Personality TheoriesChapter 11

Features of PersonalityCharacteristic: must be seen in many or all

people to be of interest or useShyness – seen in some degree in all humans

Consistent: must occur repeatedlyGenerally shy everywhere

Unique: characteristic combine in an unmatched mannerNo two personalities are the same

Goals of Personality Theorists

Goal #1: Discover patterns in the way people behave

Personality Traits: general ways of behaving that characterize an individual

PT try to determine: What traits go togetherWhy some traits are present and others

notWhy traits appear when they do

Goal #2: Explain the differences between

individuals

Behaviors may be explained in terms of motivesWhat causes people to want to

succeed?

Goal #3: Explore how people conduct their lives

Most personality theorists began as psychotherapistsWorked with people who had difficulty

coping with everyday problemsDeveloped ideas about living happily

Try to explain why problems ariseWhy some struggle more than others

Goal #4: Determining how life can be improved

People are not always 100% satisfied with their lives

What are the proper goals of growth and change?

Personality theories try to make ideas

about why people act in certain ways.

Personality Test Linkhttp://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.

asp

Write 2 additional paragraphs1 explaining how the test differs or is similar to

what you wrote about yourself1 answering the question: How might this explain

why we study psychology?