What is Personality?

Patterns of behaving and thinking that are consistent across a variety of situations

What do you see?

Assessing the Unconscious -- Rorschach Inkblot Test

• 10 inkblots designed by H. Rorschach– Most widely used Projective Test– Perhaps good for

identifying

compulsiveness &

expansiveness

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

People make up story for ambiguous scenes - may reveal patient’s motives, conflicts

Also a projective test

Sentence Completion Luscher Color

1) If only I could...2) People I know... 3) I can always... 4) I think guys... 5) What makes me sad is... 6) I think girls... 7) Where I live... 8) My mother was the type . . .

Sort colors by preference

Also projective tests

Personality Assessment

• Issue with any assessment technique:– Do they provide incremental validity?

• i.e. Do they add info about patient given other techniques available (e.g., clinical interview)

Personality Assessment

• Inventories– Numerous inventories in existence

• California Personality Inventory (CPI)• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator • Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)

– MMPI (1940): • empirically defined• tested with validity scales• 550+ questions• pathological criterion groups

– not great for subclinical assessment of personality variables

MMPI (Minnesota MultiPhasic Inventory)

• Hypochondriasis (Hs) - neurotic concern over bodily functioning  

• Depression (D) - symptomatic depression.  

• Hysteria (Hy) - hysterical reactions to stress situations

• Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) - psychopathy, asocial, amoral

• Masculinity-Femininity (Mf) - originally developed to identify homosexual invert males, now those who reject traditional gender roles.  

• Paranoia (Pa) - paranoid symptoms

• Psychasthenia (Pt) - excessive doubts, compulsions, obsessions, and unreasonable fears (OCD).  

• Schizophrenia (Sc) - identify schizophrenia

Hypomania (Ma) - hypomanic disturbances

•Social Introversion (Si) - person's tendency to withdraw from social contacts and responsibilities.  

MMPI – Derived Empirically

• Developers used every personality question they could find

1. Tested on various clinical groups (depressive, schizophrenics, etc.)

2. Large pool of questions 3. Kept only those questions

that discriminated between groups

ExamplesSchizophrenia:

1) I often feel that things are not real (true)

2) I like parties (false)

Antisocial:1) I was suspended from

school at least once (true)2) If I could sneak into a

movie without paying and without being seen, I would definitely do so. (true)

MMPI (Minnesota MultiPhasic Inventory)

• Validity Scales:     

• "Cannot Say" scale – 30+ omitted items invalidates test

• L Scale – Lie scale - not willing to admit even minor shortcomings.

• F Scale - detect atypical ways of responding to test items.  

• K Scale – detect subtle attempts at denying psychopathology or, conversely, at exaggerating psychopathology; overall defensiveness

Theories of Personality: Psychoanalytic Theory

• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

– Austrian neurologist treating Victorian hysterics

– Women presented neurologically impossible symptoms and he recognized the psychogenic origins of hysteria

Personality Structure

• Freud’s structure of the mind

• Two primary instincts: sex and aggression

Id

Superego

Ego Conscious mind

Unconscious mind

Personality Structure• Id

– unconscious psychic energy

– strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive instincts, unacceptable wishes, desires, drives

– operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification

• Superego– our conscience– given to us by

family/society– operates on

morality principle, sets standards right vs. wrong

– Our idealized self

• Ego– conscious part of

personality– mediates conflict

between id and superego

– operates on the reality principle, delays gratification of id impulses

– negotiates reward in a world filled with other ids/egos

Psychodynamics• An elaborate, exhaustive paradigm of maladaptive

behavior stemming from unresolved childhood conflicts

– Theory: our actions are due to unconscious conflicts

– Evidence: speech slips, dream analysis, symbolism

– Therapy: treat psychological disorders by uncovering and interpreting unconscious conflicts by means of free association

• Client relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing. Eventually important conflicts will present themselves (A method to explore the unconscious)

– Catharsis – explosive release of dammed-up emotions

Psychosexual Development

• Fixations• Oedipal Complex• Electra Complex

Neofreudians:

more concerned with

social development

Defense Mechanismsreduce anxiety generated by conflicts

between id and superego by distorting reality• Regression

– retreat to behavior from an earlier stage of development

• Doug asks Carrie to help with a task. She acts helpless and says, "I can't. I don't know how to," then throws a tantrum

• Repression– push anxiety-producing thoughts into the

unconscious• John hates to be in debt, but has borrowed

money from Jane. When she asks for it back, he has no recollection of borrowing money.

• Reaction Formation – express feelings opposite to the anxiety-

arousing unconscious feelings • The mother of an unwanted child feels guilty

about not welcoming the child so she overindulges and overprotects him

• Intellectualization/Isolation– Distance oneself mentally

• Billy wants to talk about his dissatisfaction with his marriage to his wife. She responds "Statistics show that most couples have these kind of problems."

• Projection – disguise one’s impulses by attributing

them to others • Tony is angry when he runs into his old

friend and says, “I know you're mad at me.”

• Rationalization – falsely justify one’s actions

• Lisa accuses Robert of drinking too much. Robert says he drinks only to be social with his colleagues.

• Displacement– shift unacceptable impulses toward a

less threatening object/person• Tom gets yelled out by his boss so he

goes home and kicks the dog.

• Sublimation– channel unacceptable impulses into

socially-acceptable activities • Todd likes to hurt people so he joins the

football team so he can tackle people

Critique of Psychodynamics

• (+) Understand ego defenses used by everyone• (+) Alerts us to unconscious causes of behavior• (-) Subjective assessment only (TAT, Rorschach)• (-) Reliability and validity problematic

If often he was wrong and, at times, absurd, to us he is no more a person now but a whole climate of opinion – WH Auden after Freud’s death in 1939

Trait Theory

• Trait – a characteristic pattern of behavior– usually assessed by self-report inventories,

which allow objective scoring (no subjective interpretation of responses)

Eysenck’s Trait Theory

• Two Factor Trait Theory of Personality

UNSTABLE

STABLE

cholericmelancholic

phlegmatic sanguineINTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED

MoodyAnxious

RigidSober

PessimisticReserved

Unsociable

Quiet

SociableOutgoing

TalkativeResponsiveEasygoing

LivelyCarefree

Leadership

PassiveCareful

Thoughtful

Peaceful

ControlledReliable

Even-temperedCalm

TouchyRestlessAggressive

ExcitableChangeable

ImpulsiveOptimistic

Active

Axes in terms of susceptibility to Reward and Punishment

The “Big Five” Personality Factors

Trait DescriptionEmotional Stability Calm versus anxious

Secure versus insecure Self-satisfied versus self-pitying

Extraversion Sociable versus retiring Fun-loving versus sober Affectionate versus reserved

Openness Imaginative versus practical Preference for variety versus preference for routine Independent versus conforming

Agreeableness Soft-hearted versus ruthless Trusting versus suspicious Helpful versus uncooperative

Conscientiousness Organized versus disorganized Careful versus careless Disciplined versus impulsive

Critique of Trait Theory• (+) categorize and predict others’ behavior • (+) aid in self understanding• (+) reliable measurement of traits • (-) traits describe behavior, but don’t explain it• (-) underestimates situational power in determining

behavior

Humanistic Theory: Emphasis on the Self

• Self-Esteem – one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

• Physical• Intellectual• Social

• Peak experiences

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Humanistic Perspective

Morality Defined by individuals Defined by social networks (self-based) (duty-based)

Attributing Behavior reflects one’s personality Behavior reflects socialbehaviors and attitudes and roles

Value Contrasts Between Individualism and CollectivismConcept Individualism Collectivism

Self Independent Interdependent (identity from individual traits) (identity from belonging)

Life task Discover and express one’s Maintain connections, fit in uniqueness

What matters Me--personal achievement and We--group goals and solidarity; fulfillment; rights and liberties social responsibilities and

relationships

Coping method Change reality Accommodate to reality

Relationships Many, often temporary or casual; Few, close and enduring;confrontation acceptable harmony valued

Critique of Humanistic Theory

• (+) makes self central to understanding our behavior• (-) culture-bound theory (reach potential within one’s

culture, be in individualistic or more collective)• (-) very subjective• (-) overly optimistic view of human nature

– Are we all really working toward self-actualization?

• 1907-1990

Social Learning Theory Also called Social-Cognitive Theory

• Behavior is due to – Social influences

(other people)– Cognitive influences

(how we perceive ourselves and our social environment)

Social Influences:“My friends dowell in school.”

Behavior(I perform well

in school)

Cognitive Influences:“I know if I work hard,

I can do well in school)

Locus of Control

• Internal Locus of Control – perception that one controls one’s own fate

• External Locus of Control – perception that outside forces determine fate

Critique of Social-Cognitive Theory

• (+) Based on solid research

• (+) Takes into account both personality and social situation

• (-) Underemphasizes importance of traits

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONS

8. Integrity vs. Despair humankind (my kind)

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation divided labor, shared household

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation partners 5. Identity vs. Role Diffusion peer and other groups

4. Industry vs. Inferiority neighborhood, school

3. Initiative vs. Guilt basic family

2. Autonomy vs. Shame parental persons

1. Trust vs. Mistrust maternal person

Birth Order

• Born to rebel?

• First born often maintain status quo, defend parent’s world

• Later born often rebel against current institutions, scientific paradigms, etc– Darwin and his early supporters

• Mediated by gender