Three Minute Review. PERSONALITY Barnum effect. SIGMUND FREUD psychoanalysis. id, ego and superego

Transcription

1 Three Minute Review SOCIAL INFLUENCE Deindividuation Bystander apathy The murder of Kitty Genovese why didn t any of 38 neighbor witnesses help her?!!! diffusion of responsibility frequently demonstrated in field studies and lab experiments even Good Samaritans fail Persuasion reciprocity lowballing door-in-the-face foot-in-the-door four walls technique (text) How can Social Impact Theory account for many social influence phenomena? PERSONALITY Barnum effect watch out for generalities, even if they are true SIGMUND FREUD psychoanalysis talking cure catharsis hysteria e.g., glove anesthesia id, ego and superego pleasure principle vs. reality principle psychosexual stages of development oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital 1

2 Test Yourself Elena and Robert have trouble getting along because she lives her life based on the pleasure principle and he lives his life based on his conscience. Freud would say Elena is driven by her and Robert is driven by his. A. superego, ego B. id, ego C. id, superego D. ego, superego E. ego, id My Personality Assessment You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. Youalso pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic. The Barnum Effect There s a sucker born every minute. -- P.T. Barnum, circus ringmaster The Barnum Effect sometimes called the Forer effect (Forer, 1949) statements taken from a newsstand astrology book on a scale of 0 (poor) to 5 (perfect), students rated assessment a 4.3 replicated in 1970s and 1980s (average = 4.2) Sample horoscope: You will find it difficult to deal with personal issues today. Be direct and positive when dealing with others. Don't neglect the ones you care about most. 2

3 The Barnum Effect in action Big Five Tests The items on the personality test you took really came from a test of the Big Five and birth order on this web site: Try it yourself to get real personality test results (it might also be interesting to hang on to a copy and try it again in 10 years) What is Personality? People react differently in the same situation 3

4 What is Personality? A person s behavior is often consistent across situations Hippocrates Four Humors BLOOD sanguine PHLEGM phlegmatic cheerful confident optimistic sluggish apathetic dull YELLOW BILE choleric irritable violent BLACK BILE melancholic depressed gloomy pessimistic In the 5 th C. B.C., Hippocrates theorized that the body contained four humors (fluids), each associated with a particular temperament Remember this guy? (Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence) Cattell s Trait Theory Raymond Cattell How can we decide what fundamental traits are? dictionary identifies 18,000 personality descriptors (Allport, 1937) Cattell narrowed this down to 170 and used factor analysis to group them Cattell derived 16 source traits 4

5 CORRELATION Factor Analysis How much do you like Dr. Pepper? r =.70 CORRELATION MATRIX How much do you like Coke Classic? Coke Classic Dr. Pepper 7-UP Coke Classic Dr. Pepper.70 7-UP Ginger Ale Ginger Ale Factor Analysis of Personality What would you conclude from the following patterns? CORRELATION MATRIX Sociable Talkative Worrying Impatient Sociable Talkative Worrying Impatient Sociable Sociable Talkative Talkative Worrying -.01 Worrying.67 Impatient Impatient Differences in Traits Both are equally intelligent Clergy members are more cheerful Researchers are more radical 5

6 Eysenck s Three Factors Extroversion (vs. Introversion) Do you like mixing with people? (+) Do you like plenty of bustle and excitement around you? (+) Are you rather lively? (+) Neuroticism (Stable vs. Unstable) Do you often feel fed up? (+) Do you often feel lonely? (+) Does your mood often go up and down? (+) Psychoticism Do good manners and cleanliness matter to you? (-) Does it worry you if you know there are mistakes in your work? (-) Do you like taking risks for fun? (+) Eysenck is similar to Hippocrates OPENNESS Openness Non-openness Imaginative Unimaginative Independent Conforming Curious Incurious Broad interests Narrow interests The BIG Five CONSCIENTIOUSNESS Conscientiousness Undirectedness Careful Careless Reliable Undependable Persevering Lax Ambitious Aimless EXTROVERSION Extroversion Introversion Sociable Reserved Fun-loving Sober Talkative Quiet Spontaneous Self-controlled AGREEABLENESS Agreeableness Antagonism Courteous Rude Selfless Selfish Trusting Suspicious Cooperative Uncooperative NEUROTICISM Neuroticism Worrying Vulnerable Self-pitying Impatient Stability Calm Hardy Self-satisfied Patient Mnemonic: O C E A N 6

7 2006 My Scores Over Time 2002 Trait theories Traits vs. Situations personality > situation Perhaps personality psychologists are making the fundamental attribution error Children who cheat in one situation (e.g., class test) may not cheat in another (e.g., athletic competition) (Average correlation: +.30; Hartshorne & May, 1928) Situation (state) theories situation > personality Interactionism both personality and situation are important Up Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man. -- Jesuit maxim Documentary series (Michael Apted) follows British children through interviews at ages 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 (1998) people s personalities are quite consistent 7

8 Is Consistency a Trait? Self monitoring (Snyder, 1974) Gray, p. 544 High self-monitors people who modify their behavior based on the situation Low self-monitors people who behave in a consistent manner regardless of the situation Effects of Age For most of us, by age 30, the character has set in plaster and will never soften again. -- William James, 1890 As people age between the teens and age 30, they become: less neurotic less extroverted less open to experience more conscientious more agreeable After age 30, people are more consistent Where Do Traits Come From? The usual nature/nurture debate Genes dog breeds have very different personalities no people breeders but can genetics account for personality tr aits? twin studies Environment effects of birth order 8

9 Twins Case study two identical twins separated at 4 weeks of age coincidentally, both named Jim by their adoptive families met in adulthood were the inspiration for the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart both clerical workers both enjoyed woodworking both volunteered for police agencies both liked vacationing in Florida both had married and divorced women named Linda both owned dogs named Toy both drove Chevrolets both liked math and hated spelling both had migraines and shared identical pulse rates and blood pressure both gained weight at same time both had built benches around trees in yard Twin Studies Identical twins are much more alike on Big Five than are fraternal twins Firstborns Birth Order more conscientious, extroverted & neurotic less agreeable and open to experience assertive, dominant, responsible, achievement-oriented, anxious, jealous Later-borns more prone to rebellion, more liberal more open to novelty, new ideas Middle-borns less connected to family than others (Frank Sulloway) 9

10 Temperaments biologically-based tendencies to feel or act in certain ways broader than traits Extroverts vs. Introverts Baseline arousal for extroverts Baseline arousal for introverts QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE Extroverts seek more external arousal Introverts seek less external arousal Low Medium High LEVEL OF AROUSAL (Hans Eysenck, 1967) Brain basis? Introverts (vs. Extroverts) respond more strongly to stimuli more sensitive to pain of electric shocks salivate more when tasting lemon juice show more arousal to a sudden noise perform worse in noisy settings are impaired by caffeine (vs. extroverts who are enhanced) have more activation in frontal lobes (inhibition of impulses?) and amygdala (emotional responses) 10

11 Investment Strategies bonds Canadian stocks Nortel Enron tech stocks global stocks Martha Stewart Inc. Smart Strategy: Diversified Portfolio Dumb Strategy: Single Investment Evolutionary Explanations for Trait Variability Why is there so much variability in traits and temperaments? groups with high variability are more adaptable Example: Sensation-seeking different individuals, different niches would you want an unconscientious extrovert as your accountant? would a disagreeable, neurotic introvert succeed as a car salesman? Theories of Personality Psychodynamic theories (Freud and others) personality arises from unconscious drives and early experiences sex & aggression id, ego, superego defense mechanisms early experiences Behaviorist theories (Skinner and others) personality arises from reinforcement history Social-Cognitive theories (Bandura and others) personality is determined by both the consequences of our behavior and our perception of them Humanistic theories (Maslow, Rogers and others) humans have a drive toward self-improvement that affects personality 11

12 Social-Cognitive Theories personality is determined by both the consequences of our behavior and our perception of them Locus of Control internal locus of control attribute outcomes to their own behavior external locus of control attribute outcomes to external factors people with an internal (vs. external) LoC get better grades are more likely to succeed are more likely to engage in healthy activities (exercising, eating well, wearing seatbelts, not smoking) are more likely to deal with problems are less likely to become depressed Humanistic Theories 1950s backlash against behaviorism and psychodynamic theories which were considered dehumanizing Freudians see people as conflict-ridden emotional cripples Skinnerians put too much emphasis on animal research and see people as dumb animals or unthinking automatons Trait theorists see people as no more than grab bags of descriptors to file in sterile pigeon holes (quotes from Gleitman) emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their free will and their potential for personal growth positive, optimistic view of human nature 12

13 Maslow s Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow Once basic needs have been satisfied, people seek psychological needs and growth I m quite fulfilled. I always wanted to be a chicken. A musician must make music, the artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self - actualization. -- Abraham Maslow Self-actualization finding and fulfilling one s potential Maslow evaluated people who he considered to be the most fulfilled A self-actualized person (partial list): perceives reality accurately is spontaneous and natural has a sense of humor is capable of childlike delight at the ordinary needs privacy, but feels connected to others has a few good friends is autonomous and independent in thought and action knows right from wrong is absorbed in a cause (and perhaps a different one tomorrow) has mystical experiences and seeks peak experiences 13