Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939)

• Psychic determinism• Drives and instincts• Probing the unconscious

– Psychoanalysis

– Interpretation of dreams

– “Slips” of the tongue

• Case study method

Deep Inside the Black Box

Id: Unconscious, pleasure-seeking impulses

Ego: Guides realistic coping behavior, mediates disputes between id and superego

Superego: Conscience; internalized morals and standards of conduct

Freud Terms

• Eros

• Thanatos

• Hysteria

• Neurosis

• Erogenous Zones

Stages of Psychosexual Development

• Oral• Anal• Phallic• Latency• Genital

Freud’s Defense Mechanisms

• Reaction Formation

• Rationalization

• Regression

• Projection

• Denial

• Repression

Criticisms & Contributions

• Criticisms– Case study method

– Relies on retrospective accounts

– View of women

– Impossible to disprove

• Contributions– Idea of unconscious

– Importance of past

– Talking to find the roots of problems

Assessing Personality

• Projective Tests– Rorschach

– TAT

• Paper & Pencil Tests– MMPI

– Big Five Inventory (NEO-PI)

The “Big Five” Factors

• Openness to Experience

• Conscientiousness

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

Issues in Personality

• Chicken and egg of personality and environment

• Personality traits don’t seem to predict behavior across situations very well

• It may be better to look for personality by situation INTERACTIONS