Introduction to Psychology

Personality

Personality

A person’s unique and relatively stable behavior patterns

The various styles of behavior an individual habitually reflects

Personality vs. Social Psychology

Personality: emphasis on the individual; personal traits; dispositions

Social: the role of the situation; how external conditions shape behavior

Trait Theory

Gordon Allport

Traits: a stable, enduring quality that a person shows in most situations

Common Traits

Traits common to a culture

Americans: independent, competitive Eastern cultures: interdependence,

altruism

Individual Traits

Traits defining a person’s unique qualities

Cardinal Traits

All of one’s qualities/actions can be traced back to one specific trait (rare)

Example: Mother Theresa: compassion

Personality “Types”

People who have several traits in common

Type A personality

Big 5: Costa & McCrae

Five factor model Derived from factor analysis

10,000 participants: narrowed the list to five traits

Questionnaire

Big Five

Openness to Experience Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism

Sample Questions

I see myself as someone who: Is talkative Is original and comes up with new ideas Can be moody Is sometimes shy Is emotionally stable and not easily

upset Is curious about many different things

Stability of Personality Traits

Fairly stable after age 30

Some discrepancies in this finding

Critique

“psychology of the stranger”

Why five traits?

Dan McAdams: Life History Approach

Level 1: traits Level 2: goals, strivings Level 3: life story: reflexive

understanding of the self

We live “storied lives”

Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Cultures

Individualistic: emphasis on success, personal achievement

Collectivistic: emphasis on altruism, contribution to the group

Self-esteem is derived differently

Psychoanalytic Approach

Freud Id/ego/superego: personality works

in a dynamic system

Unconscious conflicts/urges shape personality

Psychosexual Stages

Oral stage: 1st year of life Erogenous zone: mouth Fixation:

Oral dependent: gullible, passive, needy

Oral aggressive: exploits others; manipulative, nasty

Psychosexual Stages

Anal stage: age 1-3 Erogenous zone: anus; potty training Fixation:

Anal retentive: compulsive, stingy, orderly, compulsively clean

Anal expressive: disorderly, destructive, messy, excessive spending, dislikes authority

Psychosexual Stages

Phallic Stage: age 3-6 Oedipal Complex/Electra Complex Boys: castration anxiety Girls: penis envy

Resolution: identification with the same-sex parent

Psychosexual Stages

Latency: age 6-puberty: psychosexual development is dormant

Genital: puberty: desire for adult sexual relationships

Freudian Defense Mechanisms

Repression: pushing thoughts/conflicts out of consciousness

Displacement: changing the recipient of our feelings to express them more safely

Freudian Defense Mechanisms

Sublimation: redirecting sexual urges/other emotions toward productive and prosocial activities

Reaction Formation: behaving the opposite of how we actually feel

Freudian Defense Mechanisms

Projection: transferring your feelings/beliefs to others

Identification: identifying with/taking on the characteristics of another; often, an aggressor

Carl Jung

Neo-Freudian

The conscious and unconscious should be in balance; like the ebb and flow of the tides

Carl Jung Persona: the “mask” we show the

world; our public self

Shadow: our repressed “dark side”; the opposite of what we take ourselves to be Acknowledge the shadow or it may

overtake you

Carl Jung

Personal Unconscious: mental storehouse for an individual’s thoughts/feelings/memories

Collective Unconscious: unconscious images/ideas that we all share archetypes

Alfred Adler

Individual Psychology: individuals are unique and subjective: how do we make meaning of our experiences?

Alfred Adler

Fulfillment Model We are trying to overcome perceived

inferiorities

We develop a sense of inferiority in infancy/early childhood: the felt minus

Alfred Adler

Overcoming inferiority: striving for superiority

Inferiority complex: we are crippled by our perceived shortcomings

Alfred Adler

Organ inferiority: a physical problem/abnormality may be the root of our sense of inferiority

Circus performers Adler’s health problems in childhood

Alfred Adler

Birth Order

First born: receives full attention, then is dethroned Problem children, neurotic, criminal

behavior, conservative, authoritative, leaders

Alfred Adler

Middle child: may feel envious, neglected Tries to find a place in the family Rebellious or revolutionary Creative Concerned for the underdog

Alfred Adler

Youngest:

Pampered, dependent Tries to compete in many areas,

lacks focus Optimistic: “everyone is nice to

me”

Alfred Adler

Only Children Never has to compete for parental

attention Pampered, overly attached to

mother May feel rejected Over-inflated sense of personal

worth