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Personality

Do you have

one????

By: Prof. R K Suri

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Definition

"Personality" can be defined as a dynamic and organized set ofcharacteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his

or hercognitions, motivations, and behaviours in various

situations.[

According to Adams (1954, cited in Schultz & Schultz, 1994)personality is I.

Adams suggested that we get a good idea of what personality is

by listening to what we say when we use "I". When you say I,

you are, in effect, summing up everything about yourself - yourlikes and dislikes, fears and virtues, strengths and weaknesses.

The word I is what defined you as an individual, as a person

separate from all others.

psychological result of learning

and erce tion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_psychology

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Personality

Characteristic pattern of thinking,feeling and acting.

Four major perspectives on Personality

Psychoanalytic - unconscious motivationsTrait - specific dimensions of personalityHumanistic - inner capacity for growthSocial-Cognitive - influence of environment

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Psychoanalytic Perspectivefirst comprehensive theory of personality

(1856-1939)

University of Vienna 1873Voracious Reader

Medical School Graduate

Specialized in NervousDisorders

Some patients disorders

had no physical cause!

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Psychoanalytic Perspectivefirst comprehensive theory of personality

Q: What caused neurologicalsymptoms in patients with no

neurological problems?

UnconsciousHypnosis

Free

Association

Psychoanalysis

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The Unconsciousthe mind is like an iceburg - mostly hidden

Conscious Awareness

small part above surface

(Preconscious)

Unconscious

below the surface

(thoughts, feelings,

wishes, memories)

Repressionbanishing unacceptable

thoughts & passions to

unconscious

Dreams & Slips

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Freud & Personality Structure

Personality arises from conflict twixt agressive,

pleasure-seeking impulses and social restraints

Satisfaction

without the guilt?

EgoSuperEgo

Id

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Freud & Personality Structure

Id - energy constantly striving to satisfy basic drivesPleasure Principle

Ego - seeks to gratify the Id in realistic ways

Reality Principle

Super Ego

- voice of consciencethat focuses on how

we oughtto behave

EgoSuperEgo

Id

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Freud & Personality Development

personality forms during the first few years of life,

rooted in unresolved conflicts of early childhood

Psychosexual StagesOral (0-18 mos) - centered on the mouthAnal (18-36 mos) - focus on bowel/bladder elim.Phallic (3-6 yrs) - focus on genitals/Oedipus Complex

(Identification & Gender Identity)

Latency (6-puberty) - sexuality is dormantGenital (puberty on) - sexual feelings toward others

Strong conflict can fixate an individual at Stages 1,2 or 3

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Defense Mechanisms

Id

Super

Ego

Ego

When the inner war

gets out of hand, the

result is Anxiety

Ego protects itself via

Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanisms reduce/redirectanxiety by distorting reality

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Repression - banishes certain thoughts/feelings from

consciousness (underlies all other defensemechanisms)

Regression - retreating to earlier stage of fixateddevelopment

ReactionFormation - ego makes unacceptableimpulses appear as their opposites

Projection - attributes threatening impulses to others Rationalization - generate self-justifying explanations

to hide the real reasons for our actions Displacement - divert impulses toward a more

acceptable object

Sublimation - transform unacceptable impulse intosomething socially valued

Defense Mechanisms

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Thematic Apperceptions Test (TAT)Rorschach Inkblot Test

The Unconscious & Assessment

How can we assess personality?(i.e., the unconscious)

Objective Tests?No - tap the conscious

Projective Tests?

Yes - tap the unconscious

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Other Psychodynamics

Karl Jung

Collective Unconscious

Archetypes

Alder & Horney

Superiority

Role of gender and

socialization

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Evaluating the Psychoanalytic

Perspective

Were Freuds theoriesthe best of his timeor were they simply

incorrect?

Current researchcontradicts

many of Freudsspecific ideas

Development does not

stop in childhood

Dreams may not be

unconscious

drives and wishes

Slips of the tongue are

likely competing

nodes in memory network

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Freuds Ideas as Scientific Theory

Theories must explain observationsand offer testable hypotheses

Few Objective Observations Few Hypotheses

(Freuds theories based on his recollections &interpretations of patients free associations,

dreams & slips o the tongue)

Does Not PREDICT Behavior or Traits

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Trait Perspective

No hidden personality dynamicsjust basic personality dimensions

Traits -peoples characteristicbehaviors & conscious motives

How do we describe & classify different personalities?

(Type A vs Type B orDepressed vs Cheerful?)

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - classify people

based upon responses to 126 questions

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Are There Basic Traits?

What trait dimensions describe personality?

Combination of 2 or 3

genetically determined

dimensions

Expanded set of factors

The Big 5

Extraversion/IntroversionEmotional Stability/Instability

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The Big Five

Emotional Stability

Extraversion

Openness

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

Calm/Anxious

Secure/Insecure

Sociable/Retiring

Fun Loving/Sober

Imaginative/Practical

Independent/Conforming

Soft-Hearted/Ruthless Trusting/Suspicious

Organized/Disorganized

Careful/Careless

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Assessing Traits

How can we assess traits?(aim to simplify a persons behavior patterns)

Personality Inventories

MMPI most widely used personality inventory

assess psychological disorders (not normal traits) empirically derived - test items selected based

upon how well they discriminate twixt groups

of traits

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Humanistic

Carl Rogers

Self-Concept

Unconditional Positive Regard

Fully functioning person

Self-concept

Experience

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The Humanistic Perspective

Maslows

Self-Actualizing

Person

Rogers

Person-Centered

Perspective

Healthy rather than Sick

Individual as greater than the sum of test scores

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Maslow & Self-Actualization

Physiological

Safety

Love Needs

Esteem

Self-Actualizationthe process of fufilling our potential

Studied healthy, creative people

Abe Lincoln, Tom Jefferson &Eleanor Roosevelt

Self-Aware & Self-Accepting

Open & Spontaneous Loving & Caring

Problem-Centered not Self-Centered

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Rogers Person-Centered Perspective

People are basically good

with actualizing tendencies.

Given the right environmental

conditions, we will developto our full potentials

Genuineness, Acceptance, EmpathySelf Concept - central feature

of personality (+ or -)

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Assessing & Evaluating the Self

?Primarily through questionnaires in which

people report their self-concept.

?Also by understanding others subjective

personal experiences during therapy

XConcepts are vague & subjective.

Assumptions are navely optimistic.

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Social-Cognitive Perspective

Behavior learned throughconditioning & observation

What we think about our situation

affects our behavior

Interaction ofEnvironment & Intellect

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Reciprocal Determinism

Personal/CognitiveFactors

BehaviorEnvironmentFactors

Internal World + External World = Us

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Personal Control

Internal Locus of ControlYou pretty much control your own destiny

External Locus of Control

Luck, fate and/or powerful others control your destiny

Methods of Study

Correlate feelings of control with behaviorExperiment by raising/lowering peoples sense of

control and noting effects

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Outcomes of Personal Control

Learned HelplessnessUncontrollable

bad events

Perceived

lack of control

Generalized

helpless behavior

Important IssueNursing Homes

Prisons

Colleges

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Personality Assessment

Clinical Interview

Objective Tests

MMPI

Myers-Briggs

Projective Tests

Rorschach Ink Blots

Thematic Apperception Test

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Meyer-Briggs

Extrovert

Sensing

Thinking Judging

vs. Introversion

vs. Intuition

vs. Feelingvs. Perceptive

Energy

Info

Decision MakingPrefer