CHAPTER 15 LECTURE NOTES: PERSONALITY

Personality: individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

o Four basic perspectives:
1. Psychoanalytic
2. Trait
3. Humanistic
4. Social-cognitive
5. Freud's theory: proposes that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality
PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE
Psychoanalysis
Technique of treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret 6 unconscious tensions
Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality sought to explain !hat he observed during psychoanalysis
. Free !ssociation
o method of exploring the unconscious
o person relaxes and says !hatever comes to mind, no matter ho! trivial or embarrassing
". #nconscious
o Freud"s theory: a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, !ishes, feelings and memories
o #urrent theory: information processing of !hich !e are una!are
$. Preconscious: information that is not conscious, but is readily retrievable into conscious a!areness
Personality Strctre
1%. &'( reservoir of unconscious psychic energy
o strives to satisfy 11. )asic drives $ sexual and aggressive
o operates on the 12 *leasure *rinci*le% demanding immediate gratification
13. S#P+,+-.( part of personality that represents 14 internali/ed ideals
o provides standards for &udgment and for future aspirations
15. +-.( largely conscious, 10 'e1ecutive2 part of personality
o 1. mediates among the demands of the id, superego and ego
o operates on the 1" reality *rinci*le, satisfying the id's desires in !ays that !ill realistically bring
pleasure rather than pain
Personality !e"elo#$ent
Psychose1ual Stages: childhood stages of development during !hich the pleasure(seeking energies focus
on distinct erogenous )ones
1$. .edi*us 3om*le1: boy's sexual desires to!ards his mother and feelings of &ealousy and hatred for the
*rival+ father
2%. +lectra 3om*le1: came later$ girl's sexual desires to!ards her father and feelings of &ealousy and
hatred for the *rival+ mother
,
%re&'s Psychose(al Sta)es
ST!-+ F.3#S
21. .,!4 5%-1" months6 Pleasure center on the mouth 7 suc8ing9 )iting9
che:ing
22. !;!4 51"-30 months6 Pleasure <ocuses on )o:el = )ladder elimination>
co*ing :ith demands <or control
23. PH!44&3 53-0 years6 Pleasure /one is genitals> co*ing :ith incestuous
se1ual <eelings
24. 4!T+;3? 50 to *u)erty6 'ormant se1ual <eelings
25. -+;&T!4 5*u)erty = on 76 @aturation o< se1ual interests
20. &denti<ication( the process by !hich children incorporate their parents' values into their developing
superegos
2. -ender &dentity( one's sense of being male or female
2". Fi1ation: a lingering focus of pleasure(seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, !here
conflicts !ere unresolved $ nail biters or gum chewers may be fixated in the Oral Stage.
!E%ENSE *ECHANIS*S
2$. 'e<ense @echanisms( the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
o 3%. ,e*ression: basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety(arousing thoughts, feelings, and
memories from consciousness
o 31. ,egression: individual retreats !hen faced !ith anxiety, to a more infantile psychosexual stage
!here some psychic energy remains fixated $ colle)e +resh$an )oes ho$e +or Than,s)i"in)- has
$o$ .ash clothes- +i( +a"orite &inner- tc, hi$ in at ni)ht- etc//
o 32. ,eaction Formation( the ego unconsciously s!itches unacceptable impulses into their opposites
People may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety(arousing unconscious feelings
o 33. ProAection( people disguise their o!n threatening impulses by attributing them to others
o 34. ,ationali/ation( offers self(&ustifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious
reasons for one's actions
o 35. 'is*lacement( shifts sexual or aggressive impulses to!ard a more acceptable or less threatening
ob&ect or person .hen an)ry .ith yor #arents- yo ,ic, a hole in yor 0e&roo$ &oor
NEO1%REU!IANS
30. !l<red !dler: importance of childhood social tension
3. Baren Horney: sought to balance Freud's masculine biases
3". 3arl Cung: emphasi)es collective unconscious $ concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces
from our species' history
ASSESSIN2 THE UNCONSCIOUS
3$. ProAective Test( personality test, such as the -orschach or T .T, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed
to trigger pro&ection of one's inner dynamics
4%. Thematic !**erce*tion Test 5T!T6( pro&ective test in !hich people express their inner feelings and
interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
41. ,orschach &n8)lot Test: most !idely used pro&ective test, uses a set of ,/ inkblots designed by 0ermann
-orschach to identify people's inner feelings by analy)ing their interpretations of the blots
1
TRAIT PERSPECTIVE
Trait( characteristic pattern of behavior% a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self(report inventories and
peer reports
42. Personality &nventory( questionnaire 2often !ith true(false or agree(disagree items3 on !hich people
respond to items designed to gauge a !ide range of feelings and behaviors% used to assess selected personality
traits
3i) %i"e Personality %actors
T,!&T '&@+;S&.; '+S3,&PT&.;
456 E*OTIONAL
STA3ILITY
#alm versus anxious
4ecure versus insecure
4elf(satisfied versus self(pitying
446 E7TRAVERSION 4ociable versus retiring
Fun(loving versus sober
.ffectionate versus reserved
456 OPENNESS 5maginative versus practical
Preference for variety versus
preference for routine
5ndependent versus conforming
486 A2REEA3LE 4oft(hearted versus ruthless
Trusting versus suspicious
0elpful versus uncooperative
496 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 6rgani)ed versus disorgani)ed
#areful versus careless
7isciplined versus impulsive
4:6 *innesota *lti#hasic Personality In"entory ;**PI<
The most !idely researched and clinically used of all personality tests
o 6riginally developed to identify emotional disorders 2still considered its most appropriate use3
o 8o! used for many other screening purposes
o 4$. +m*irically 'erived Test: test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that
discriminate bet!een groups $ similar to 99P5
EVALUATIN2 THE TRAIT PERSPECTIVE
4ituational influences on behavior are important to consider
People can fake 4$.5 desira)le res*onses on self(report measures of personality
.veraging behavior across situations seems to indicate that people do have distinct personality traits
HU*ANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
5%. 3arl ,ogers 2,:/1(,:;<3: focused on gro!th and fulfillment of individuals
-equires three conditions:
51. -enuineness
52. !cce*tance- unconditional *ositive regard( an attitude of total acceptance to!ard
another person
53. +m*athy
o Sel<- 54. 3once*t( all of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an ans!er to the question '=ho
am 5'>'
?
o Sel<- 55. +steem( one's feelings of high or lo! self(!orth
o Sel<- 50. Serving Dias( a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
o 5. &ndividualism: giving priority to one's o!n goals over group goals and defining one's identity in
terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
o 5". 3ollectivism: giving priority to the goals of one's group 2often one's extended family or !ork group3
and defining one's identity accordingly
Contrasts 3et.een In&i"i&alis$ an& Collecti"is$
EVALUATIN2 THE HU*ANISTIC PERSPECTIVE
#oncepts like self(actuali)ation are 0". vague
@mphasis on self may promote self(indulgence and lack of concern for others
Theory does not address reality of human capacity for 0$. evil
Theory has impacted popular ideas on child rearing, education, management, etc
SOCIAL1CO2NITIVE PERSPECTIVE
,eci*rocal 'eterminism( %. interacting in<luences )et:een *ersonality and environmental <actors
Personal 3ontrol( 1. our sense o< controlling our environments rather than <eeling hel*less
+1ternal 4ocus o< 3ontrol( 2. *erce*tion that chance or outside <orces )eyond one's *ersonal control
determine one's <ate
&nternal 4ocus o< 3ontrol( 3. the *erce*tion that one controls one's o:n <ate
4earned Hel*lessness( 4. ho*elessness and *assive resignation an animal or human learns :hen
una)le to avoid re*eated aversive events
EVALUATIN2 THE SOCIAL1CO2NITIVE PERSPECTIVE
Auilt from research on learning and cognition
Fails to consider 5. unconscious motives and individual dis*osition
Today, 0. cognitive-)ehavioral theory is *erha*s *redominant *sychological a**roach to e1*laining
human )ehavior
3.;3+PT &;'&E&'#!4&S@ 3.44+3T&E&S@
S+4F 5$. &nde*endent
2identity from individual traits3
5$. &nterde*endent
2identity from belongings3
4&F+ T!SB 7iscover and express one"s
uniqueness
9aintain connections
FH!T @!TT+,S 0%. @e9 *ersonal achievement and
<ul<illment> rights and li)erties
=e, group goals and
solidarity% social
responsibilities and
relationships
3.P&;- @+TH.' 01. 3hange reality 02. !ccommodate reality
@.,!4&T? 7efined by individuals 2self(based3 7efined by 03. social
net:or8s 2duty(based3
,+4!T&.;SH&PS 9any, often temporary or casual%
04. con<rontation acce*ta)le
Fe!, close and enduring%
05. harmony valued
!TT,&D#T&;-
D+H!E&.,
Aehavior reflects 00. oneGs
*ersonality and attitudes
Aehavior reflects 0. social
norm and roles
B