1、Chapter 13 Personality,Personality,Overview Personality is an elusive concept. Some psychologists have developed “grand theories” of personality. Others have tried to identify personality types and describe why an individual classified as a certain “personality type” behaves in certain ways. This ch
2、apter, we will examine the ways of understanding personality and also discuss the ways of and problems in measuring this concept.,Personality Theories: Whats behind the mask?,Personality - from the Latin word persona or “mask” that Greek actors used to wear to indicate if they were comic or tragic.
3、What is Personality? Your characteristic pattern of thinking/ feeling/ acting, esp. in social contexts. Implies some level of consistency across time and contexts This chapter Psychodynamic Approach Humanistic Approach Miscellaneous Facts & Assessment,FIGURE 13.1 Philosophers Thomas Hobbes and Jean-
4、Jacques Rousseau held opposing views of human nature. Psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers also held conflicting views. Freud, like Hobbes, stressed the more negative aspects of human nature; Rogers, like Rousseau, the more positive aspects.,Two major approaches: psychodynamic & humanist,Psyc
5、hodynamic theories,Personality as the interplay of conflicting forces within the individual, including some forces that the individual may not consciously acknowledge.,Sigmund Frued,First psychodynamic personality theory Background Born 1856 Austro-Hungarian Empire Went into training as a medical do
6、ctor Theory based largely on sessions with his patients Nervous disorders sometimes didnt make neurological Sense and talking often revealed emotional problems and resolved symptoms Discussed cases with colleague Josef Breuer - who used hypnosis as a way to help cure patients with various neuroses (
7、e.g., Anna O),Sigmund Frued,1895 - announced a new technique called free association. Patients express any random thoughts that enter their minds. Unconscious thoughts and memories brought to the conscious, allowing the patient to understand them. This will hopefully free the patient from the proble
8、m. Free association led to a therapy known as psychoanalysis. Focused biologically based instinctual drives, especially sex and aggression. Very young children also have these drives and they influence fantasies, problem solving and social interactions,Personality,Freud and the psychodynamic approac
9、h Although Freuds theory had an enormous impact on society during the 20th century, his influence within psychology is waning. His theory is very difficult to test empirically. Although many psychologists find nothing useful in the Freudian paradigm, its tenets are still utilized by some mental heal
10、th practitioners.,Freuds view of the mind,conscious- what youre aware of, can verbalize and think about in a logical fashion. preconscious - ordinary memory. Not conscious, but can be easily brought into conscious. unconscious - not directly accessible. A dump box for urges, feelings and ideas that
11、are tied to anxiety, conflict and pain. These feelings and thoughts still exert influence on our actions and our conscious awareness.,Psychodynamic approach: Where does personality come from?,shaped by internal conflicting forces. individual may be unaware of these. conscious vs. the unconscious the
12、 unconscious =stuff in our minds that were not aware of. includes some memories, thoughts, & emotions that are illogical or socially unacceptable. often at odds with our conscious minds affects our behavior,Three Portions of Personality in Psychosexual Theory,Id-(unconscious)- sexual and aggressive
13、impulses - represents biological needs and desires, and requires immediate gratification Superego-(mainly unconscious) moral ethical principles - represents values of society and conscience; a primitive and unconscious sense of morality; it is the internalization of the world view and norms a child
14、absorbs from parents and peers. A primitive knowledge of right and wrong. Ego (mainly conscious) reality oriented functions develops in early infancy and is the conscious, rational part of personality It is the mediator between the id and the superego,The psychodynamic approach: How does a childs pe
15、rsonality develop?,Stages of Psychosexual DevelopmentAccording to Freud people have a libido (psychosexual energy) = all the sensations of excitement that arise from body stimulation.He believed that how we manage this aspect of our development influences nearly all aspects of our personality as we
16、grow up, we go through 5 psychosexual stages how we deal with the stages ultimately determines personality (“fixation”),Personality,Freuds psychosexual stages of development The Oral Stage (The first year of life) The infant derives intense psychosexual pleasure from stimulation of the mouth, partic
17、ularly from breastfeeding but from oral contact with other objects as well. Oral fixation might involve problems with eating, drinking, substance use, and issues of dependence on/independence from others.,Freuds psychosexual stages of development,The Anal Stage (About 1 to 3 years old) The child der
18、ives intense psychosexual pleasure from stimulation of the anal sphincter, the muscle that controls bowel movements. This is partly related to toilet training, which usually occurs at this stage. Anal fixation might involve problems with:. Anal retentive traits-being obsessively clean, overly tidy,
19、very orderly, controlled, punctual, stingy and possessive. due to strict attitudes towards toilet training. Anal expulsive traits- poorly organized and perhaps aggressive. Due to lax attitudes towards toilet training.,Freuds psychosexual stages of development,The Phallic Stage (About 3 to 6 years of
20、 age) The child derives intense psychosexual pleasure from stimulation of the genitals, and becomes attracted to the opposite-sex parent. Phallic fixation might involve fear of being castrated (in boys) or “penis envy” in girls.,Freuds psychosexual stages of development,The Latent Period (About 6 ye
21、ars to adolescence) The child in this period suppresses his or her psychosexual interest. Children in this age group tend to play mostly with same sex peers. There is some evidence that the “latent period” is a cultural artifact. Children in some non-industrialized societies do not experience a peri
22、od of “latency.”,Freuds psychosexual stages of development,The Genital Stage (Adolescence and beyond) The individual in this period has a strong sexual interest in other people. If he or she has completed the other stages successfully, primary psychosexual satisfaction will be gained from sexual int
23、ercourse. The individual who is fixated in an early period of development has little libido left for this stage.,Table 13.1 Freuds stages of psychosexual development.,Name that fixation!,Your friend Oscar cant seem to go more than 30 minutes without lighting up a cigarette. Freud would say that he,I
24、s fixated in the oral stage.,Name that fixation,Your friend Annie cant seem to hang on to a cent. She spends her money wildly. Her roommates are always threatening to call the health department because she never cleans up after herself and her room always looks like a “pigsty.” Freud would say that
25、she,Is fixated in the anal stage.,Evaluation of Freuds stages,Difficult to test empirically. Research inconclusive. Personality attributes for people who are “fixated” at certain stages do seem to correlate, there is no evidence that they result from the difficulties that Freud hypothesized occur at
26、 those ages (i.e. “penis envy” in the Phallic Stage).,To deal with anxiety: defense mechanisms tricks used by ego to push unpleasant things unconscious; they reduce anxiety & are usually healthy,excessive anxiety may be due to libido problems: lack of sexual gratificationexcessive masturbationtrauma
27、tic childhood sexual experiences,The psychodynamic approach: What else did Freud say?,The psychodynamic approach: Common defense mechanisms,1. Rationalization (making excuses): Reframing unpleasant events as actually good, justifiable or rational 2. Repression (motivated forgetting): Forgetting pain
28、ful or upsetting thoughts/feelings/events 3. Regression: Returning to a more juvenile way of thinking or acting 4. Reaction formation: Presenting your ideas/feelings as the opposite of what they really are 5. Projection: Attributing your own undesirable characteristics/motives to someone else 6. Den
29、ial: Refusing to acknowledge an unpleasant event/thought 7. Displacement (scapegoating): Diverting your thoughts/impulses from their actual target to a less threatening target 8. Sublimation: Transforming sexual or aggressive energies into more acceptable, pro-social behaviors,You promised yourself
30、that you would exercise regularly, but you havent exercised in about 3 months. You think: “Well, I can justify this because I have been very busy and if I had exercised I probably would have gotten injured and done poorly in my classes.”,Rationalization,Name that defense mechanism!,Your boss yells a
31、t you. You come home and yell at your spouse. Your spouse yells at your child. Your child goes out to the yard and yells at the dog.,Displacement,Name that defense mechanism!,Expanded to psychoanalysis: therapeutic process: bringing parts of the unconscious into consciousness catharisis (therapeutic
32、 release of pent-up emotions),The psychodynamic approach & psychoanalysis,The psychodynamic approach: Freuds legacy,Freud generally did not use the “scientific method” And many of his findings discredited. However ,There is an unconscious mind.People do often have conflicting motives.Childhood exper
33、iences and sexual development do affect later outcomesRelationships with people in our family do influence relationships we have with others.,Neo-Freudians,Psychologists and others who adopted some parts of Freuds theory and modified others.Karen Horney believed Freud exaggerated the role of sexuali
34、ty, and misunderstood the motivations of women and the dynamics of family relationships.,Neo-Freudians,Carl Jung Greater emphasis on continuity of human experience and need for spiritual meaning. Fascinated by similar images and themes (e.g., in art, stories) and themes across cultures In addition t
35、o personal conscious and unconscious mind Jung proposed idea of “collective unconscious.”,Present at birth, reflects cumulative experiences of all of our ancestors. Contains archetypes - figures and themes that emerge repeatedly in human history and across world cultures (e.g., Anima/Animus),Neo-Fre
36、udians,Alfred Adler “individual psychology.” “individual” - understanding the whole person, not partitioned as in Freudian framework. striving for superiority - natural desire to seek personal excellence and fulfillment We create a style of life, which is our plan for achieving a sense of superiorit
37、y Many paths to superiority Competition in business, sports, etc. Self sacrificing Committing crimes for attention Complaining to get control Making excuses for lack of achievement (“if only .”) People who do not succeed may suffer from an inferiority complex, an exaggerated feeling of inadequacy, t
38、hroughout,Neo-Fruedians,Adler Social Interest - sense of belonging and identification with others healthy striving for superiority involved concern for the needs and welfare of others. Mental Health: Social interest Effective striving for superiority Psychopathology: Lack of social interest Setting
39、inadequate goals, Faulty style of life,Neo-Fruedians,Adlers Legacy Mental health as a positive state (not just the absence of neurosis) Inferiority complex Approaches to therapy based on how peoples assumptions influence behavior Emphasis on social interest,Summary of Neo-Fruedians,Adopted some part
40、s of Freuds thinking and modified other parts. Note: Still did not generally use “the scientific method”,The Learning Approach,How do you develop a personality? You learn it! The learning approach Questions concept of personality. People frequently behave differently depending on social context. E.g
41、., We may act differently with our parents, coworkers, friends. Learning approach relates specific behaviors to specific experiences. Often the experiences from which we learn are those of other people in our environment. Helps explain variations in behavior across people and situations,The Learning
42、 Approach,How do people learn? Social Learning Theories Imitating models,We are most likely to imitate models with perceived similarity Principle of vicarious reinforcement Example - gender roles psychological aspect of being male or female (as opposed to your biological sex.) Cross-cultural researc
43、h suggests that components of the male and female gender roles are learned. Boys can be observed to imitate men, and girls to imitate women.,The humanistic approach,people are essentially good (in contrast to neutral stance of behaviorism or negative view of psychoanalytic theories) people strive to
44、ward self-actualization state of achieving ones full potential. personality depends on what people believe behavior is not determined by “simple” causes look at “peak experiences” two Major People: Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow,Humanistic psychology: Carl Rogers,People strive toward self-actualizatio
45、n: a state of achieving ones full potential. Children develop a self-concept, an image of the person that they really are and an ideal self, an image that represents the person they would like to be. Psychological distress is generated from mismatch between self-concept and the ideal self.,Humanisti
46、c psychology: Carl Rogers,human welfare best served in atmosphere of unconditional positive regard. Unconditional positive regard involves the acceptance of the person as he or she is. Most people receive conditional positive regard in their important relationships. This means that the person is onl
47、y held in esteem when they fulfill certain requirements set for them by the other person or society.,Humanistic psychology,Humanistic psychology,Abraham Maslow proposed that people have a hierarchy of motivating needs and that the highest need of these is the need to become self-actualized. Maslow d
48、eveloped a list of characteristics of the self-actualized person based on people who, in his opinion, had achieved the state.,Maslows hierarchy of needs,Self Actualization-growth-oriented motive that sits atop a pyramid of needsAs more basic needs are met people direct themselves towards higher leve
49、l needs (e.g., love and esteem).If those needs are met people direct their needs towards self-actualization-Self Actualization - a motive that urges the person to make optimal use of his or her full potential, to become a more effective, creative participant in daily life,SELF-ACTUALIZED PEOPLE (anecdotal evidence):,perceive reality accuratelyenjoy life are independent, spontaneous, creativetreat others with unconditional positive regardCritics correctly point out that this is not a scientific list, and merely represents characteristics that Maslow admired in people.,
