Biological Approachesto Personality

determination of an individual’s characteristics by interpreting the various irregularities and folds of the skin

Palmistry

The Barnum Effect

When troubled I seek out◦ People◦ Action◦ Solitude

I prefer◦ physical comfort◦ physical adventure◦ Privacy

The time of my life I favor is◦ Childhood◦ Early adulthood◦ Later years

EME Questionnaire

What would bother me most would be◦ being cut off from other people◦ being closed off in small places◦ being exposed to endless noise

When in a group I like to◦ Mingle◦ take charge◦ take off

I prefer to◦ let things take their course◦ do things◦ observe what is going on

EME Questionnaire

The thing I like most is◦ eating

exercisetime to myself

The qualities that fit me best are◦ tolerance and love of people

love of power and leadershipa highly developed self-awareness

EME Questionnaire

Conduct a frequency count of 1, 2, 3s

1 = Endomorph 2 = Mesomorph 3 = Ectomorph

EME Questionnaire

Sheldon’s Body Type Theory

soft body underdeveloped muscles round shaped

Associated personality traits:

Endomorph

hard, muscular body, mature appearance rectangular shaped, thick skin upright posture

Associated personality traits:

Mesomorph

thin, delicate build , young appearance tall, lightly muscled stoop-shouldered , large brain

Associated personality traits:

Ectomorph

From Body Types to Brain Structure

Prior to Accident

capable and efficient foreman

well-balanced mind shrewd business man

After Accident

fitful, irreverent grossly profane impatient and

obstinate lack of emotion

Phineas Gage (click here)

Chimps (1935) Easily frustrated, vicious

Frontal lobes operated on… Chimps became mellow

Egas Moniz was present Procedure then applied to humans

Becky and Lucy

Nobel Prize in 1949

1937 – lobotomy

thalamus-prefrontal cortex incision

Egas Moniz

Francis Farmer (actress) Rosemary Kennedy (1941)

Received lobotomy for mood swings

Implication◦ less emotional, but not emotionally responsive

and future anticipation becomes erratic and disorganized

◦ Ability to make decisions falls apart

Famous Recipients

Part of limbic system◦ Reptilian Brain

Implicated in emotions

When removed:◦ less aggressive and less fearful◦ try to eat inedible things◦ increased sexual behavior

Role the Amygdala

University of Texas (summer, 1969) Killed wife and mother 14 others killed the next day

Autopsy tumor next to amygdala

Charles Whitman (click here)

Left Positive emotions

Damage to:◦ Schizophrenia◦ Disorganized ◦ Illogical thinking

Right Negative emotions

Damage to:◦ Bipolar Disorder◦ Mood swings◦ Energy fluctuations

Role of Cerebral Hemispheres

Brain Structure to

Humors

Hippocrates (460?-377? B.C.) Galen (A. D. 130 - 200?)

Somatogenic Hypothesis

sanguine, melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic

Humoural Theory

Primal Qualities: Dry/Cold Wet/Warm Wet/Cold Dry/Warm

Elements: Earth Air Water Fire

Seasons: Autumn Spring Winter Summer

Humors: Black Bile Blood Phlegm Yellow Bile

Termperaments: Melancholic Sanguine Phlegmatic Choleric

Principal Organs: Spleen Heart Brain Liver

Aristotle

 

descriptions of the four temperaments traits cluster together prototypical model of personality

Kant (1724-1804)

reorganized the four types

two dimensions◦ degree of emotionality◦ degree of changeability

dimensional model of personality

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Hans Eysenck 1916 - 1997

Click here

Click here for video link

critical of psychoanalysis at worst – fictional at best – untestable

700 neurotically maladjusted patients Reviewed case histories Developed a two-factor model

Eysenck

used factor analysis - two factors

Neuroticism◦ Disorganized personality, dependency, narrow interests,

dismissal from military service, parental psychopathology, unsatisfactory home

Two groups◦ Neurotically maladjusted (obsessive, anxiety)◦ Hysterical (physical problems with no physical basis)

Eysenck

negative affect, sleepiness, irritability, feelings of inferiority, sluggish

heightened right hemisphere activity

Neuroticism

use poor coping strategies (i.e., self-blame)

irrational ideas less able to control their impulses

Neuroticism

Two Types of E-I

Introversion◦ Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, reactive depression

neuroses, irritability, apathy, self-conscious, moody, prone to day dreaming

Extraversion◦ Hysterical neurosis, bad work history, hypochondriacal, prone to

stammer, accident prone, disgruntled, prone to aches and pains

Eysenck

introverts prone to: ◦ anxiety-depressive disorders◦ coined the term “dysthymia”

extraverts prone to: ◦ hysteria-psychopathic disorders

Eysenck

Enter Pavlov

Studies in conditioning

excitatory and inhibitory processes

Establishing a CR due to excitatory processes Extinguishing CRs due to inhibitory processes

Eysenck

Extraversion

talk more when they meet people more eye contact sales, personnel work, nursing and

teaching impulsive gamble more often

Extraversion

sexual permissive in their sexual attitudes higher sex drive feel good about life less responsive to punishment persist in the face of punishment don't tend to learn from their mistakes

Extraversion

when Es are given a stimulant, they behave like Is

when Is are given an depressant, they tend to act like Es

Is are more sensitive to stimulation

pupil reaction of Es is slower

nervous system of Is is more sensitive

Extraversion

Eysenck

Excitation Inhibition Disorder

Introverts High (rapid) Low (slow) Dysthymia

Extraverts Low (slow) High (rapid) HysteriaPsychopathology

Eysenck

Yerkes-Dodson Law

performance

arousal level

optimal performance

Yerkes-Dodson Law

performance

arousal level

Neurotic Extrovert

Easy Task

Yerkes-Dodson Law

performance

arousal level

normal extravert

Hard Task

Eysenck proposed in mid 1970s dimensional at extreme, psychotic reactions/antisocial moderate, unusualness and artistic

Polygenic personality trait “PEN” captured in EPQ

Psychoticism

High scores PEN Impulsivity migrates to P factor

Primary and Secondary Psychopaths

Primary –higher P relative to N Secondary – higher N relative to P

Criminality?

Psychoticism◦ aggressive, cold, egocentric, impersonal◦ antisocial, unempathic, creative

Extraversion◦ social, lively, active, assertive,◦ carefree, dominant, surgent

Neuroticism◦ anxious, depressed, guilt-prone◦ irrational, shy, moody emotional

PEN

Neuropsychologist

Basic theory:◦ Personality based on the interaction of two

systems Approach Inhibition

Gray’s Conception

Approach System

Located in the Septal area and the lateral hypothalamus

Causes one to be sensitive to potential rewards and to be motivated to seek rewards

Gray

Inhibition system

Controlled by septo-hippocampus

Causes one to be sensitive to potential punishments and to be motivated to avoid those punishments

Gray

Gray and Eysenck Integrated

Added a third dimension

Flight or Fight system Controls tendency to be aroused or

aggressive Controlled by amygdala Parallel to Eysenck’s “psychoticism”

Gray

Neural Effects on Personality

Dopamine Serotonin Norepinephrine

Types of Neurotransmitters

Feeding, drinking, movement

Imbalanced dopamine activity can cause brain dysfunction and disease.

Schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease

Dopamine

Related to Approach behavior

“Extraversion” and sociability

Parallel with Gray BAS?

“Reward deficiency syndrome”

Dopamine

WWI – patients developed Parkinson’s

Given L-dopa Catatonic to Normal

Later, to hypomania, restlessness and grandiosity, to deep depression

Awakenings

Role in inhibition of impulses

Parallel with Gray’s BIS?

Serotonin depletion:Irrational anger, hypersensitivity to rejection,pessimism, obsessive worry, fear of risk taking

Serotonin and Personality

Serotonin (5HT), many receptor subtypes

Hunger◦ Too little 5Ht, increase in hunger (carbohydrates)

Aggressive Behavior◦ Too little 5HT, violence, antisocial and suicidal behavior

Sleep Onset◦ Too much 5HT, causes sleep ◦ Warm milk and turkey contain tryptophan (a precursor to Serotonin)

Depression and OCD◦ Too little 5HT

Serotonin

serotonin hypothesis =

used for a variety of disorders work by raising levels of serotonin by

blocking reuptake

SSRIs

SSRIs

Prozac Zoloft Paxil Luvox Celexa

Side Effects weight loss, activating, increased anxiety, nausea, headaches, sexual dysfunction

Eli Lilly 22 million Americans have used

Cosmetic Psychopharmacology

Prozac

hormone and neurotransmitter

secreted by the medulla of the adrenal gland

brings about "fight or flight"

increased metabolism, blood pressure, mental activity, blood flow to the muscles, and heart rate

Also Known As: noradrenaline

Norepinephrine

High levels◦ Anger, anxiety, dependent, sociable

Low levels◦ Disinhibition, impulsivity◦ Nonconformist, socially detached

Norepinephrine and Personality

Biological Approaches Robert Cloninger

Novelty seeking - Harm avoidance - Reward dependence -

Cloninger Scan page 21

Hormones

backs up the nervous system providing communication and control

network of glands that secrete hormones

hormones are chemical messengers that use blood as method of transport

Endocrine System (click here)

Hypersecretion = too much hormone Hyposecretion = too little hormone

Endocrine System

1) solely endocrine (e.g., thyroid)

2) mixed function (e.g., pancreas, thymus)

3) function not entirely known (e.g, pineal)

Types of Endocrine

Regulates metabolism

T3 and T4 are the major thyroid hormones T4 = thyroxine

Thyroid Gland

characterized by sped-up metabolism, elevated body temperature, increased appetite with weight loss, accelerated heart rate, nervousness, agitation, fatigue and insomnia

Hyperthyroidism

including lethargy, impaired memory, concentration, feeling cold, constipation, fatigue

Hypothyroidism

estrogen and testosterone

Sex Hormones

Linked (indirectly) to aggressive Males 10 times greater amount

High male testosterone◦“Stable extravert”◦Sociable, self-acceptance, dominance◦Restless energy, smile less◦More sexual

Testosterone

High Testosterone Females◦Unprovoked violent crimes◦ Increased sexual interest◦ Increased sociability, lack of inhibitions◦“butch” lesbians (Funder, 2001)

Low Testosterone Females◦Less sexual interest

Testosterone