Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theories of Personality

Power Point Presentation by Avidan Milevsky, Ph.D.

Touro College South

This presentation copyright Susan C. Cloninger. Some images are from "Holy Cow! 250,000 Graphics," by Macmillan Digital Publishing USA.

“Who am I?”

“I am . . .” 1. 2. 3. . . 20.

Beside each number list what you consider to be some of your positive and negative personality qualities.

1. Introduce yourself to the other group members and tell them about your personality.

2. As a group identify the four descriptive terms used most frequently on the exercise. Why do you think these specific terms were used to describe personality?

3. Identify any of the self-descriptive terms that do not really qualify as personality characteristics. What makes a personal quality part of your personality?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction to Personality

Theory

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter Overview

Personality: The Study of IndividualsDefinition of Personality

Description of PersonalityDifferences Between People: Groups or Gradations?Comparing People or Studying Individuals

Personality DynamicsAdaptation and AdjustmentCognitive ProcessesCulture

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter Overview Cont.

Personality DevelopmentBiological InfluencesExperience in Childhood and Adulthood

The Scientific ApproachTheoryCriteria of a Good TheoryRelationship Between Theory and Research

Methods in Personality ResearchPersonality MeasurementCorrelational StudiesExperimentationStudying Individuals

One Theory or Many? Eclecticism and the Future of Personality Theory

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality: The Study of Individuals

Definition of PersonalityDefinition of Personality

The underlying causes withinthe person of individual behavior

and experience

Definition of Personality

DescriptionDynamicsDevelopment

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Description of Personality

•Types:Old approachCategoriesHippocrates Optimistic, Melancholic, Irritable, Apathetic

•Traits•Varies from one person to another•Is more focued•The numbers are astonishing

•Factors•Are broader than traits•They are quantitative

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality DynamicsMotivations for Behavior

Adaptation and Adjustment

Cognitive Processes Culture

How do people adapt to life’s demands?

How does a mentally healthy person act?

What behaviors or thoughts are unhealthy?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Dynamics

Adaptation and Adjustment

Cognitive Processes Culture

Do our thoughts affect our personality?

What kinds of thoughts are important for personality?

Do unconscious processes influence us?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Dynamics

Adaptation and Adjustment

Cognitive Processes Culture

How does culture influence our functioning?

Does culture affect us by its expectations for men and women? For different classes?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Development

Biological Influences Experience in

Childhood and Adulthood

How do biological processes affect personality?

Is personality inherited?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Development

Biological Influences Experience in

Childhood and Adulthood

What do children learn that matters for personality?

Does childhood experience determine adult personality?

Do adults change? Or has personality been determined earlier?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Scientific Approach

method of knowing based on systematic observation

Scientific method:

the assumption that phenomena have causes that can be discovered by empirical research

neurotransmitter causes of experience

thoughts that influence moods and choices

Determinism:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Scientific Approach

THEORYTHEORY

A conceptual tool for understanding

certain specific phenomena

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Levels of Thinking in Theory

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Levels of Thinking in Theory:Another View

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hypotheses Derived From a Theoretical Proposition

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between theory and research

Theory Research

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between theory and research

ideas about personality that are held by ordinary people (not based on formal theory)

assuming that attractive people are warm and trustworthy

assuming that HIV positive people look different from HIV negative people

Implicit theories:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

Personality measurements:

reliability validity measurement techniques

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

repeatability, as when a measurement is repeated at another time or by another observer, with similar results

a correlation between assessment of extraversion once and a month later shows good agreement

two raters assess a person’s behavior, with similar results

Reliability:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

test-retest reliability alternate forms reliability split-half reliability

Methods of Reliability Testing:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

desirable characteristic of a test, indicating that it actually does measure what it is intended to measure

a trait of extraversiona fixation from childhood

conflict

Validity:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

measurement techniquesmeasurement techniques

direct self-report measures, i.e., "How important is achievement to you?" (on a 10-point scale)

indirect methods open-ended questions, i.e., “What would you look for in an

ideal job?” projective tests, i.e., inkblots

behavioral measures How often does the person choose to spend time alone

instead of with other people? How often does the student turn in assignments late?

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

research method that examines the relationships among measures

research that correlates intelligence measures with career success

research that correlates maladjustment with childhood abuse

Correlational research:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

research strategy that manipulates a cause to determine its effect

manipulating exposure to television violence to determine effect on aggressive behavior

subliminal exposure to stimuli to determine effect on symptoms

Experimental research:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

Manipulate the variable thought to be a “cause,” called the “independent variable.”

for example, violent vs. nonviolent TV experimental group watches violent TV control group watches nonviolent TV

Everything constant except the cause Random assignment to control 3rd variables Does the “effect” (dependent variable)

change?

Experimental research:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods in Personality Research

case study an intensive investigation of a single

individual e.g., clinical observation of one person

psychobiography the application of a personality theory

to the study of an individual’s life theoretical emphasis

Case Studies & Psychobiography:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

One Theory or Many? Eclecticism and the Future of Personality Theory

a basic theoretical model, shared by various theorists and researchers

behavioral perspectivehumanistic perspectiveevolutionary perspective

Paradigm:

Examples:

Prepared to accompany Theories of Personality (5th ed.) by Susan C. Cloninger (2008), published by Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter summaryChapter summary

Personality: The Study of Individuals

Description of Personality

Personality Dynamics

Personality Development

The Scientific Approach

Methods in Personality Research