c hapter thirteen personality © 2012 john wiley & sons, inc. all rights reserved

© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter ThirteenPersonality


Personality

Unique and relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions

WILEY VIDEODog

Personality

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TRAIT THEORIES


Early Trait Theorists

Allport, Cattell, and EysenckTrait Relatively stable personal characteristic that can

be used to describe someoneFactor AnalysisStatistical procedure for determining the most

basic units or factors in a large array of data; used by Cattell and Eysenck


Cattell’s 16 Traits


Five-Factor Model (FFM): Five Basic Personality Traits

Five-Factor Model/Big FiveTrait theory of personality that includes

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism


Five-Factor Model (FFM): Five Basic Personality Traits


Evaluating Trait Theories

Three major criticisms1. Lack of explanation—focus on description

rather than causal relationships2. Stability versus change—unsure which

characteristics are more stable or are likely to change

3. Ignoring situational effects—how the person and situation influence one another


PSYCHOANALYTIC/PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES


Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Four key concepts1. Levels of awareness2. Personality structure3. Defense mechanisms4. Psychosexual stages of

development


Freud’s Levels of Awareness


Freud’s Personality Structure

Three Interacting Components1. Id—the primitive, instinctive part of

personality that works on the pleasure principle (seek immediate gratification)

2. Ego—the rational, decision-making part of personality that operates according to the reality principle (delay gratification of the id’s impulses until it is appropriate)


Freud’s Personality Structure

3. Superego—the “conscience” or moral part of personality that incorporates parental and societal standards for morality (guilt if rules are violated)


Defense Mechanisms

The ego’s protective method of reducing anxiety by distorting reality and self-deception

ANIMATIONFreud’s Defense

Mechanisms

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Defense Mechanisms


Psychosexual Stages of Development

Five developmental periods during which particular kinds of pleasures must be gratified if personality development is to proceed normally

1. Oral2. Anal3. Phallic4. Latency5. Genital


Neo-Freudian/Psychodynamic Theories

Adler’s Individual PsychologyWe are motivated by our goals in life rather than

by unconscious forces.

Inferiority complex—feelings of inferiority develop from early childhood experiences of helplessness and incompetence



Jung’s Analytical PsychologyTwo forms of the unconscious:Personal unconscious—from individual

experiencesCollective unconscious—a reservoir of inherited,

universal experiencesArchetypes—images and patterns of thoughts, feelings,

and behaviors residing in the collective unconscious


Jung’s Archetypes



Horney’s Blended PsychologyPersonality is shaped by the child’s relationship to the

parentsBasic anxiety—feelings of helplessness and insecurity

that adults experience because as children they felt alone and isolated in a hostile environment

Methods of seeking security:• Move toward people• Move away from people• Move against people


Evaluating Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Theories


HUMANISTIC THEORIES


Humanistic Theories

Personality and behavior depend on how we perceive and interpret the world

People are naturally goodSelf-actualization—inborn drive to develop all

one’s talents and capabilitiesTwo major theorists:• Rogers• Maslow


Rogers’s Theory

Self-conceptAll the information and beliefs individuals have about their own nature, qualities, and behavior


Rogers’s Theory

Unconditional Positive RegardLove and acceptance with

no contingencies attached

Important for healthy and full development

Behavior and value of a person are separate


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs


Evaluating Humanistic Theories

Three Major Criticisms1. Naïve assumptions—unrealistic view; may

contribute to narcissism2. Poor testability and inadequate evidence—

concepts are difficult to operationally define and empirically test

3. Narrowness—describe personality rather than explain it


SOCIAL-COGNITIVE THEORIES


Bandura’s Approach

Combines cognition and observation

Self-EfficacyA person’s learned

expectation of success; affects choices and efforts in reaching goals

Reciprocal DeterminismCognitions, behaviors, and

the environment interact to produce personality


Rotter’s Approach

Personality/Behavior is determined by:

• Expectations• Reinforcement value of

outcomes

Internal Locus of ControlOwn efforts exert primary

controlHigher achievementBetter mental healthExternal Locus of ControlEnvironment and external

forces have primary control


Evaluating Social-Cognitive Theories

Strengths• Emphasizes person-

situation interaction• Construction allows for

empirical testing

Weaknesses• Ignores the unconscious • Ignores environmental and

emotional aspects of personality


BIOLOGICAL THEORIES


Major Contributors

BrainDamage to the brain can affect personalityNeurochemistryNeurotransmitter levels have been correlated

with personality traitsGeneticsBehavioral genetics finds some correlations with

some personality traitsWILEY VIDEOShy Brains

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Multiple Personality Influences


Test Yourself


PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT


Personality Assessment

Today’s methods based on scientific research

Used by helping professionals, such as clinical and counseling psychologists and psychiatrists, for diagnosis and assessing treatment outcomes

Often use multiple measures


Methods of Measuring Personality

InterviewsStructured and unstructuredObservationsLook for specific behaviors and interactionsObjective TestsStandardized questionnairesE.g., Minnesota Multiphasic Personality

Inventory (MMPI); Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)


MMPI-2


Methods of Measuring Personality

Projective TechniquesUse ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots or drawings, which allow the test taker to project his or her unconscious onto the test material

Rorschach Inkblot TestThematic Apperception Test (TAT)


Evaluating Personality Assessment

Interviews and ObservationsTime-consuming, expensiveSubjectiveInvolve unnatural settingsObjective TestsDeliberate deception and social desirability biasDiagnostic difficultiesPossible cultural bias and inappropriate use


Evaluating Personality Assessment

Projective TestsTime-consumingLess likely to fake responsesUnstructured; may allow reluctant topics to

come upSubjectiveLow in reliability and validity


Fallacies and Pseudo-Personality Tests

Barnum EffectReadily accept ambiguous, broad statements that fit

just about anyoneFallacy of Positive InstancesTend to notice and remember events that confirm our

expectations and ignore those that don’tSelf-Serving BiasPrefer information that maintains our positive self-

image

What fallacies are represented here?


c hapter thirteen personality © 2012 john wiley & sons, inc. all rights reserved

Documents

john wiley sons

personality development

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factor model ffm

basic units

freuds levels of awareness

early trait theoristsallport

stable pattern of thoughts