Personality: Basics, Origins & Development

Personality Basics

• Assesses personality (+ parts)
• Personality resides inside individuals
• Personality is stable over time, but not always
• Personality encompasses genetics and sociology

Ways People Are Alike and Different

• People share similar basic needs like water, shelter, and affection
• Some share similarities like being extraverted/introverted or male/female, leading to individual differences
• People differ due to unique life stories, experiences, and quirks, making them special

Origins of Personality

• Evolution has shaped genetics through natural selection and adaptation
• Genes are the building blocks of physiology and influence experience
• Prenatal experience, including nutrition, affects personality
• Early temperament, influenced by genetics, environment, and individuality, can be difficult, slow to warm, or easy

Development & Environmental Factors

• Monozygotic twins raised separately show differing personalities due to nurture
• Children from Western vs. Easter cultures develop differently due to environments and attitudes
• The rural vs. urban environments influence a child's personality

Evocation and Personality

• Experiences shape personality by influencing others' reactions, like smiling vs. scowling

Selection

• Choices reflect personality in study habits and location preferences (library, park, etc.)

Maturation

• Brain chemistry changes impacting maturation

Theseus' Ship

• A thought experiment on identity change: If a ship's wooden boards are gradually replaced, does it remain the same ship?

The Big Five Traits (OCEAN)

• Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
• HEXACO includes Honesty/Humility
• Gordon Allport researched and compiled trait descriptors
• A 5-dimensional map helps locate an individual's personality based on scores

Extraverts

• Characterized by friendliness, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity level, excitement-seeking, cheerfulness
• Tend to have a higher Behavioral Activation System (BAS)
• High BAS relates to dopamine, reward-seeking, and searching for potential awards
• Seek stimulating environments and spend more time with others
• Evoke positive social responses, appearing outgoing and approachable
• Show cognitive bias by interpreting homophones positively (e.g., "sweet" vs. "suite")
• Maintain a mind tuned to pleasantness and hold onto positive moods
• Extraversion is valued differently across cultures, (American culture vs. Japan)

Big Five Heritability and Stability

• Traits are heritable and passed down through genes
• Possess physiological correlates
• Stable over time, especially as people age due to experience and brain maturation
• Traits predict life outcomes, such as extraverts being more likely to marry

Traits as Dimensional

• Big 5 traits exist on a spectrum
• Introversion-extraversion is a normal distribution
• People exhibit both introversion and extraversion at different moments
• Average traits can predict a person's likely degree

Individual Differences Include

• Needs/Motives
• Goals (academics, athletics)
• Interests (vocational)
• Self-Concept (self-esteem, self-perception)
• Values (power vs. no-power, pleasure, benevolence)
• Attachment Styles (secure, insecure)
• Abilities (intellectual, athletic)
• Character Strengths

Traits vs. Individual Differences

• Individual differences tend to be more specific than traits
• Traits are assumed causes or consequences
• There is some overlap between them

Jingle and Jangle Fallacies

• Jingle Fallacy: Using the same name to describe different things (optimism)
• Jangle Fallacy: Using different names to describe the same thing (nature relatedness and connectedness with nature)

Character Strengths and Virtues

• Addresses individual differences, focusing on the elements of a good life
• Founders of Positive Psychology adopted good aspects from the DSM
• Creating a universal language from DSM (major depressive disorder)

Critiques of DSM

• Categorical approach, number of constructs, and WEIRD cultural focus, western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic

Defining Character Strengths

• Morally valued
• Similar to traits but more situationally specific with similar hierarchical concepts
• Broad virtues (6) and narrower character strengths (24)
• Highlights the positive aspects of personality

Development of Strengths List

• Drawn from philosophical perspectives, literature, pop culture, boy scout ideals, other cultures, and family resemblance

Core Virtues and Associated Strengths

• Wisdom: Creativity, Originality
• Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty, Zest, Valour, Persistence, Authenticity
• Humanity: Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Loving, Generosity, Awareness
• Justice: Teamwork, Citizenship
• Temperance: Forgiveness, Mercy
• Transcendence: Appreciation, Awe

Criteria for Character Strengths

• Contribute to fulfillment through eudaimonia
• Valued for themselves beyond outcomes
• Beneficially used without diminishing others
• Lack obvious positive opposites
• Trait-like: stable and consistent but person-specific
• Distinctive and manageable

Qualities of Paragon Traits & Cultivation

• Well-known, universally accepted, exemplified by figures like Nelson Mandela
• Selective Enhancement of a narrow talent or strength
• Selective Absences: Lacking a strength
• Cultivated by institutions/rituals like sports, church, school

Assessment of Character Strengths

• Self-reports rely on people's self-perception but are mostly valid; an example is forgiveness
• Structured interviews are conversationally based (qualitative)
• Content Analysis of Twitter feeds, Facebook statuses, speeches, and quotes

Initial Findings of Character Strengths

• Consistent and stable with high validity
• Average strengths are similar across nations (gratitude is high, modesty is low)
• Life satisfaction positively correlates with most strengths
• Crises result in bravery, humor, and hope
• Youth is zestful and values teamwork while adults value authenticity and leadership
• Strengths increase with age (maturation)

Signature Strengths Exercise

• Identify your signature strengths
• Use them in new ways (different situations or circumstances)
• Bolster lesser strengths, with promising results on SWB (subjective well-being)

Critiques

• Much remains to be tested and integrated
• Questions about structure and uniqueness related to the Big 5 personality traits
• Potential redundancies exist.
• Provide a clearer, more nuanced picture; and specific than the Big 5 Model
• Heritability and the role of the shared environment i.e. books in the home

Creativity & the Four P's

• Creativity must be unique, original, and useful
• Process, Product, Personality, and Press are the Four P's

Process (Cognitive)

• Alternate uses task measures creative thinking
• Divergent Thinking involves considering multiple perspectives for problems
• Latent Inhibition: Minds block out unimportant information or background noise
• Remote Associates Test: "Gold – fish, mine, rush"

Creative Products

• Solutions, theories, and works of art
• Assessment Issues: counting creative works, expert ratings, and self-reports

Personality

• Big 5 (Openness) is the strongest predictor of creativity
• Intelligence is usually, but not always, helpful

Press

• Autonomous environments foster creativity
• Positive Moods is beneficial for creativity
• Norm Violation allows the mind to think outside the box
• Multicultural experiences inspire diverse ideas

Wisdom

• Includes virtues such as judgment, perspective, curiosity, love of learning, creativity, and wisdom
• Uses wise reasoning to process seeing multiple perspectives

Wisdom and Uncertainty

• People look to wise individuals when there is uncertainty
• Encompasses knowledge about pragmatics, street smarts, day to day mastery, and lived intelligence
• Features prosocial motivations and is not used for evil for the good of humanity

Measuring Wisdom

• Measuring wisdom through self reports, rate specific event

Who is Wise?

• Age is not a clear indicator of wisdom, wisdom is more kept intact than other faculties as people age
• Linked to Big 5 (openness), intelligence and psychological well-being personal growth

Situational Effects on Wisdom

• Reduced ego-centric perspective and focusing less on the self and more of others
• Putting one's self in others' shoes (from 1-10)
• Cultural differences with less individualism (eastern/collectivist)

Intelligence and Ability

• Strong opinions and the ability to debate
• Intelligence is a highly valued trait
• A person's cleverness and quickness vary
• Traits, virtues, SWB, and intelligence depend on genetics (nature) and environment (nurture)

Piaget's Definition

• Intelligence is what is used in the face of the unknown
• Dormant skill that is waiting to be used

General Intelligence

• G a hierarchy (see slide)

Subcategories of Intelligence

• Spatial, Numerical, Memory, Verbal, Fluency, Perceptual Speed.
• Correlate with career skills

Intelligence Profiles

• Strong numerical, weak verbal: Indicators of scientifically inclined individuals
• Strong verbal, weak numerical: Indicators of persons in the arts.

Correlates of 'g'

• Educational achievement: .70-.80
• Work performance: .20-.60
• Income: .30-.40

More Specific Abilities

• More 'g' predicts greater accomplishments - papers, patents, creative works
• High arts / humanities indicate strong verbal skills

Multiple Intelligences

• Gardner added in more categories. examples linguistic, spatial, logical, bodily, musical
• Distinct abilities (linguistic, musical) vs. learning style
• Limited scientific evidence for learning styles effectiveness

Emotional Intelligence

• Some notice emotions more in themselves and others
• Able to understand nuance in emotions/actions

Heritability and Change

• Heritability of IQ: Substantial (50-75%)
• IQ changes over time, known as the Flynn Effect
• Dramatic increase in IQ scores over time. +30 points over the past 100 years (2 standard deviations)
• Could be due to better nutrition/education

Accomplishment

• Depends on: ability intelligence (main predictor)
• Personal Interest
• Grit is defined as determination/willing to work hard

Study Techniques

• Best: Practice test, distributed practice - spreading study out
• Interleaved learning: Switching between subjects intermittently

Self Explanation

• Connecting themes to personal experiences

Negative Study Techniques

• Highlighting, rereading, summarizing, and keyword memory triggers

Affective Forecasting

• Predicting emotions can be future happiness
• People tend to make decisions that will produce more happiness than unhappiness
• Somtimes make errors though

Errors and Impact Bias

• People overestimate intensity and duration of emotions
• For example elections, break ups, etc

Reasons for Impact Bias

• Immune Neglect: Underestimates coping mechanisms to negative experiences
• Focusing Illusion: Fails to consider the full picture of circumstance

Beyond Impace Bias

• Interactions with strangers and romantic partner, novelty and accustomed interaction
• Walking near a river: people under estimate teh effect

The Self and Free Will

• The extent to which choices are controlled or an illusion is debated
• Contextual importances

The Self

• “I” performs actions while "Me" is self-concept
• "I" is the part that thinks through navigation of life
• "Me" is who we are, including past & futureselves

The True Self

• Authentic, a personal essence, subjective, or unique
• Stable and can be resistant to change

Questions about the True Self

• The true self changes over time, Do others agree the view of your self?
• Self-Determination Theory: Basic needs include autonomy, competence, and relatedness
• Intrinsic goals (feel good), vs. Extrinsic goals – money, external rewards

Authenticity

• Trait Authenticity Based more on stable traits (long term)
• State Authenticity is subjective

Authenticity and Well-Being

• Traits affect relationship to the world

Authenticity and Behavior

Sources of Authenticity and Congruence

• Pleasantness creates feelings of authenticity
• Dispositions = more authentic
• Authenticity tied with behaviors in congruence with values

Personality-Authenticity Value Debate

• Traits influence feelings of authenticity
• Behaving in ways that align with true vs. contradicts creates (in)authenticity

Values and Authenticity

Self-Efficacy

• Beliefs that can progress toward success
• Many diverse self-efficacies (opposed to 1 sole general one)
• Specific self-efficacies (diet, workout program etc)
• Changing specific better than broad

Self Efficacy and Outcome

• High = persistence.
• low = may not

Self Efficacy and Behaviors

• Promote target behaviors, increase health

Sources of Self-Efficacy

• Past experiences shape ability. start small
• Little failure = more resilient
• Observe can = vicarious learning
• Support boosts confidence
• Physiological state affects

Self-Esteem

• General eval of self
• Do I like, do I feel good
• Personal judgement but, is sensitive to social feedback
• moment/relative

Self Esteem

• For most, high
• Is optimistic
• High +SWB, -Depression, +Persistence, +Academics
• Doesn/t related to uses drugs, acts risky

Self-Compassion

• Rooted in philosophy
• Treat self with comp
• Have humanity, don't dwell
• Can be overidentified with or bad in ways that lead to inadequcy

Vs Judgement

• Tolerate of self verses not

Humanity, Isolation

• Share failure not fault

Self Com Positive Effects

• High correlated life
• Conscientiousness/Connectednesses
• Helpful if compassionate - not threatened if failed

In life Adapt

• Across cults relies others
• W independent focus, East with interdependence
• Ind self has extracted, behaviors are situ

Week 11: Social Environments

• People are fundamentally interconnected w example of 6 degrees of separation

Prosocial Behavior and Altruism

• Is helping act, goes against altruism/return, doing action of bigger than received

Types of altruism

• Kin/do nice/relative,
• If help back / win, if dont they reciprocate with J
• Signaling costly, is unlikely/mate

People N or Naughty

Empathy vs social behavior

Dilemmas

• Conflict w benefit well
• Cooperation best but cheat gains
• If done lose beenfit

Public resources

Solv Dilem

• E community, better, private worse / if resources more = better and vice versa

Nature affect

• Communic vs autonomy
• Norms of behavior (in less coorper)
• Trust is important

Intuitiuvity vs automatic doing of social

• Didn't thin jhad just

Good Game

• Res = more
• Slow

Public gam reliable

Nuero effects

Correlational effect

Evident of tods.

• Prosocial starts young

Empathity effect

• More awe grateful, inspiration behavior

Summary and cooperation. Are vitqllll

• En vs

Pos and neg

• Inter more connect

physical environments

• Natural = better
• Tune

Reasonable per model

• Middle vs overwhelmed
• Help

###Nature-

• Nature close good effect world
• Emotion/nature = happen
• Even virt

Nat beyond happiness

• Relives cognitive
• Creativity
• Less pain
• More

Com bene nature

• Less crime and pro

Ind differ

• Relationship