Chapter 10
- 1. Theories of Personality Chapter 10
- 2. Personality Consistent behavior patterns originating within the individual. Person versus the Situation Is behavior shaped by the situation we are in? Or, by the type of person we are? Question is: “How does the situation influence our behavior?”
- 3. Psychoanalytic Approach Freud How much are Freud’s thoughts & theories present in our language? Repression Freudian slip Ego Projection Theory of Personality: (Topographic Model) Conscious Contains thoughts you are currently aware of Material changes constantly
- 4. Freud’s Theory of Personality Preconscious Large body of retrievable info i.e., “What did you do on Saturday night?” Unconscious Most impt in psycho-analytic viewpoint Material you have no immediate access to Cannot be brought to conscious awareness except under extreme sit’s
- 6. Freud’s Structural Model of Personality Id Present at birth Actions based on pleasure principle – concerned with only immediate, personal satisfaction Id impulses are always present & held in check by ego and superego Buried deep in unconscious Impulses center around sexuality & aggression
- 7. Structural Model Ego Actions are based on reality principle – satisfy id and take into consideration the realities of the situation. Job is to keep id in “check” Id impulses tend to be socially unacceptable, need to keep impulses in line with social norms Ego moves freely between conscious, preconscious & unconscious
- 8. Structural Model Superego Develops @ 5 years of age Represents society, specifically parents, values & standards Places more restrictions on what we can and cannot do i.e., see a $5 on a friend’s table—id wants to take the $5; ego attempts to figure out how to take the $5 without getting caught—superego will NOT allow the action because stealing is wrong!
- 9. Anxiety & Defense Mechanisms When ego is unable to hold id impulses in “check,” we experience anxiety Anxiety = intense feelings of nervousness, tension, or worry Defense Mechanisms: Repression – active effort by ego to keep id impulses “out” of awareness Boy witnesses father physically assault mother—claims he never saw it
- 10. Defense Mechanisms Sublimation - channeling of threatening unconscious impulses into socially acceptable actions Aggressive sports Denial - we refuse to accept certain facts (that do exist) Projection - attributing our unconscious impulses to others
- 11. Psychosexual Stages of Development “ Stage” theory Pleasure is focused on different regions of the body 2 Concepts: Libido - life or sexual instinct Fixation - at each stage, we all leave behind a small amount of libido; should have enough to get thru life—if not, get “stuck” or fixated.
- 12. Psychosexual Stages of Development 1. Oral Stage Birth – 1 ½ Mouth, lips, tongue are erogenous zones Traumatic experiences (feeding problems) may result in fixation “ oral personalities” – dependent on others as adults Anal Stage 1 ½ - 3 Anal region is the erogenous zone During this stage most children are toilet trained “ anal personalities” = orderly, stubborn OR generous
- 13. Psychosexual Stages of Development 3. Phallic Stage 3 – 6 Most impt stage Genital region is erogenous zone Oedipus Complex – named for Greek mythological character who unknowingly married his mother Children develop sexual attraction for their opposite-sex parent
- 14. Oedipus Complex Boys develop castration anxiety - fear father will discover their thoughts & cut off their penis Girls develop penis envy - upon seeing male genitalia; want a penis & feel inferior & jealous due to its absence Resolution = children identify with same-sex parent
- 15. Psychosexual Stages of Development Latency Stage Time before puberty Boys & girls are uninterested in each other follows resolution of Oedipal Complex Genital Stage Erogenous urges return & focused on adult genital regions If libido intact = normal sexual functioning If libido is not intact = various disorders persist
- 16. Evaluation of Freud’s Theory Not a scientific theory Ideas such as “id” or “fixation” cannot be measured Modern rx does not support Relied on case studies
- 17. Other Psychoanalytic Views Neo-Freudians – theorists who accept portions of Freud’s theory, but reject or modify other portions Carl Jung Defected from “Freud’s camp” Was heir to the movement prior to defecting Established analytic psychology Agreed with Freud about unconscious
- 18. Analytic Psychology Collective Unconscious – consists of all material in the unconscious shared by all; INNATE i.e., mother, father Collective unconscious is expressed as archetypes Images that shape our perceptions of the external world i.e., hero, God, death
- 19. Analytic Psychology 2 Types of Archetypes Anima – feminine side of the male Animus – masculine side of the female Each of us holds onto an unconscious image of men or women we are looking for—the more someone “matches” our profile, the more we want them!
- 20. Jung’s Theory of Psychological Types 2 Basic Attitudes: Introversion – channel energy inward; introspective & socially withdrawn Extraversion – channel energy outward; outgoing; interested in people & external world.
- 21. Neo-Freudians Karen Horney Not a student of Freud’s; studied indirectly Emphasized role of cultural & social influences on personality dev’t Feminine psychology Alfred Adler 1 st to break with Freud Called his approach individual psychology Striving for superiority – attempting to overcome feelings of inferiority
- 22. Humanistic Theories Optimizing view of humans Emphasizes: Personal responsibility Focus on the present Stress the importance of personal growth Carl Rogers “ The good life is a process not a state of being.” Fully functioning Strive to experience life to its fullest Trust their own feelings Non-conformist
- 23. Humanistic Theories Carl Rogers If all people can be fully fx’ing, why so much unhappiness? Begins when we experience anxiety & respond with psychological defenses Reduces anxiety, but we lose touch with “who” we are Anxiety occurs when concept of self doesn’t match who we are Can “help” unhappy people with unconditional positive regard Will respect and honor the client regardless of what s/he says or does
- 24. Humanistic Theories Abraham Maslow “ Freud supplied to us the sick half of psychology & we must now fill it with the healthy half.” Focused on conscious aspects of personality 2 Basic Motives of Personality: Deficiency motive – results from a lack of something (hunger, thirst) Growth motive – unselfish giving of love & dev’t of potential as a human being
- 25. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1 = physiological needs 2 = safety 3 = belongingness & love 4 = esteem 5 = self-actualization – maximum potential
- 26. Trait Theories Personality Traits – stable dimensions of personality along which people vary 2 Assumptions of Trait Theories: Personality characteristics are stable over time Characteristics show stability across situations Aggressive people should be overtly aggressive in family arguments, as well as playing football Trait rx’ers interested in how people score on certain segment of the trait continuum
- 27. Trait Theories Gordon Allport Taught 1 st personality course in US Grouped traits based on rx Central traits – traits that best describe an individual’s personality Cardinal traits – single trait that dominates a personality Functional Autonomy – (Allport didn’t believe in looking too much into a person’s past in order to understand his present. )Your motives today are independent (autonomous) of their origins. It doesn’t matter, for example, why you wanted to become a doctor, or why you developed a taste for olives, the fact is that this is the way you are now!
- 28. Learning Approaches to Personality Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura Beh is influenced by cog factors, reinforcement & self-regulation Observational learning Distinction between learning & performance Beh’s learned through observation need not be performed Clashes with behaviorists who maintain that we cannot learn until we have performed the behavior
- 29. Learning Approach Why do we perform some behaviors & not others? If we never perform a behavior how do we know about the consequences?
- 30. Measuring Personality Objective Tests Questions or statements regarding personality Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) ten clinical scales & several validity scales Hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, masculinity-femininity, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia, mania, & social introversion
- 31. Measuring Personality Projective Tests Ambiguous stimuli that are interpreted by an individual Rorschach test Responses are scored in MANY different ways; subjective