PSYC 2201 Personality Chapter 11 Outline for Weiten (2005)

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PSYC 2201Personality Chapter 11 Outline for
Weiten (2005)

• Bill Hill
• Kennesaw State University

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Defining Personality

• An individuals unique combination of attitudes,
  beliefs and behaviors.
• Personality is generally assumed to be
• Consistent
• Distinctive

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Trait Approaches

• Characteristic behavior patterns (and ways of
  thinking) that are relatively consistent across
  similar situational contexts
• Traits are often described using common
  adjectives such as friendly, outgoing, moody,
  trustwothy, etc.

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Trait Approaches

• The Five-Factor Model of Personality Traits
  (McCrae Costa)
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Openness to experience
• Extraversion
• Neuroticism

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Trait Approaches

• Contemporary Research on Traits
• Sensation-Seeking
• Self-Monitoring

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Evaluating Trait Approaches

• Primarily descriptive model that does not
  adequately either explain why a behavior occurs
  or predict behavior
• Questions as to whether the Big Five Traits are
  too many or not enough

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Theories of Personality

• The major theories that we will discuss are
  primarily focused on identifying the origins of
  personality, not the relationship between
  personality and behavior.
• Personality theories are also key to
  understanding both the origins of abnormal
  behavior and the approaches to the treatment of
  abnormal behavior.

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Theories of Personality

• The four basic theories of personality
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Humanistic
• Biological

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Psychodynamic Theories

• All of these approaches originate from Freud and
  emphasize unconscious processes that influence
  traits and behaviors
• The basic element in common is conflict. The
  resolution of these conflicts between the
  individual and either unconscious or societal
  pressures, determines personality.

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Psychodynamic Theories

• The Big Four
• Freud
• Jung
• Adler
• Erikson

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Freud

• Basic assumptions underlying Freuds approach to
  personality
• Behavior (personality) is determined and
  controlled by unconscious factors
• Foundations for adult personality laid during
  childhood
• Primary role of sexual urges

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Freud

• Structures of Personality
• Id
• Ego
• Superego
• It is the dynamic interaction between these
  three structures that results in observed behavior

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Freud

• Levels of Consciousness
• Conscious
• Preconscious
• Unconscious

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Freud

• Stages of Personality Development
• Oral (mouth)
• Anal (anus)
• Phallic
• Oedipal Complex
• Penis Envy
• Latency
• Genital

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Freud

• Defense Mechanisms
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• John thought that almost everyone but himself
  was cheating on the psychology exam.
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• Lisa was embarrassed when she kept forgetting
  her appointment with the dentist.
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• Although Joan had not been close to her mother
  during her childhood she was now so
  oversolicitous of her mothers health that her
  marriage was being threatened.
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• Curt began assuming many of the behaviors and
  characteristics of the professor he most feared.
  
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• After her new baby brother came home from the
  hospital the parents discovered Cheryl had
  dismembered her favorite doll.
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• A student attributed his flunking out of the
  university to the poor quality of teaching there.
  
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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What is the Defense Mechanism?

• Tommy began wetting his pants again after the
  birth of his baby brother.
• Repression
• Projection
• Displacement
• Reaction Formation
• Regression
• Rationalization
• Identification

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Jung

• Although also emphasizing the unconscious like
  Freud, he proposed different layers
• Personal Unconscious
• Collective Unconscious

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Adlers Individual Psychology

• De-emphasizing the sexual focus of Freud, Adler
  believed the energy driving personality
  development is a striving for superiority
• Compensation
• Inferiority Complex
• Emphasis on social context (e.g., birth order)

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Evaluating Psychodynamic Approaches

• Vague and untestable
• Lack of objective supporting evidence
• Claims of sexism in Freuds theory

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Behavioral Approaches

• Premise from behaviorism that behaviors that
  constitute ones consistent traits and actions
  are learned through behavioral principles of
  conditioning (operant and classical) and
  observational learning

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Radical Behaviorism Personality(Skinner)

• Internal processes omitted
• Focus is solely on environmental factors that
  shape and determine observed behaviors
• Personality (as defined by response tendencies)
  can easily change across ones life

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Social Learning Theory(Bandura)

• Although out of the behavioral tradition,
  Bandura incorporates cognitive influences
• Reciprocal Determinism
• Perspective that behavior tendencies are the
  result of an interaction between cognition,
  environment and observed behavior

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Social Learning Theory(Bandura)

• Observational Learning
• Ability to imitate
• Role of the model
• Consequences of models behavior (Vicarious
  conditioning)
• Attention to model (higher when model liked or
  respected and seen as similar to observer)
• Self-Efficacy

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Social Learning Theory(Mischel)

• Emphasized role of situational factors, thus
  raising questions as to whether behavior is
  consistent (person emphasis) or varies with ones
  perception of the situational context
• Response choices are a function then of the
  persons perception of the consequences
  associated with a response and consequence
  likelihood for the same behavior varies across
  situations

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Evaluating Behavioral Approaches

• Question of application of fundamental
  principles developed through animal research to
  humans
• De-emphasis of role of cognitive factors and
  free will by radical behaviorists
• Lack of unifying structure of personalityit is
  simply characterized as set of acquired behaviors

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Humanistic Approaches

• Key Elements
• Emphasis on human uniqueness and potential for
  personal growth.
• As counterpoint to both Psychodynamic and
  Behavioral approaches, also includes strong
  emphasis on human free will
• Adopts phenomenological approach to understanding
  human behavior

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Person-Centered Theory(Rogers)

• Key personality construct is the self or
  Self-Concept, which is ones collection of
  beliefs about
• who he or she is (often described using traits)
• typical behavior patterns

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Person-Centered Theory(Rogers)

• Personality (self-concept) is largely developed
  as a function of childhood and adolescent
  experiences that are related to the interplay
  between an individuals need for affection and
  acceptance and parenting practices.
• Conditional love
• Unconditional love

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Person-Centered Theory(Rogers)

• Subjectively we try to maintain a match between
  our self-concept and our behavioral experiences.
• The degree of congruence (match) or incongruence
  (mismatch) between self-concept and experience
  that determines ones mental health.

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Self-Actualization Theory(Maslow)

• Hierarchy of Needs (Human Motivations)
• Physiological
• Safety Security
• Belongingness Love
• Esteem
• Cognitive
• Aesthetic
• Self-Actualization

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Evaluating Humanistic Approaches

• Vague and untestable
• Lacks strong research base to support claims
• Idealized view of human nature that may be
  overly optimistic (e.g., Maslows self-actualized
  person)

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Biological Approaches

• Basic premise is that personality tendencies
  (traits) may be genetically influenced

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Biological Approaches(Eysenck)

• Eysencks theory combines elements from trait
  and behavioral approaches to personality
• Although basically a trait approach, his premise
  is that trait tendencies are genetically
  determined. Actual observed traits are then
  shaped through conditioning.

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Biological Approaches(Eysenck)

• Eysencks Fundamental Traits
• Extraversion-Introversion
• Neuroticism
• Psychoticism

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Behavioral Genetics

• Evidence that suggests personality traits are
  inherited
• Twin studies
• Variability in personality traits despite shared
  family environment
• Possibility of detecting specific genes related
  to traits

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Evolutionary Perspectives

• Traits, such as the Big Five, have emerged
  through natural selection. Supporting evidence
  includes
• Cross-cultural consistency in the Big Five
• Adaptive viability of the Big Five for survival

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Evaluating Biological Approaches

• Limitations on accuracy of heritability ratios
• Fails to adequately address the interaction
  between nature and nurture
• No unifying theory

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Culture Personality

• Cultural and sociohistorical factors have
  influenced many of the major theories discussed,
  particularly the Psychodynamic and Humanistic
  approaches.
• What may be characterized as a personality ideal
  in one culture is not necessarily to same in
  another.

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Culture Personality

• Variations in Self-Concept
• Western Ideal independent self
• Asian Ideal interdependent self

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Imagine that several psychologists are having
lunch together, and that you are eavesdropping on
their conversation. Which type of psychologist
is MOST likely to have made each of these
comments?

• Aggression is a human instinct. Although
  society may control it somewhat, we can never
  eliminate it.
• Humanistic
• Biological/evolutionary
• Psychoanalytic
• Behavioral

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Imagine that several psychologists are having
lunch together, and that you are eavesdropping on
their conversation. Which type of psychologist
is MOST likely to have made each of these
comments?

• Your student may be under a lot of pressure, but
  that is no excuse for cheating. We are
  personally responsible for what we do.
• Humanistic
• Biological/evolutionary
• Psychoanalytic
• Behavioral

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Imagine that several psychologists are having
lunch together, and that you are eavesdropping on
their conversation. Which type of psychologist
is MOST likely to have made each of these
comments?

• There are not any values inherent in human
  nature. Values are acquired in the same way we
  learn to say please and thank you.
• Humanistic
• Biological/evolutionary
• Psychoanalytic
• Behavioral

49
Imagine that several psychologists are having
lunch together, and that you are eavesdropping on
their conversation. Which type of psychologist
is MOST likely to have made each of these
comments?

• People just dont want to believe that infants
  get sexual pleasure from sucking and exploring
  anything they get in their hands with their
  mouth.
• Humanistic
• Biological/evolutionary
• Psychoanalytic
• Behavioral