Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY

(6th Ed)

Chapter 14

Personality

James A. McCubbin, PhDClemson University

Worth Publishers

What is Personality?

PersonalityAn individual’s characteristic pattern

of thinking, feeling, and actingFour basic perspectives

•Psychoanalytic•Trait•Humanistic•Social-cognitive

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

From Freud’s theory which proposes that childhood

sexuality and unconscious

motivations

influence personality

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory that

attributes our thoughts and actions to

UNCONSCIOUS motives and conflictsTechniques used in treating psychological

disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

Unconscious According to Freud- a reservoir of

mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories

Contemporary viewpoint- information processing of which we are unaware

Preconscious information that is not conscious,

but is retrievable into conscious awareness

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

Free AssociationIn psychoanalysis, a method of

exploring the unconsciousPerson relaxes and says whatever

comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Personality Development

Psychosexual Stagesthe childhood stages of development during

which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Oedipus Complexa boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and

feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

•Theme is dependency.

•Others must provide everything needed.

•Baby is all id.

•Oral characters- independent and refuse help from anyone OR passive and wait for things to get done.

•Theme is self-control. All of a sudden, more demands on the child• Child begins to develop the ego- meditate b/w what is wanted and what is possible.•Anal characters- overly organized and controlling OR little or no self-control

•Theme: Gender identification•Superego devel.•Phallic person- rigid or loose moral code

•Something that is attained if all goes well- some it might not happen•Theme: enhancement of life/maturity•Genital character is balanced- love and work

Moving Through Stages

The mind progressing through these stages is like an army conquering hostile territory. Sometime, is encounters opposition.

“Battles” at each of the stages. If the battle is not completely won (unresolved conflict), energy “Libido” is left behind- FIXATION

As an adult, the person will be dominated by issues from that stage and will retreat there when stressed- REGRESSION Oral character might become passive and

dependent, suck thumb, smoke Phallic character might become promiscuous

The more libido at the end, the more adjusted the person will be.

Personality Development

Identificationthe process by which

children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos

Personality Structure

Freud’s idea of the mind’s structure

Id

Superego

Ego Conscious mind

Unconscious mind

Personality Structure

Id- “it”contains a reservoir of unconscious

psychic energystrives to satisfy basic sexual and

aggressive drivesoperates on the pleasure principle,

demanding immediate gratificationAt birth, we are all id.

Personality Structure

Superegothe part of personality that

presents internalized idealsprovides standards for judgement

and for future aspirationscan be taught

Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanismsthe ego’s protective methods of

reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression the basic defense mechanism that

banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness

Personality Structure

Egothe largely conscious, “executive” part of

personalitymediates among the demands of the id,

superego and realityoperates on the reality principle,

satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Assessing the Unconscious

Projective Test a personality test, such as the Rorschach or

TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) a projective test in which people express their

inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Assessing the Unconscious- TAT

Assessing the Unconscious

Rorschach Inkblot Test the most widely used projective

testa set of 10 inkblots designed by

Hermann Rorschachseeks to identify people’s inner

feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Assessing the Unconscious- Rorschach

Neo-Freudians

Alfred Adlerimportance of childhood social tension

(inferiority complex) Karen Horney

sought to balance Freud’s masculine biases

Carl Jungemphasized the collective unconscious

• concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Carl Jung Disagreed with Freud on two

major points1) took a more positive view of

human nature- people try to develop their potential

2) Two types of unconscious• 1) personal unconsciousness• 2) collective unconscious

Collective Unconscious Contains inherited instincts, urges, and

memories of the entire human species that shape perception of the world- archetypes

Appear again and again- influence us Small but good triumphs over big and bad Heroes Males and Females Sense of self Parenthood Spiritual search Death Fear of snakes?

Carl Jung- Persona

The "mask" or image we present to the world. Designed to make a particular impression on

others We put on different “masks” in different social

situations and act like different people. Teacher Mother Child Friend Principal

Alfred Adler

Driving force is to overcome inferiority People who continually try to

compensate for their feelings have an inferiority complex Ex- Someone who felt physically week

as a child will result as an adult striving for physical strength

Parenting matters- a child should learn self-reliance and courage from the father and generosity and apathy from the mother

Others Erich Fromm- need to belong and

avoid loneliness Karen Horney- children can avoid

the sexual parent-child conflict if raised with love and security

Erik Erikson

Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective

Important within its historical context Researchers find little support that

defense mechanisms disguise sexual and aggressive impulses

History does not support Freud’s idea that sexual repression causes psychological disorder

The Trait Perspective

Trait a characteristic pattern of behaviora disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-

report inventories and peer reports Personality Inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors

used to assess selected personality traits

The Trait Perspective

Hans and Sybil Eysenck use two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation

UNSTABLE

STABLE

cholericmelancholic

phlegmaticsanguineINTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED

MoodyAnxious

RigidSober

PessimisticReserved

Unsociable

Quiet

SociableOutgoing

TalkativeResponsiveEasygoing

LivelyCarefree

Leadership

PassiveCarefulThoughtful

Peaceful

ControlledReliableEven-tempered

Calm

TouchyRestlessAggressive

ExcitableChangeable

ImpulsiveOptimistic

Active

The Trait Perspective

The “Big Five” Personality FactorsTrait Dimension Description

Emotional Stability 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

Conscientiousness Organized versus disorganized Careful versus careless Disciplined versus impulsive

I see myself as someone who

1) is talkative 2) tends to find fault

with others 3) does a thorough job 4) has a wide range of

interests 5) is depressed, blue 6) is original, comes

up with new ideas 7) is reserved 8) is helpful and

unselfish with others 9) prefers the

conventional and the traditional

10) can be somewhat careless

11) is relaxed, handles stress well

12) is curious about many different things

13) is full of energy 14) prefers work that

is routine and simple 15) starts quarrels

with others 16) is a reliable

worker 17) can be tense 18) is clever and

sharp witted 19) tends to be quiet 20) values artistic

experiences

21) tends to be disorganized

22) is emotionally stable, not easily upset

23) has an active imagination

24) perseveres until the task is finished

25) is sometimes rude to others

26) has unwavering self-confidence

27) is inventive 28) is generally trusing 29) tends to be lazy 30) is clear-thinking,

intelligent

31) worries a lot 32) wants things to be

simple and clear cut 33) is sometimes shy and

inhibited 34) has a forgiving nature 35) is idealistic and can

be a dreamer 36) does things efficiently 37) can be moody 38) is ingenious and a

deep thinker 39) generates a lot of

enthusiasm 40) can be cold and aloof

41) Enjoys thinking about complicated problems

42) Makes plans and follows through with them

43) Remains calm in tense situations

44) Likes to reflect and play with ideas

45) Is considerate and kind to almost everyone

46) Seeks adventure and excitement

47) Gets nervous easily

48) Is sophisticated in art, music, or literature

49) Has an assertive personality

50) Is insightful and sees different possibilities

51) Likes to cooperate with others

52) Is easily distracted 53) Is outgoing and

sociable 54) Has few artistic

interests

The Trait Perspective

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)the most widely researched and clinically

used of all personality testsoriginally developed to identify emotional

disorders (still considered its most appropriate use)

now used for many other screening purposes

The Trait Perspective

Empirically Derived Testa test developed by testing a pool

of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups

such as the MMPI

51.I am in just as good physical health as most of my friends52.I prefer to pass by school friends, or people I know but have not seen for a long time, unless they speak to me first54.I am liked by most people who know me55.I am almost never bothered by pains over the heart or in my chest56.As a youngster I was suspended from school one or more times for cutting up59.I have often had to take orders from someone who did not know as much as I did60.I do not read every editorial in the newspaper everyday61.I have not lived the right kind of life62.Parts of my body often have feeling like burning, tingling, crawling, or like “going to sleep”64.I sometimes keep on at a thing until others lose their patience with me65.I loved my father66.I see things or animals or people around me that others do not see67.I wish I could be as happy as others seem to be68.I hardly ever feel pain in the back of the neck

Evaluating the Trait Perspective

Situational influences on behavior are important to consider

People can fake desirable responses on self-report measures of personality

Averaging behavior across situations seems to indicate that people do have distinct personality traits

Humanistic Perspective

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)studied self-actualization processes of

productive and healthy people (e.g., Lincoln) Self-Actualization

the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved

the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Humanistic Perspective

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals

• requires three conditions:

• genuineness

• acceptance - unconditional positive regard

• empathy

Unconditional Positive Regardan attitude of total acceptance toward another

person

Humanistic Perspective

Self-Conceptall our thoughts and feelings about

ourselves, in an answer to the question, “Who am I?’

Self-Esteem one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-Serving Bias a readiness to perceive oneself

favorably

Humanistic Perspective

Individualism giving priority to one’s own goals over group

goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivismgiving priority to the goals of one’s group

(often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective

Concepts like self-actualization are vague Emphasis on self may promote self-

indulgence and lack of concern for others Theory does not address reality of human

capacity for evil Theory has impacted popular ideas on

child-rearing, education, management, etc.

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Reciprocal Determinism the interacting

influences between personality and environmental factors

Internal personal/cognitive factors

(liking high-riskactivities)

Behavior(learning to

bungee jump)

Environmentalfactors

(bungee-jumpingfriends)

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Personal Controlour sense of controlling our

environments rather than feeling helpless

External Locus of Control the perception that chance or

outside forces beyond one’s personal control determine one’s fate

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Internal Locus of Control the perception that one controls

one’s own fate Learned Helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Learned Helplessness

Uncontrollablebad events

Perceivedlack of control

Generalizedhelpless behavior

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Positive Psychologythe scientific study of optimal

human functioningaims to discover and promote

conditions that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Built from research on learning and cognition

Fails to consider unconscious motives and individual disposition

Today, cognitive-behavioral theory is perhaps predominant psychological approach to explaining human behavior