Gordon Allport's Psychology of the Individual (PDF)

8/18/20 Psychology – The University of Akron Chapter 13 Theories of Personality ©...

8/18/20 Psychology – The University of Akron Chapter 13 Theories of Personality © McGraw-Hill Allport ©Archives of the History of American © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 Overview of the Psychology of the Individual Emphasized Uniqueness of the Individual Traits Do Not Capture Individuality Studied the Individual (Morphogenic Science) in contrast to Nomothetic Methods Broad, Comprehensive Theory Preferable to Narrow Theory © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 1  8/18/20 Biography of Allport Born in Montezuma, Indiana in 1897 Youngest son of a country doctor and a former schoolteacher Earned undergraduate degrees in philosophy and economics from Harvard in 1919 After fortuitous meeting with Freud, decided to complete a PhD in psychology at Harvard in 1922 President of American Psychological Association in 1939 Died in 1967 of lung cancer © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Allport’s Approach to Personality Theory Sought to Answer Three Questions: – What Is Personality? Personality is both physical and psychological Includes both overt and covert thoughts Not only is but does Substance and change Product and process Structure and Growth © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4  2 8/18/20 Allport’s Approach to Personality Theory What Is the Role of Conscious Motivation? – Healthy adults aware of what and why they are acting – Accepted self-report at face value – Some motivation is driven by hidden impulses – Most compulsive behaviors originate in childhood © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 Allport’s Approach to Personality Theory What Are the Characteristics of a Healthy Person? – Six criteria for maturity: Extension of the sense of self Warm relating of self to others Emotional security or self-acceptance Realistic perception of their environment Insight and humor Unifying philosophy of life © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 3 8/18/20 Structure of Personality Common traits – General characteristics held by people – Basis for comparisons Personal Dispositions – A generalized neuropsychic structure (peculiar to the individual) with the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent, and to initiate and guide consistent forms of adaptive and stylistic behavior. © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 Levels of Personal Disposition Cardinal Dispositions – An eminent characteristic of an individual. Central Dispositions – 5 to 10 outstanding characteristics around which a person’s life focuses. Secondary Dispositions – Shared with many, occurs with regularity and responsible for much of one’s specific behaviors.  © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 4 8/18/20 Structure of Personality Motivational Dispositions – Received from basic drives or needs – Initiates behavior Stylistic Dispositions – Less intensely experienced – Guides action © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Proprium Behaviors and characteristics that people regard as warm, central, and important in their lives. Includes values, beliefs, and conscience.  © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 5 8/18/20 Motivation A Theory of Motivation – Theory Must Include Both Reactive and Proactive Behaviors Functional Autonomy – Perseverative Functional Autonomy – Propriate Functional Autonomy – Criterion for Functional Autonomy – Processes That Are Not Functionally Autonomous © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Functional Autonomy The most distinctive and the capstone of Allport’s theory of motivation. Human motives are functionally  independent from the original motive responsible for the behavior. © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 6 8/18/20 Criteria for Functional Autonomy Acknowledges the contemporaneity of motives. Pluralistic – allowing for motives of many types. Ascribes a dynamic fore for cognitive processes. Allows for concrete uniqueness of motives. © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 Functional Autonomy Perseverative Functional Autonomy – A rat who continues to run even after completing the maze.  Propriate Functional Autonomy – Occupations, hobbies, interests © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 7 8/18/20 Not Functionally Autonomous Behavior that required Biological drives primary reinforcement Motives linked to the Sublimations tied to reduction of basic childhood sexual drives. desires. Reflex actions Neurotic or pathological Constitutional symptoms equipment © McGraw-Hill Habits being formed © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 The Study of the Individual Morphogenic Science – Study of ideographic information or that which is related to the individual case The Diaries of Marion Taylor  Letters from Jenny – Studied using a variety of approaches, including common sense and factor analysis © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 8 8/18/20 Critique of Allport Allport’s Theory Is: – High on Parsimony and Internal Consistency – Moderate on Generating Research and Guiding Action – Low on Falsifiability and Organizing Knowledge © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 Concept of Humanity Free Choice over Determinism Optimism over Pessimism Teleology over Causality  Conscious over Unconscious Social Influence over Biology Uniqueness over Similarity © McGraw-Hill © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 18 9