Personality

CHAPTER 15: PERSONALITY

Andy Hanson

Joe Will

PSYCHOANALYTICThe Unconscious

Unconscious Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Unconscious○ Contains all the thoughts and feelings we are unaware of

Free association○ A patient says out loud whatever comes to mind

Explores the unconscious

Ego, Superego, Id Ego

“The mediator”Conscious part of personality

Superego“The angel”Represents persons ideals and morals and sets

the standard for judgment. Id

“The devil”Made up of our selfish, aggressive, and sexual

desires

Unconscious Mind

Psychosexual Stages Oral (0-18 mo)

Pleasure center=mouth Biting, sucking, chewing

Anal (18-36 mo) Pleasure center=bowel and bladder elimination Deals with desire for control

Phallic (3-6 yrs) Pleasure center=genitals Incestuous, sexual feelings

Latency (6 to puberty) Undeveloped sexual feelings

Genital (Puberty on) Maturation of sexual interests

Freudian Defense Mechanisms

7 defense mechanisms the ego uses to reduce anxiety

Reduces anxiety by altering reality and removing anxiety-arousing thoughts.

7 Freudian Defense Mechanisms

Repression Removing anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

from consciousness Regression

Resorting to childish behavior Reaction Formation

Switching unacceptable behavior into their opposites Projection

Seeing your faults in others Rationalization

Making excuses Displacement

Shift aggression to another target that is less threatening.

Neo-Freudian Theorists and Ideas Accepted Freud’s basic ideas Did not believe sex and aggression are

the only important concepts Placed more of an emphasis on the

conscious mind 3 major Neo-Freudians

Alfred AdlerKaren HorneyCarl Jung

Assessing Unconscious Processes Projective tests

Aim to provide an insight into our thoughts and feelingsVague images and asks patients to describe it or tell a

story about it Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Used to asses unconscious thoughtsAmbiguous pictures are shown and the patient must

create a story about them Rorschach Inkblot Test

Most widely used projection testSet of 10 inkblots in which a patient must describe what

they see

Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective

Many criticized Freud in the 20th centuryClaimed his theories were outdatedCritics doubt gender identity and conscious

form as a child and end at age 6Some claim repression is a myth due to lack

of evidence and since it is not testable Modern evidence

Terror-Management Theory: claims that faith in ones worldview and self-esteem reduce anxiety and fear of death

HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Maslow’s Self-Actualizing Person

Maslow proposed we are motivated by a hierarchy of needsHumans seek self-actualization (fulfilling our

potential) Attempted to turn psychology’s attention

away from the unconscious and focus more on the growth potential of healthy peopleBelieved humans to be basically good

Hierarchy of Needs

Rogers’ Person-Centered Perspective According to Rogers, people nurture

growth by being open in feelings and being accepted by others

Unconditional Positive RegardAn attitude of total acceptance towards

another Self-Concept

All the thoughts and feelings we have in response to the question: “Who am I?”

The Trait Perspective Trait researches attempt to describe personality by

placing people at points on several trait dimensions simultaneouslyAttempt to isolate important dimensions by using factor

analysis Hans Eysenck proposed that there are 2 main

dimensions of traits that make up personalityExtroversion & IntroversionStability & Instability

Brain scans show extroverts and introverts differ in levels of brain arousal

Kagan believed heredity influences personality

The Big Five

The Big Five (cont) How stable are these traits?

In adulthood, traits are quite stable and consistantVary in decades after college

How heritable are they?Heritability varies with diversity of people studied but

usually heritable How well do they apply to various cultures?

Apply reasonably well Do they predict other personal attributes?

Yes, the Big Five traits are good indicators of of other personal attributes.

Person Situation Controversy

Some critics of trade-perspective say while some traits persist over time, behavior varies from situation to situation

Traits are not a good predictor of behavior

Supporters say that people’s average behavior is usually pretty consistant

SOCIAL-COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Reciprocal Influences

Reciprocal DeterminismHow environment influences personalityThree main points:

○ Different people choose different environments based on personality

○ Personalities are shaped by how we react to events

○ Personalities help create situations for us to react to

Personal Control

Feeling in control of your environment 2 types:

External Locus of Control○ Learned helplessness○ Often when people feel helpless or depressed○ Outside forces control fate

Internal Locus of Control○ You control your fate

Self-Esteem

How good or bad one feels about his/herself

High self-esteem tends to lead to less pressure to conform, confidence, and general happiness

Low self-esteem often coexist with feelings of unhappiness and personal problems

Self-Serving Bias

Thinking highly of oneself People accept more responsibility for

good deeds rather than bad ones

Defensive Self-Esteem:Fragile and egotistic

Secure Self-Esteem:Less fragile and does not depend on how

others see you