Personality

Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning

Personality

Defined-a consistent pattern of behavior, thoughts and feelings that is different for every individual

Personality Assessment

Self-Report Inventories-Questionnaires given to individuals pursuing what characteristics an individual find to be true (ex: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

Projective Tests-use ambiguous stimuli to assess personality (ex: Rorschach ink blots)

Freud

Believed that personality disturbance is due to unmet needs of sex and aggression

The needs exist in the unconscious and periodically we are given a brief view of what those needs are• (ex: through dreams, Freudian slips, etc.)

FreudParts of the Mind Id-the pleasure-seeking, instinctual part of

personality Ego-the reality-seeking part of personality Super-Ego-the element of personality

serves as your conscience

Defense Mechanisms-coping with anxiety Repression-when anxious thoughts are pushed into the

unconscious Projection-attributing unwanted thoughts and feelings to

other people Denial-refusal to acknowledge an anxiety-provoking

experience Rationalization-replacing unacceptable thoughts with

socially acceptable ones Reaction Formation-defeating anxiety by acting out in an

opposite manner than one’s own feelings Displacement-placing one’s feelings on a less threatening

person than the one who caused the feelings Sublimation-a form of displacement that involves aiming

an aggressive impulse toward a socially acceptable object Regression-returning to behaviors used at an earlier level

of development

Neo-Freudians Carl Jung

• broke from Freud• believed in the collective unconscious

Alfred Adler• believed people were driven by a need for superiority

Karen Horney• believed that personality disturbances are caused by

anxiety that we all feel when the world is an unfriendly place

Trait Theorists-Allport

Gordon Allport• Set out to compose a list of critical personality

traits• Used language to define stable characteristics

of humans• In the end, he composed a list of over 4500

words (its usefulness is questioned)

Trait Theorists-Cattell

Raymond Cattell• collapsed data from a large number of

personality measures to identify sixteen personality traits

• These traits can be used to describe anyone, however, the level of each of these traits that a person exhibits is different

Trait Theorists-Eysenck

Hans Eysenck• Identified three basic traits (collapsed

categories for personality lists)• extraversion-how much people focus on external

stimuli and are outgoing in their approach to life

• neuroticism-a measure of emotional instability

• psychoticism-a measure of impulsiveness and aggression

Trait Theories-the “Big Five” This theory believes that personality can be

broken down into five basic traits• extraversion-outgoing• agreeableness-someone who is trusting, warm,

giving and tolerant• conscientiousness-responsible and dependable• neuroticism-negative, anxious, and poor self-

esteem• openness to experience-creative and adventure

seeking

Learning Theories and Personality B. F. Skinner (Behaviorist)

• Believed that personality and behavior are determined by past experience with reinforcement and punishment

Social-Cognitive Theorists• Albert Bandura

• Proposed Social Cognitive Theory• Behavior is determined by an individual’s

cognitions and their environment– reciprocal determinism– self-efficacy-your beliefs about your ability to perform a

tast• Julian Rotter

• Proposed Social Learning Theory• Behavior is determined by expectancies and whether

you have an internal or external locus of control• Locus of Control

Humanistic Personality Theories

Abraham Maslow• Suggested that personality is determined by a

hierarchy of needs• Basic physiological needs supercede safety

needs, which supercede belongingness needs, etc.

• The goal is self-actualization

Humanistic Personality Theories

Carl Rogers• Believes that people’s efforts to achieve

personal fulfillment are being blocked• People’s self-concept are distorted by outside

influence• True psychological health occurs when the

perceived self-concept is consistent with your ideal self-concept

Biological Foundations of Personality Twin studies indicate that some personality

characteristics are inherited Evidence suggests that some personality

characteristics may be related to varying levels of certain neurotransmitters• (ex: decreased levels of serotonin are

correlated with aggressiveness)