What is Personality?

Transcription

1 What is Personality?

2 What is Personality? Personality - an individual s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting Historical Perspectives Psychoanalytic and Humanistic Modern Perspectives Trait, Social-Cognitive, Introspective, Behaviorist

3 Personality: Sigmund Freud

4 Personality: Sigmund Freud To recognize the influence of Sigmund Freud, we need to understand his ideas concerning the unconscious, psychosexual stages, and mechanisms for defending against anxiety.

5 The Psychoanalytic Perspective

6 The Psychoanalytic Perspective Psychoanalysis emerged from Freud s theory which proposes that unconscious motives (fear, impulses and desires often rooted in childhood sexuality) influence personality development and are the root cause of many anxieties;

7 Psychoanalysis

8 Psychoanalysis A psychoanalyst therefore assists patients in recognizing those unconscious impulses, fears, and desires that are causing those anxieties; to achieve INSIGHT (the understanding of their unconscious motives)

9 Psychoanalysis A psychoanalyst therefore assists patients in recognizing those unconscious impulses, fears, and desires that are causing those anxieties; to achieve INSIGHT (the understanding of their unconscious motives) unconscious - a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories (contemporary viewpoint- the information processing of which we are unaware)

10 Methods of Psychoanalysis

11 Methods of Psychoanalysis psychoanalysis was used to explore the unconscious to analyze and dissolve defense mechanisms, phobias, undesirable character traits, etc.

12 Methods of Psychoanalysis psychoanalysis was used to explore the unconscious to analyze and dissolve defense mechanisms, phobias, undesirable character traits, etc. couch-talk

13 Methods of Psychoanalysis psychoanalysis was used to explore the unconscious to analyze and dissolve defense mechanisms, phobias, undesirable character traits, etc. couch-talk free association - person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

14 Methods of Psychoanalysis psychoanalysis was used to explore the unconscious to analyze and dissolve defense mechanisms, phobias, undesirable character traits, etc. couch-talk free association - person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing dream analysis (The Interpretation of Dreams, 1900)

15 Freudian Personality Structure

16 Freudian Personality Structure

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19 Personality Development

20 Personality Development Identification - the process by which children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos

21 Personality Development Identification - the process by which children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos Fixation - a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved

22 Defense Mechanisms

23 Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms tool to control our sexual and aggressive impulses; the ego s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

24 Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms tool to control our sexual and aggressive impulses; the ego s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Repression - the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness

25 Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms tool to control our sexual and aggressive impulses; the ego s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Repression - the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness Regression - defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

26 Defense Mechanisms

27 Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation - defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings

28 Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation - defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings

29 Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation - defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings Projection - defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

30 Defense Mechanisms Reaction Formation - defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings Projection - defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

31 Defense Mechanisms Rationalization - defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one s actions Displacement - defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person; as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

32 What is Personality Neo-Freudians Psychodynamic Approach

33 Neo-Freudians

34 Neo-Freudians Alfred Adler highlighted the importance of childhood social tension rather than sexual tension; inferiority complex

35 Neo-Freudians Alfred Adler highlighted the importance of childhood social tension rather than sexual tension; inferiority complex Karen Horney - sought to balance Freud s masculine biases; counter to Freud s penis envy

36 Neo-Freudians Alfred Adler highlighted the importance of childhood social tension rather than sexual tension; inferiority complex Karen Horney - sought to balance Freud s masculine biases; counter to Freud s penis envy Carl Jung - emphasized the collective unconscious - concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history

37 Assessing the Unconscious

38 Assessing the Unconscious Projective Tests - are designed to uncover thoughts, emotions, and desires (unconscious impulses that may be driving current behaviors) that may not be known to the test taker (Rorschach Inkblot Test, The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Incomplete Sentences Blank)

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41 Assessing Personality

42 Assessing Personality Objective Tests utilize research to determine results; the results are given in the form of statistics and probabilities (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and any of the major tests of intelligence)

43 What is Personality?

44 What is Personality? Humanistic Perspective

45 What is Personality? Humanistic Perspective Abraham Maslow

46 What is Personality? Humanistic Perspective Abraham Maslow Carl Rogers

47 Abraham Maslow ( )

48 Abraham Maslow ( ) Self-Actualization - the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved (see adjustments); the motivation to fulfill one s potential

49 Abraham Maslow ( ) Self-Actualization - the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved (see adjustments); the motivation to fulfill one s potential

50 Abraham Maslow

51 Abraham Maslow Obstacles to Self-Actualization

52 Abraham Maslow Obstacles to Self-Actualization 1. weakest and most easily impeded

53 Abraham Maslow Obstacles to Self-Actualization 1. weakest and most easily impeded 2. Jonah Complex self-doubt and fear of ability and potential

54 Abraham Maslow Obstacles to Self-Actualization 1. weakest and most easily impeded 2. Jonah Complex self-doubt and fear of ability and potential 3. cultural norms and environment

55 Abraham Maslow Obstacles to Self-Actualization 1. weakest and most easily impeded 2. Jonah Complex self-doubt and fear of ability and potential 3. cultural norms and environment 4. childhood experiences (excessive control and autonomy)

56 Carl Rogers ( ) - focus on growth and fulfillment of individuals

57 Carl Rogers ( ) - focus on growth and fulfillment of individuals

58 Carl Rogers ( ) - focus on growth and fulfillment of individuals Genuineness being open to feelings, dropping facades, transparency and selfdisclosure

59 Carl Rogers ( ) - focus on growth and fulfillment of individuals Genuineness being open to feelings, dropping facades, transparency and selfdisclosure Acceptance unconditional positive regard (an attitude of total acceptance toward another person)

60 Carl Rogers ( ) - focus on growth and fulfillment of individuals Genuineness being open to feelings, dropping facades, transparency and selfdisclosure Acceptance unconditional positive regard (an attitude of total acceptance toward another person) Empathy sharing and mirroring feelings and reflecting meaning

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62 Perceived Self v. Ideal Self

63 Perceived Self v. Ideal Self Self-Concept - all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an answer to the question, Who am I? Perceived Self who we think we are - how would you describe yourself? Ideal Self who we really want to be - who do you want to be?

64 What is Personality? The Trait Perspective Gordon Allport Carl Jung Eysenck and Eysenck The Big Five Factors

65 Trait Perspective Trait - a characteristic pattern of behavior; a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports - Allport & Odbert (1936), identified 18,000 words representing traits

66 Factor Analysis: Eysenck & Eysenck Hans and Sybil Eysenck use two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation (extraversionintroversion and emotional stability and instability)

67 Personality Inventories personality inventories - questionnaires (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors assessing several traits at once Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests; originally developed to identify emotional disorders - empirically derived test a test (MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate/differentiate between groups

68 The Big Five

69 What is Personality? The Social-Cognitive Perspective Albert Bandura Locus of Control

70 Albert Bandura Social-Cognitive Perspective - views behavior as influenced by the interaction between persons and their social context - behaviors learned through conditioning and/or modeling - cognition/mental processes, what we think affects our behavior - interaction between person and environment

71 Reciprocal Determinism Reciprocal Determinism - the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors 1. Environmental Factor (different people choose different environments) 2. Personal Factor (our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events) 3. Past Behavior (our personalities help create situations to which we react)

72 Personal Control Personal Control - our sense of controlling our environments rather than feeling helpless External Locus of Control - the perception that chance or outside forces beyond one s personal control determine one s fate Internal Locus of Control - the perception that one controls one s own fate

73 Learned Helplessness Learned Helplessness - the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

74 Positive Psychology Positive Psychology - the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote conditions that enable individuals and communities to thrive The main purpose of a positive psychology is to measure, understand and then build the human strengths and the civic virtues - Martin Seligman

75 George Kelly s Personal Construct Theory - we are strongly motivated to make sense of our worlds - we are always attempting to make better predictions about what will happen to us - thus we generate and test hypotheses

76 What is Personality? Exploring the Self Self-Esteem Culture and Self

77 Our Possible Selves Possible Selves visions of the self that an individual dreams of becoming and visions of the self the individual fears becoming - Dreams - Fears

78 The Spotlight Effect Spotlight Effect - overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

79 Self-Esteem Self Esteem - one s feelings of high or low self-worth high self esteem - fewer sleepless nights, succumb less easily to pressure, less likely to use drugs, persistent, less shy and lonely low self-esteem - unhappiness and despair, depression (falling short of hopes) and anxiety (falling short of what they ought to do), highly critical of others as well as themselves

80 Self-Esteem Self-Serving Bias - readiness to perceive oneself favorably If the self-serving bias exists why do people disparage themselves so readily? - subtly strategic - preparation for possible failure - expressions of our old selves

81 Culture and the Self Individualism - giving priority to one s own goals over group goals and defining one s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications Collectivism - giving priority to the goals of one s group (often one s extended family or work group) and defining one s identity accordingly

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