1/23/2012 PERSONALITY. Personality. THE JOURNEY OF ADULTHOOD Barbara R. Bjorklund

Transcription

1 THE JOURNEY OF ADULTHOOD Barbara R. Bjorklund Chapter 8 PERSONALITY Personality Personality: relatively enduring set of characteristics that define our individuality and affect our interactions with the environment. 1

2 Personality Structures Personality traits and factors Differential continuity Mean-level change Intra-individual variability Personality Traits and Factors Personality traits: consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions. Personality states: short-term characteristics of person. Personality factors: group of traits that occur together in an individual. Five-Factor Model McCrae and Costa: Five-factor model 1. Neuroticism 2. Agreeableness 3. Conscientiousness 4. Extraversion 5. Openness Self-report technique may lead to biased responding. 2

3 Differential Continuity Differential continuity: stability of individuals rank order within a group over time. Personality traits remain stable during childhood and throughout adulthood, increasing steadily through age 50. Intra-Individual Variability Intra-individual variability: refers to degree to which individual s personality traits remain stable over time. Variability in rate and direction of change for individuals. Mean-Level Change Mean-level change: changes in a group s average scores over time. Personality does change predictability with age and continues to change to at least age 92. Patterns relatively independent of gender and cultural influences. 3

4 What do you think? Can personality be changed intentionally? Continuity, Change, and Variability Continuity, change and variability co-exist. Research varies in terms of stability or change over time. Generally, some people change over time, and some do not. What do personality traits do? Define human uniqueness. Shape personality by cultivating relationships; striving and achieving; and maintaining and promoting health. 4

5 Personality and Relationships Personality traits important in development of intimate adult relationship. People high in neuroticism: seek people with similar trait; meet partner s negative behavior with further escalation; and evoke certain behaviors from other partners. Personality and Job Achievement Personality traits within conscientiousness are most important predictors of work-related markers of achievement. Traits include competence, order, dutifulness, and self-discipline. How do conscientiousness traits affect job achievement? 1. People choose niches that fit their personality traits. 2. Conscientious people are singled out, given jobs, and promoted. 3. Non-conscientious people leave high achievement jobs. 4. Conscientious people do jobs better. 5

6 Personality and Health Personality is related to health and longevity. Give two examples to substantiate this claim. Explanations of Continuity and Change Genetics Environmental influences Evolutionary influences Explanations of Continuity and Change in Adult Personality Traits Behavior Genetics and Personality Traits Genes determine our personalities to a large degree. Heritability of 5 major personality factors. 6

7 Figure 8.4: Monozygotic twins scores for five personality factors show higher correlations than scores for dizygotic twins, showing that there is a genetic influence for personality structures. Explanations of Continuity and Change in Adult Personality Traits Environmental Influences on Personality Traits Person-environment transactions serve to maintain personality trait consistency. Reactive transactions Evocative transactions Proactive transactions Manipulative transactions Explanations of Continuity and Change in Adult Personality Traits Evolutionary Psychology and Personality Traits Traits are based on basic social groups our early ancestors lived in. Differences in personality and the ability to perceive them have been important to the survival of our species. 7

8 Psychosocial Development Identity Intimacy Generativity Ego integrity Theories of Personality Development Erik Erikson: The most influential theory on adult development. Psychosocial development continues over entire life span. Development follows a universal sequence. Successful identity development involves resolving eight crises or dilemmas. Identity To achieve identity, young person: Develops specific ideology. Develops set of personal values and goals. Develops several linked identities. If identity is not achieved, role confusion occurs. 8

9 Intimacy To achieve intimacy, adolescent: Fuses identity with someone else without fear. Failure to achieve intimacy results in isolation. Generativity To achieve generativity, adult: Is successful in procreation, productivity, and creativity. When generativity is not achieved, adult is selfabsorbed or experiences a sense of stagnation. Ego-Integrity If ego integrity is achieved, older adult: Finds meaning and integration in life review. Resolves conflicts. Demonstrates wisdom. If ego integrity is not achieved, despair emerges. 9

10 Erikson s Stage V for Two Cohorts Loevinger s Theory of Ego Development The most influential theory on adult development. Psychosocial development continues over entire life span. Development follows a universal sequence. Successful identity development involves resolving eight crises or dilemmas. Mature Adaptation: Vaillant Accepts Erikson s stages as basic framework for development. Focuses on direction of growth or development. Major form of adaptation is the defense mechanism. Developed Defensive Functioning Scale. Focuses on progress adults make towards higher levels of maturity. 10

11 Gender Crossover Gender crossover: gender characteristics are accentuated during young adulthood and relaxed in middle and old age to allow some other gender characteristics to emerge. Age presents gain in personal freedom and new roles. Positive Well-Being Maslow Grew out of psychoanalytic theory. Development of motives or needs. Deficiency motives: instincts or drives to correct imbalance or maintain physical or emotional homeostasis. Being motives: distinctly human motives. Maslow s Hierarchy 11

12 Self-Actualization Highest level of Maslow hierarchy. Being motive that emerges only when all four types of deficiency needs are largely satisfied. Peak Experiences Peak experiences: feelings of perfection and momentary separation of self when one feels in unity with universe. Only achieved in self-actualized people. Positive Psychology Positive psychology: humanist psychological approach that focuses on valued subjective experiences and positive individual traits. --Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 12

13 Self-Determination Theory Self-determination theory: personality is based on individuals evolved inner resources for growth and integration. Eudaimonia sense of integrity and well-being (like Maslow s self-actualization). Hedonia happiness that involves presence of positive feelings and absence of negative feelings. --Ryan and Deci Ryan and Deci: Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness Competence: feelings of effectiveness as one interacts with one s environment. Autonomy: need to feel that our actions are done by our own volition. Relatedness: feeling of being connected to, cared about, and belonging with significant others in our lives. Chapter Review 1. Early ideas about adult were based on grand theories of development that were popular and enthusiastically endorsed but not empirically tested and validated. 2. One of the first methods of testing and validating ideas about personality was the approach, in which a small number of trait structures were identified through factor analysis. 13

14 Chapter Review 3. has been found for the major five factors of personality through childhood and adulthood. People tend to keep their rank orders within groups regardless of gender. 4. What happens to personality traits as people get older? We become more agreeable and conscientious, less neurotic and open. This seems to be true regardless of and gender. Chapter Review 5. Personality trait structures can be stable in some ways ( ) and change in others ( ). 6. traits are related to the development of intimate relationships, career success, and health in adulthood. Chapter Review 7. The five major personality structures have a significant component, but there are mixed findings about the primary factors. 8. psychologists argue that personality traits give us important survival cues about the people in our environment, and as a result, have been selected for throughout our evolutionary history. 14

15 Chapter Review 9. s theory of psychosocial development states that personality development takes place in distinct stages over the life span. 10. s theory of ego development states that adults make their way along the incline from one stage to the other, but don t have to complete the whole progression. Chapter Review 11. s theory of mature adaptation is based on levels of defense mechanisms-normal, unconscious strategies we use for dealing with anxiety. 12. s theory of gender crossover explains that young adults strive to display accentuated gender traits to attract mates and raise children. Chapter Review 13. s theory of self-actualization consists of stages of a sort, in the form of a needs hierarchy, with the most pressing biological needs coming first; once they are satisfied, the individual turns his or her attention to higher-level needs. 15