Personality

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Personality

• Chapter 12, Part I

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Personality

• Personality is defined as each persons unique
  pattern of thinking, acting, feeling.
• Three main perspectives on personality
  development (why we are the way we are)
• Psychoanalytic perspectiveFreud, Jung, etc.
• Behavioral/Social Cognitive perspectiveSkinner,
  Bandura
• Humanistic perspectiveMaslow, Rogers, etc.
• Trait theory is a descriptive theory, offers no
  information about causes for personality.

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Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
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The Importance of Sigmund Freud

• Psychoanalytic theory is more than a theory of
  psychotherapy. Its a theory of personality,
  development, human nature.
• Freud was first person to formalize a method of
  talk therapy.
• All other theories of psychotherapy are building
  upon or reacting against Freuds theories.

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The Unconscious Mind

• Freud believed that the part of our mind to which
  we have access (the pre-conscious conscious) is
  much smaller than the part to which we dont have
  access (unconscious).
• Unconscious contains (among other things)
  thoughts, feelings, and wishes which we find
  unacceptable, frightening, or uncomfortable.
• Unconscious can be accessed with analysis.
• Dreams, slips of the tongue, free association

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Structural TheoryThree parts of the mind

• Idruled by the pleasure principle driven to
  satisfy basic needs immature, illogical,
  unconscious. It is the earliest part of our
  personality, present at birth.
• Egoruled by the reality principle serves as a
  mediator between the id and the external world.
  Also works to mediate between id and superego.
• Superegoruled by the perfection principle.
• Ego Ideal is the standard
• Conscience is judging how well you live up to the
  standard.

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Defense Mechanisms

• Repressionexcluded from awareness
• Denialnot acknowledged
• Reaction formationopposite of what is true
• Projectionattribute your feelings to others
• Displacementshift to safer target

• Rationalizationjustify behaviors
• Sublimationdivert sexual energy to other
  channels
• Regressionrevert to earlier stage of development
• Undoingtaking it back

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Personality DevelopmentPsychosexual Stages

• Freud believed that the first six years of life
  laid the foundation upon which personality is
  built.
• There are key developmental tasks at the
  various stages of development.
• Oral stage (first year)feeding satisfies need
  for food and pleasure basic nurturing.
• Anal stage (ages 1-3)toilet-training leads to
  independence, fosters sense of control.

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Personality DevelopmentPsychosexual Stages

• Phallic stage (ages 3-6)desire to join with
  opposite-sex parent and remove competition of
  same-sex parent (Oedipus Complex) castration
  anxiety (boys) and penis envy (girls) are part of
  this stage. Resolution is identification with
  same-sex parent.
• Latency stage (ages 6-12)time of socialization
  and forming relationships with others outside
  family, developing interests, etc.
• Genital stage (ages 12-adult)sexual energy
  re-emerges, interest in sexual relationships
  begins and must be appropriately expressed.

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Neo-Freudians

• Jung argued for idea of both a personal ucs. and
  a collective ucs.
• Collective ucs. contains archetypes
• Adler argued that feelings of inferiority and
  striving for superiority affected personality, as
  did birth order within a family.
• Horney argued that children have a basic anxiety
  and that lack of sense of security in childhood
  creates neurotic personalities in adults.

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Criticism and Support

• Freudian theory is a closed systemFreud can
  always prove himself right.
• Research has not supported some of his concepts,
  such as repression. Others would argue that it
  is very difficult to do research into his
  theories.
• Variations on Freudian theory are still very
  influential in therapy, literature, etc.

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Social-Cognitive Theory
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Cognitive Theories

• Social-cognitive theorists agree with
  behaviorists that environment has a strong impact
  on the development of personality also believe
  cognitive processes mediate b/w environment and
  behavior.
• Bandura argued that our personality and behavior
  interact with our environmentreciprocal
  determinism. We choose differing environments,
  our personalities shape how we interpret and
  react to events and how others react to us.

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Self-Efficacy

• Self-efficacy is a persons belief about how
  effective a given behavior will be in a given
  environment or scenario.
• Relates to Locus of Controlhow much control do
  you have over your behavior, vs. how much control
  do outside forces have?

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Criticisms and Supports

• Does a good job of addressing the very important
  role that environment plays in shaping ones
  behavior, personality components.
• Doesnt adequately address the enduring nature of
  some traits.

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Humanistic Theory of Personality
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Humanistic Ideals

• Humanistic perspective argues that we are
  basically good and have a strong desire to become
  the best person that we can be.
• In the right environment, we will naturally move
  toward these goals of self-actualizing and being
  good to ourselves and others.

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Self

• Rogers agreed with Maslow that we have a
  self-actualizing tendency,striving for growth.
• Our self-concept may be affected by our own
  perceptions and feedback from others.
• Real self and ideal self need to be similar in
  order for a person to be happy.

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Carl Rogers Conditions for Growth

• Rogers felt that there were three conditions for
  helping people develop into their best selves.
• Empathyattempting to feel the feelings of others
  and expressing that understanding.
• Genuinenessopen, honest, self-disclosing.
• Unconditional Positive Regardhaving caring,
  accepting feelings toward another do not have to
  agree with their behavior, but accept them
  unconditionally.

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Criticisms and Supports

• Concepts rather vague, subjective. How can I
  tell when Im self-actualized?
• Fails to fully address the realism of evil,
  selfishness, idea that humans may not be
  naturally good.
• Has been very influential, is a very positive
  approach to personality development.