Myers EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (7th Ed) Chapter 12 Personality Modified from: James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers
What is Personality? Personality Individual s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, & acting Historic perspectives Psychoanalytic Humanistic
Psychoanalytic Perspective Freud s Theory Proposed that childhood sexuality & unconscious motivations influence personality Psychoanalysis Attributes thoughts & actions to unconscious motives & conflicts Treat psychological disorders by seeking to expose & interpret unconscious tensions Used free association to explore unconscious
Psychoanalytic Perspective Unconscious According to Freud - a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings & memories Contemporary viewpoint - information processing of which we are unaware
Personality Structure Id Reservoir of unconscious psychic energy Strives to satisfy basic sexual & aggressive drives Pleasure principle (immediate gratification) Ego Largely conscious, executive part of personality Mediates among demands of id, superego, & reality Reality principle, satisfying id s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain Superego Internalized ideals Standards for judgment (conscience) & aspirations
Personality Development Psychosexual Stages Childhood stages of development during which id s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones Fixation Lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts unresolved
Personality Development
Defense Mechanisms Ego s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Repression Regression Reaction Formation Projection Rationalization Displacement
Humanistic Perspective Focused on ways healthy people strive for self-determination & self-realization Maslow s Self-Actualization Ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical & psychological needs met & self-esteem achieved Motivation to fulfill one s potential
Humanistic Perspective Rogers Person-Centered Perspective Focused on growth & fulfillment of individuals Requires genuineness, empathy & acceptance Unconditional Positive Regard Attitude of total acceptance toward another Self-Concept Central feature of personality for Rogers & Maslow All thoughts & feelings about ourselves, in answer to question, Who am I?
Contemporary Research: Trait Perspective Trait Characteristic pattern of behavior or Disposition to feel & act, as assessed by self- report inventories & peer reports Personality Inventory Questionnaire (often true-false or agreedisagree items) on which respond to items designed to gauge wide range of feelings & behaviors Assesses selected personality traits
Trait Perspective Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Most widely researched & clinically used of all personality tests Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (considered most appropriate use) Now used for other screening purposes Empirically Derived Test
Trait Perspective
Contemporary Research: Social-Cognitive Perspective Views behavior as influenced by interaction between persons & social context Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura) Interacting influences between personality & environmental factors
Social-Cognitive Perspective Personal Control Sense of controlling environments rather than feeling helpless External Locus of Control Perception that chance or outside forces beyond personal control determine fate Internal Locus of Control Perception that one controls own fate Learned Helplessness
Exploring the Self Spotlight Effect Overestimating others noticing & evaluating our appearance, performance, & blunders Self Esteem One s feelings of high or low self-worth Self-Serving Bias Readiness to perceive oneself favorably