Personality: Personality: structure, theories, structure, theories,

measurementmeasurement

9.10.20079.10.2007

How would you describe yourself?How would you describe yourself?

cool, reservedcool, reserved oror warm, easy goingwarm, easy going concrete thinkingconcrete thinking oror abstract thinkingabstract thinking easily upseteasily upset oror calm, stablecalm, stable not assertivenot assertive oror dominantdominant sober, serioussober, serious oror happy-go-luckyhappy-go-lucky expedientexpedient oror conscientiousconscientious tough-mindedtough-minded oror tender-mindedtender-minded trustingtrusting oror suspicioussuspicious practicalpractical oror imaginativeimaginative forthrightforthright oror shrewdshrewd self-assuredself-assured oror apprehensiveapprehensive conservativeconservative oror experimentingexperimenting group-orientedgroup-oriented oror self-sufficientself-sufficient undisciplinedundisciplined oror self-disciplinedself-disciplined relaxedrelaxed oror tense, driventense, driven

Definition of personalityDefinition of personality

Personality consists of all the relatively Personality consists of all the relatively STABLE and DISTINCTIVE styles of STABLE and DISTINCTIVE styles of thought, behavior and emotional response thought, behavior and emotional response that characterize a person’s adaptations to that characterize a person’s adaptations to surrounding circumstances.surrounding circumstances.

2 questions2 questions

Why don’t people react in the same way to Why don’t people react in the same way to the same situation?the same situation? early life experiencesearly life experiences biological makeupbiological makeup learninglearning

Can we predict behavior? Does it depend Can we predict behavior? Does it depend on personality traits or on situation?on personality traits or on situation? is personality assessment meaningful?is personality assessment meaningful?

Different personality theoriesDifferent personality theories

psychoanalytic approachpsychoanalytic approach trait theoriestrait theories social cognitive approachsocial cognitive approach humanistic approachhumanistic approach evolutionary/biological approachevolutionary/biological approach

Psychoanalytic approachPsychoanalytic approach

Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud childhood experienceschildhood experiences the role of unconscious in motivating the role of unconscious in motivating

human actionshuman actions

Trait theoriesTrait theories

What are fundamental elements of What are fundamental elements of personality?personality?

A trait: any relatively enduring way in A trait: any relatively enduring way in which one individual differs from anotherwhich one individual differs from another stable in timestable in time consistent over situationsconsistent over situations their combination is the cause of the individual their combination is the cause of the individual

differencesdifferences

Social cognitive approachSocial cognitive approach

active, conscious aspects of our active, conscious aspects of our personalitypersonality

different ways in which individuals interpret different ways in which individuals interpret eventsevents

personality styles are shaped by personality styles are shaped by observational learningobservational learning self-efficacyself-efficacy

Humanistic approachHumanistic approach

emphasizes human potential for growth, emphasizes human potential for growth, creativity and spontaneitycreativity and spontaneity

self-conceptself-concept

Biological approachesBiological approaches

evolutionary approachevolutionary approach behavioral genetic approachbehavioral genetic approach

The structure of the personalityThe structure of the personality

temperament

mental abilities

Character, motivation (needs, interests, attitudes…)

social role, behavior

Assessment of personalityAssessment of personality

observationobservation interviewinterview ratingrating……

personality inventorypersonality inventory projective techniquesprojective techniques

History of personality History of personality assessmentassessment

Pseudosciences: Pseudosciences: phrenology, phrenology, physiognomy, physiognomy, graphologygraphology

History of personality assessmentHistory of personality assessment

Type Type theories: theories: Galen – theory of body Galen – theory of body

humors (sanguine, humors (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic type)phlegmatic type)

Kretschmer, Kretschmer, Lombroso, Sheldon – Lombroso, Sheldon – body type theoriesbody type theories

Contemporary assessment of Contemporary assessment of personalitypersonality

Trait theories: Trait theories: Allport, Cattel…Allport, Cattel…

(factor analysis)(factor analysis) Hans Eysenck: 3 Hans Eysenck: 3

dimensions, biological dimensions, biological basis of differencesbasis of differences

Big FiveBig Five no theory of developmentno theory of development relies too heavily on simple relies too heavily on simple

mathematical techniquesmathematical techniques exaggerate the consistency of exaggerate the consistency of

human behaviorhuman behavior can lead to circular reasoningcan lead to circular reasoning

Contemporary assessment of Contemporary assessment of personalitypersonality

Humanistic theories: Humanistic theories: self concept scalesself concept scales

MMPI (empirical basis)MMPI (empirical basis)

Projective Testing Projective Testing TechniquesTechniques

Projective techniques Projective techniques

not psychometric instrumentsnot psychometric instruments used in clinical settings, special trainingused in clinical settings, special training study of personality and adjustmentstudy of personality and adjustment use symbolic, pictorial, verbal and use symbolic, pictorial, verbal and

expressive stimuliexpressive stimuli

uncovering of covert, latent, unconscious uncovering of covert, latent, unconscious aspects of personalityaspects of personality

The concept of “projection”The concept of “projection”

unwittingly attributing one’s own drives, unwittingly attributing one’s own drives, needs, perceptions, attitudes and style to needs, perceptions, attitudes and style to othersothers

giving meaning to relatively ambiguous or giving meaning to relatively ambiguous or unstructured stimuli by drawing upon one’s unstructured stimuli by drawing upon one’s own private desires, traits, fears, and own private desires, traits, fears, and experienceexperience

Projective techniques: Projective techniques: disguised testsdisguised tests

no awareness of psychological no awareness of psychological interpretationinterpretation

responses should be free of personal responses should be free of personal censorshipcensorship

dominant psychological characteristics are dominant psychological characteristics are “hidden” in the responses“hidden” in the responses

Classification of “projectives”Classification of “projectives”

Frank, 1948Frank, 1948 what they require or seek to evoke from what they require or seek to evoke from

the subjectthe subject constitutiveconstitutive constructiveconstructive interpretiveinterpretive catharticcathartic refractiverefractive

Rorschach’s “Ink blot test”Rorschach’s “Ink blot test”

CriticismCriticism

Lack of satisfactory internal consistency, or test-retest Lack of satisfactory internal consistency, or test-retest reliability. reliability.

Failure to provide cogent evidence for clinical validity. Failure to provide cogent evidence for clinical validity. Failure of the individual Rorschach scoring categories Failure of the individual Rorschach scoring categories

to relate to diagnosis. to relate to diagnosis. Lack of prognostic, or predictive validity with respect to Lack of prognostic, or predictive validity with respect to

the outcome of treatment, or later behavior. the outcome of treatment, or later behavior. Individual differences between groups of normal Individual differences between groups of normal

subjects. subjects. Failure to find any significant relationships between Failure to find any significant relationships between

Rorschach scores and intelligence, or creative abilityRorschach scores and intelligence, or creative ability. .

Draw a person testDraw a person test

TAT – Thematic apperception test TAT – Thematic apperception test (Murray, 1943)(Murray, 1943)

Rozenzweig’s Picture-frustration Rozenzweig’s Picture-frustration StudyStudy

Make a Picture StoryMake a Picture Story

Thank you for your Thank you for your attention!attention!