Trait and Type Theories The Four Humors The oldest theory of personality structure dating back to the Classical period (400 BCE) n Personality can be explained by the amounts of the four body fluids you have at a given time n A healthy personality meant a balance of these body fluids (humors) n

Trait and Type Theories The Four Humors n A B Image from the Middle Ages depicting the personality types associated with the four humors. n n D C Top Left (A): Melancholic (Black Bile) moody, glum Top Right (B): Choleric (Yellow Bile) irritable and hot tempered Bottom Right (C): Phlegmatic (Phlegm) slow and droopy Bottom Left (D): Sanguine (Red Bile) happy, energetic, passionate

Trait and Type Theories Gordon Allport n n n Allport perused the dictionary to extract every possible adjective that could be used to describe personality After finding several thousand words, he decided this task was…overwhelming He decided to describe personality in terms of three types of traits n n n Cardinal Traits – DEFINING trait Central Traits – top 8 -10 descriptives Secondary Traits – situational descriptives

Trait and Type Theories Gordon Allport n n Your assignment tonight should look like THIS It SHOULD NOT have your name on it! Typed, 12 -point, black ink TIMES ROMAN font Bring it TOMORROW! ALLPORT ANALYSIS Cardinal Trait: (your DEFINING TRAIT) 1. Central Traits: (one word – top 7 words that describe you all the time) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Secondary Traits: (these should be phrases that describe you in a particular situation) 1. 2. 3.

Trait and Type Theories Hans Eysenck n Eysenck evaluated personality based on 3 major dimensions: n Stable vs. Unstable (Neurotic) n n n Introverted vs. Extroverted n n n Are you predictable? Are you sponteneous? Are you social and outgoing? Are you reserved? Psychoticism n Are you EXTREMELY stable, unstable, introverted or extroverted?

Trait and Type Theories Big Five n The “Big Five” traits currently thought to be central to describing personality (OCEAN) n Openness n n Conscientiousness n n Are you outgoing? Agreeableness n n Are you goal directed and driven? Extroversion n n Will you try new things? Do you keep an open mind? Are you intelligent? Are you a peace-maker or a trouble-maker? Neuroticism/stability n Are you predictable? Do you enjoy routine?

Trait and Type Theories Big Five n n Why not try eating spiders? Open to new experiences… NOT open… I’m not eating that! Hmpf!

Trait and Type Theories Big Five n Conscientious… n Undirected… I am working ‘til it’s DONE! Whatever…

Trait and Type Theories Big Five I hate people. Yeeeehaw! n Introvert! n Extrovert!

Trait and Type Theories Big Five Break it up! I am gonna kick you’re a**! n Agreeable… n Antagonistic…

Trait and Type Theories Big Five Did someone touch my book!? !? !? ! I may fetch…then again, I may maul you to death… n n Stable, Predictable… Unpredictable, Neurotic…

Behaviorist Theories n n Behaviorist theories claim that personality is formed through environmental stimuli – reinforcement and punishment. Example psychologists include Albert Bandura, John Watson and B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist Theories Albert Bandura n n n Bandura believed people will imitate what they see others doing without being directly reinforced. He called this theory observational learning theory His famous study was called the Bobo Doll Study pictured here…

Behaviorist Theories Classical Conditioning n n Some behaviorists like Watson and Pavlov believed aspects of personality could be learned simply by pairing stimuli together Watson proved this in his Baby Albert experiment

Behaviorist Theories Operant Conditioning n Some behaviorists like Skinner believed that personality could be learned by being reinforced or punished for certain behaviors. You will NOT swear, Johnny! !@*#$ #$%$!

Cognitive Theories n n Cognitive theorists believe that personality is primarily a function of of thoughts and thought processes. Example cognitive theorists include Bandura, Rotter and Mischel

Cognitive Theories Julian Rotter n n Rotter was a cognitive theorist who developed the concept of locus of control. People tend to have either an internal or external locus of control. n Internal Locus of Control – things that happen in your life are a result of your own actions. n n E. g. “I made varsity because I spent the whole off-season training to do so!” External Locus of Control – things that happen in your life are a result of forces beyond your control. n E. g. “I made varsity because my horoscope said I would have a lucky day!”

Cognitive Theories Albert Bandura n n Bandura, who also could be considered a cognitive theorist, believed that self efficacy was important in understanding personality. Self efficacy is defined as one’s belief that they will be successful in the things they do. Individuals with a higher sense of self efficacy tend to be happier and more successful. Interestingly, girls’ sense of self efficacy tends to drop when they hit puberty. Why?

Cognitive Theories Walter Mischel n n n Mischel believed in the concept of selfregulation. This accounts for the fact that people often change their personality depending on the situation they are in. In the process of self-regulation, people change their actions and responses on the basis of past experiences as well as an assessment of the current situation.

Personality Assessment: How do we measure personality? n Objective tests – Standardized, closed-ended n n n Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (Cattell’s 16 PF) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory Preferred by trait and type theorists Projective tests – Ambiguous stimuli n n n Rorschach test Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Preferred by psychodynamic theorists to unleash the unconscious

Personality Assessment n The personal interview/Assessment interview n n Direct observation/Naturalistic Observation n n As previously discussed, can get very honest information Self Monitoring n n n 1 to 1 direct questioning Method of personality regulation used when you want to change an aspect of your personality Record all thoughts and behaviors surrounding a behavioral pattern you want to change to try to eliminate triggers Neuropsychological Assessment n Use technology to monitor brain activity during certain behaviors or thought processes to understand organic causes of personality traits