Psychology Lecture Notes (November 2022) PDF

1 2 PSYC 100 – Special Lecture (November 24, 2022) Dr. David D. Vachon 3  Defining Personality  Approaches to Personality subjective ◦ What is it? we do not know what counts and what does not ◦ What counts? ◦ A note about “reification” ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦  Historical Approaches – Bumps, Blots, a...

1 2 PSYC 100 – Special Lecture (November 24, 2022) Dr. David D. Vachon 3  Defining Personality  Approaches to Personality subjective ◦ What is it? we do not know what counts and what does not ◦ What counts? ◦ A note about “reification” ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦  Historical Approaches – Bumps, Blots, and Bodies The Psychoanalytic Approach The Humanistic Approach The Trait Approach 10 Personality Disorders + Psychopathy 4 5  Personality ◦ Stable way of thinking, feeling, and acting ◦ i.e., stable cognitions, emotions, and behaviours    That’s it Just stable anything? What counts? ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ E.g., E.g., E.g., E.g., E.g., but some things do not count even if there are stable Intelligence? Athletic ability? Sexual orientation? Enjoyment of reading? Racism? 6  What does stable mean? ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Across time Across place Across situation Example  my introversion/extraversion (teaching & gym). Trait? so are you really introverted if you are not in these situations ? 7  A note about “Reification” someone is extrovert, we think of them as real but subjective construct ◦ Reification: occurs when abstract constructs are treated as if they are real or tangible ◦ “Extraversion” is not like your liver or your occipital cortex ◦ It is not located in one place in the brain, cannot be directly measured, is not objectively defined (we can disagree on the shape of extraversion—what it is, what counts, how to measure it, etc.) 8 9 some parts brain bigger feel the bump to understand behaviour   Phrenology: Judging character by reading “bumps” on the head Gall argued that skull bumps were a sign of specific brain enlargements 10  Psychograph: a machine meant to measure bumps on the head and give ratings for each of the 35 personality categories from the brain map (last slide) 11     In contrast to objective tests, which are often obvious about what is being studied, projective tests were used to uncover hidden thought processes… Example: Rorschach Ink blot Example: Draw a Person, Person-House-Tree Example: Thematic Apperception Test Texte 12 13 14 15 Draw a Person Test not very good test scoring system 16 17 18 19 20 21 22   Body type theories Fluid types (Galen) – temperament related to four bodily fluids ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦  Sanguine: excess of blood = vigor and athleticism Choleric: excess of urine = easily angered Melancholic: excess of feces = depressed or sad Phlegmatic: excess of mucus = tired or lazy Body somatotypes (Sheldon) ◦ Endomorph: overweight = jolly, extraverted, slow ◦ Mesomorph: muscular = athletic, aggressive ◦ Ectomorph: skinny = thinking, withdrawn, fearful 23 24 25 26 27 1. The conscious mind is what you are presently aware of, what you are thinking about right now 2. The preconscious mind is you stored in were your memory that can retrieve, what you doing before you are not presently aware of but can gain access to 3. The unconscious mind is the part of our mind of which we cannot become aware ◦ It contains, however, the primary motivations for all of our actions and feelings – our biological instinctual drives (such as for food and sex) and repressed unacceptable thoughts, memories, and feelings, especially unresolved conflicts from our early childhood experiences 28 not the same as before Id Ego Superego 29 30  Is the “original personality”, the only part present at birth and the part the other two parts of our personality grow out of ◦ Is entirely unconscious ◦ Includes our biological instinctual drives, the primitive parts of our personality located in our unconscious  Life instincts for survival, reproduction, and pleasure  Death instincts, destructive and aggressive drives detrimental to survival ◦ Operates on a pleasure principle; that is, it demands immediate gratification for these drives without the concern for the consequences of this gratification 31  Starts developing during the first year or so of life to find realistic and socially-acceptable outlets for the id’s needs ◦ Operates on the reality principle, finding gratification for instinctual drives within the constraints of reality (the norms and laws of society) ◦ Part of the ego is unconscious (tied to the id; dark purple part of glacier) and part of the ego is preconscious and conscious (tied to the external world; light purple and white parts of glacier) 32  Represents one’s conscience and idealized standards of behavior in their culture ◦ Operates on a morality principle, threatening to overwhelm us with guilt and shame ◦ The demands of the superego and the id will come into conflict and the ego will have to resolve this turmoil within the constraints of reality ◦ To prevent being overcome with anxiety because of trying to satisfy the id and superego demands, the ego uses what Freud called defense mechanisms, processes that distort reality and protect us from anxiety 33 34  Unhealthy personality develops when: ◦ We become too dependent upon defense mechanisms ◦ When the id or superego is too strong (overly hedonic or overly moralistic) ◦ When the ego is too weak (bad mediator) 35   An erogenous zone is the area of the body where the id’s pleasure-seeking psychic energy is focused during a particular stage of psychosexual development ◦ A change in erogenous zones designates the beginning of a new stage Fixation occurs when a portion of the id’s pleasureseeking energy remains in a stage because of excessive gratification or frustration 36 Stage (age range) Erogenous Zone Activity Focus Oral (birth to 1½ years) Mouth, lips, and tongue Sucking, biting, and chewing Anal (1½ to 3 years) Anus Bowel retention and elimination Phallic (3 to 6 years) Genitals Identifying with same-sex parent to learn gender role and sense of morality Latency (6 years to puberty) No erogenous zone Cognitive and social development Genital (puberty to adulthood) Genitals Development of sexual relationships, moving toward intimate adult relationships 37  Parents try to get the child to have self-control during toilet training ◦ If the child reacts to harsh toilet training by trying to get even with the parents by withholding bowel movements, an anal-retentive personality with the traits of orderliness, neatness, stinginess, and stubbornness develops ◦ The anal-expulsive personality develops when the child rebels against the harsh training and has bowel movements whenever and wherever he desires 38   In the Oedipus conflict, the little boy becomes sexually attracted to his mother and fears that his father (his rival) will find out and castrate him In the Electra conflict, the little girl is attracted to her father because he has a penis; she wants one of her own and feels inferior without one (penis envy) 39  Agree with many of Freud’s basic ideas, but differ in one or more important ways Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious Alfred Adler’s Striving for Superiority Karen Horney and the Need for Security 40     The collective unconscious represents universal human experiences that we all share These experiences are manifested in archetypes, which are images and symbols of all the important themes in the history of humankind (e.g., explorer, mother, hero) Archetypes represent personality styles each one has a primary desire (e.g., to connect with others) each of us has primary desire Notions of collective unconscious and archetypes are more mystical than scientific and cannot be empirically tested 41 42    Adler: the main motivation is “striving for superiority” – to overcome the sense of inferiority that we feel as infants given our totally helpless and dependent state A healthy person learns to cope with these feelings, becomes competent, and develops a sense of self-esteem Inferiority complex is the strong feeling of inferiority felt by those who never overcome this initial feeling of inferiority 43   Focused on dealing with our need for security, rather than a sense of inferiority A child’s caregivers must provide a sense of security for a healthy personality to develop or else neurotic personality types will develop Three neurotic personality patterns ◦ Moving toward people A compliant, submissive person ◦ Moving against people An aggressive, domineering person ◦ Moving away from people A detached, aloof person 44 45   Humanistic theories developed in the 1960s in reaction to the psychoanalytic theories (too deterministic) and behavioral theories (too mechanical) The humanistic approach emphasizes conscious free will in one’s actions, the uniqueness of the individual person, and personal growth 46  Maslow - father of the humanistic movement ◦ He studied the lives of very healthy and creative people to develop his theory of personality  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an arrangement of the innate needs that motivate our behavior ◦ Strongest needs at the bottom of the pyramid to the weakest needs at the top of the pyramid 47 48  Characteristics of self-actualized people (who have met all their needs) include: ◦ Accepting of themselves, others, and the nature of world for what they are ◦ Being independent, democratic, and very creative ◦ Having peak experiences, which are experiences of deep insight, wonder, awe, or ecstasy 49  Rogers: ◦ Our parents set up conditions of worth, the behaviors and attitudes for which they would give us positive regard ◦ Meeting conditions of worth continues throughout life, and people develop a self-concept of what others think they should be  Unconditional positive regard – acceptance and approval without conditions ◦ Empathy from others, and having others be genuine with respect to their own feelings, is necessary if we are to feel self-actualized  Note that neither Maslow nor Roger’s theories are research-based 50 51   Personality traits are individual dimensions, a continuum ranging from extremely low to extremely high Trait theorists use factor analysis and other statistical techniques to tell them the number and kind of traits lexical approach : anything important, act a certain way, it will get a word for it factor analysis take dictionnary then boom to have personnality traits, factors 52  Let’s focus on 2 models: ◦ Hans Eysenck, using factor analysis, argued for 3 trait dimensions ◦ Using the lexical hypothesis, and a factor analysis of all the adjectives from a dictionary, modern studies converge on the “Big Five” factors 53 ExtraversionIntroversion NeuroticismEmotional stability PsychoticismImpulse control Eysenck argued that these traits are determined by heredity 54  The biological basis for the extraversionintroversion trait is level of cortical arousal (neuronal activity) ◦ Eysenck thought that introverts have higher levels of arousal than extraverts, so extraverts need to seek out external stimulation to raise the level of arousal in the brain to a more optimal level 55  People who are high on the neuroticismemotional stability dimension tend to be overly anxious, emotionally unstable, and easily upset ◦ Eysenck thought this was because of a more reactive sympathetic nervous system (flight or fight) 56  The psychoticism-impulse control trait is concerned with aggressiveness, impulsiveness, and empathy ◦ Eysenck thought that psychotocism was due to:  (1) a high level of testosterone and  (2) a low level of MAO-A (monoamine oxidase A; a version of the MAO-A gene called the “warrior gene”) 57 from the lexical approach  Modern personality research argues for 5 all culture except opennes basic personality traits (OCEAN) across  Openness: whether a person is open to new experiences  Conscientiousness: whether a person is disciplined and responsible  Extroversion: whether a person is sociable, outgoing and affectionate  Agreeableness: whether a person is cooperative, trusting, and helpful low of this for psychopath  Neuroticism: whether a person is unstable and prone to negative emotions and insecurity high neuroticisnm often with disease, mental 58 59 60 61  Prevalence ◦ Around 9-15% of the general population (rates much higher in lots of overlap PD one you can have another psychiatric hospitals, outpatient clinics) ◦ Prevalence of individual PDs is around 1-5% 62  Comorbidity ◦ Comorbidity among PDs very high  People with a PD have an average of 6 comorbid PDs ◦ Comorbidity with other disorders is also very high 63  Sex Differences ◦ Prevalence is generally higher among women ◦ Depends on the PD ◦ Higher in Men:  Antisocial PD  Narcissistic PD ◦ Higher in Women:  Dependent  Histrionic  Borderline ◦ Could be due to gender bias in the diagnosis of PDs (e.g., histrionic and sex) maybe due to sex bias in the criteria lol if a woman lots sex in asile then histronic but not men 64  Changes across age and sex ◦ PDs most prevalent in early/midlife ◦ Women and men roughly equal in older age 65 66 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has 4 General Criteria for PDs: A. A pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from expectations of the individual’s culture in at least 2 of the following areas:  ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Cognition Affect Social Impulse Control 67 B. C. D. This pattern is inflexible and pervasive across different situations It causes clinically significant distress or impairment The pattern is stable and it has early onset (traced back to at least adolescence or early adulthood) 68  Note: The PDs are what we call ego-syntonic ◦ People feel that their personality disorder symptoms are a part of who they are ◦ Often have no desire to change them ◦ Although they may be really want to change their consequences (e.g., Paranoid PD, losing jobs)  Most other disorders are ego-dystonic ◦ The symptoms do not feel like part of the individual ◦ Patient is much more eager to get rid of them ◦ E.g., panic disorder 71 Cluster A - Odd/Eccentric • • • Paranoid Schizoid Schizotypal Cluster B – Dramatic/Erratic • • • • Antisocial Borderline Histrionic Narcissistic • • • Avoidant Dependent Obsessive-compulsive Cluster C – Anxious/Fearful 72 the world is against me        Pervasive suspiciousness and distrust of others Tendency to see self as blameless On guard for perceived attacks/betrayal by others Hostile world attribution bias Reads hidden insults in benign remarks Holds on to a grudge Recurrent suspicions about fidelity of partner/spouse 73       Pervasive detachment from social relationships low pleasure, flat emotional expressions preference for solitary activities few friends/family, indifferent to praise or criticism do not want anything to do why anyone else I do not want sex, friends … 74         Interpersonal problems Eccentric/odd Strange beliefs Unusual perceptions Inappropriate affect Lack of close friends Extreme social anxiety Believe they have magic powers or engage in magic rituals 75        Violate others’ rights Aggressive Impulsive Illegal behaviors Irritable/angry Deceitful Lack of remorse 76      Unstable emotions, relationships, identity Impulsive behavior Feelings of emptiness Flash anger Recurrent suicidal behaviors, gestures, or threats (or self-mutilating behaviors) 77      Excessive attention-seeking behavior Excessive emotionality Dramatic/theatrical Center of attention Uses physical appearance to draw attention 78        Grandiosity Preoccupied with unlimited success Requires excessive admiration Sense of entitlement Exploits others Believes others envy them Lacks empathy 79    Extreme social avoidance, introversion, loneliness Do not want to be alone but fears socializing (being rejected, criticized, or embarrassed) Feels socially inadequate its not that you dont want to be around people 80      Extreme need to be taken care of Clingy and submissive behavior Lack of self-confidence Constant helplessness Needs a lot of advice and reassurance 81       Perfectionism Excessive concern for order and control Preoccupied with rules Rigid and Stubborn Devoted to work Does not trust others to do work, takes control: “If you want something done right…” 82 83 Psychopathy Checklist - Revised each ranked 0 1 or 2 out of 40 more than 30 boum psychopath Glib and Superficial Charm Parasitic Lifestyle Grandiose Self-worth Poor Behavioral Controls Pathological Lying Early Behavioral Problems Conning and Manipulative Lack of Realistic Long-term Goals Lack of Remorse or Guilt Need for Stimulation Shallow Affect Impulsivity Callousness or Lack of Empathy Irresponsibility Failure to Accept Responsibility Juvenile Delinquency Many Short-term Marital Relationships Revocation of Conditional Release Promiscuity Criminal Versatility 84 Psychopathy Checklist - Revised Factor 1 Factor 2 Affective/Interpersonal Components Impulsive/Antisocial Components Glib and Superficial Charm Parasitic Lifestyle Grandiose Self-worth Poor Behavioral Controls Pathological Lying Early Behavioral Problems Conning and Manipulative left c pire jcrois Lack of Realistic Long-term Goals Lack of Remorse or Guilt Need for Stimulation Shallow Affect Impulsivity Callousness or Lack of Empathy Irresponsibility Failure to Accept Responsibility Juvenile Delinquency Many Short-term Marital Relationships Revocation of Conditional Release Promiscuity Criminal Versatility Psychopathy versus Antisocial Personality Disorder85 Psychopathy Factor 1 Factor 2 Affective/Interpersonal Components Impulsive/Antisocial Components Psychopathy versus Antisocial Personality Disorder86 Psychopathy Factor 1 Factor 2 Affective/Interpersonal Components Impulsive/Antisocial Components ASPD Psychopathy versus Antisocial Personality Disorder87 Psychopathy Factor 1 Factor 2 Affective/Interpersonal Components Impulsive/Antisocial Components Sometimes referred to as the primary essence of psychopathy ASPD Relationship Between Psychopathy and ASPD Prison Population Antisocial Personality Disorder Puppy Population Psychopathic Prison prevalence of ASPD: ~65-85% Prison prevalence of psychopathy: ~15-25% 88 89 what psychopath look like 90 92 93       Is it ever right to say someone’s personality— who they are as a person—is disordered? Culture and norms are extremely important (and both are moving targets) Extremely high comorbidity  are PDs even distinct constructs? Stigma is a big issue  PDs end up on permanent record Not otherwise specified (NOS) is most common PD diagnosis  problems with coverage? Polythetic criteria  e.g. 4/8 symptoms required for a PD means 2 people could have same PD but share no symptoms!