Personality & Its Disorders Lecture 1 2024 (Macquarie University PDF)

24/07/2024 Acknowledgement to Country PERSONALITY & ITS DISORDERS PSYU/PSYX3336 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Macquarie University Land...

24/07/2024 Acknowledgement to Country PERSONALITY & ITS DISORDERS PSYU/PSYX3336 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Macquarie University Land, the Wallumedegal clan of the Lecture 1: Introduction Darug nation, whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land since the Dreamtime. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future A/Prof Simon Boag email: [email protected] 1 Readings (suggested) Revision: see Boag et al. (2018) in Leganto McAdams, DP, & & Pals, JL (2006). A new big five. American Psychologist, 61, 204-217 READINGS ARE NOT ASSESSABLE 3 4 Outline What this course involves Introduction to this unit Some revision & consolidation of theories of What do we mean by ‘personality’? personality & their disorders The history of personality research Addressing personality theories within a Personality as an integrated psychology modern, global context McAdams’ personality triad Addressing current issues within personality Outstanding issue: Culture & personality? disorders research & controversies Developing critical thinking & persuasive writing skills Hopefully giving you some ideas for 5 (Honours/MRes) research 6 1  24/07/2024 Structure of this unit A few words about these lectures… 1) Lecture series (13 weeks) Feel free to ask questions & raise issues on iLearn & during the lectures 2) Tutorials Question everything! Develop your own point PSYU3336: 6 x 2 hours from wk 2 of view through evaluating the evidence, Face-to-face/online critical reasoning, & comparison with your Even/odd weeks own experience PSYX3336: 6 tutorials (even weeks) Preparation: pre-reading in tutorial modules 7 8 ***WARNING*** APS Code of ethics Topics such as suicide & Respect A.2.1. In the course of their conduct, psychologists: self-harm, child abuse, etc. (a) communicate respect for other people through will be mentioned at their actions & language; various points throughout (b) do not behave in a manner that, having regard to the lectures & tutorials the context, may reasonably be perceived as coercive or demeaning; If these topics are likely to (c) respect the legal rights & moral rights of others; cause you undue distress, & (d) do not denigrate the character of people by then probably best to select engaging in conduct that demeans them as persons, another unit or defames, or harasses them 9 10 Assessment Essay extensions etc. Case Study Essay: 1,500 words due Friday Sept Requests for extensions/special 13th by 11.55pm): 30% consideration Group Presentation: c.10 minutes presentation All requests for extensions/special should in weeks 12/13 (PSYU3336); Friday Oct 25th by be made prior to the due date for an 11.55 (PSYX336): 30% assignment & are made via ask.mq.edu.au Exam (40 M/C questions in Exam period): 40% Based on both lecture & tutorial material Concepts & theories Meta-analyses & studies with N > 10,000 11 12 2  24/07/2024 1. What do we mean by What is meant by ‘Personality’? ‘Personality’? Many definitions…. “…the distinctive & relatively enduring ways of thinking, feeling & acting that characterise a person’s responses to life situations” Diverse theories… DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 13 14 Brief history of personality The ‘mission’ of personality Ψ… research 1900: Psychoanalytic approach “… is to provide an integrative force in an era of 1930s: Trait approach scientific specialisation & fragmentation. 1960’s person-situation debate Personality psychology seeks to bring together Until 1970-80s: environmentalism dominant the contributions of developmental, social, (behaviourism, social learning, situationism) cognitive & biological psychology into an Personality suffered a “near-death understanding of whole persons & the experience” (McAdams & Pals, 2006) dimensions of difference that allow them to 1980s: Trait-resurgence be psychologically distinguished from one 1990s: Evolutionary accounts emerge another” 2000+: Many differing theories (Funder, 2001) 15 16 The ‘mission’ of personality Ψ… The ‘mission’ of personality Ψ… “All major investigators agree that a theory of Does personality psychology achieve its personality must account for the integrated, mission? coherent functioning of the individual” McAdams & Pals (2006): No! (Cervone, 2000) “… personality psychology offers a plethora of Also addressing personality pathology irreconcilable frameworks for making sense of Personality disorders: DSM-5 & ICD-11 persons…” (p. 205) 17 18 3  24/07/2024 An integrative approach An integrative approach (McAdams & Pals, 2006) (McAdams & Pals, 2006) We need to address personality continuity, “Personality is an individual’s unique variation change & adaptation on the general evolutionary design for human We need to address similarities & differences nature, expressed as a developing pattern of Nomothetic & idiographic approaches 5 principles: dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, 1) evolution & human nature & integrative life stories complexly & 2) the dispositional signature: traits differentially situated in culture” 3) characteristic adaptations (McAdams & Pals, 2006) 4) life narratives & identity 5) the role of culture 19 20 McAdams’ ‘personality triad’ McAdams (2001, 2013): Personality structure/hierarchy 1) Dispositional traits 2) Characteristic adaptations 3) Narrative identity as ‘life story’ DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 21 22 i) Dispositional traits Dispositional traits Dimensions of personality Major trait accounts: Lexical hypothesis Eysenck’s E, N, P Factor analytic studies Universal, biologically-based dispositions Big 5; Five Factor Model (‘nature’) OCEAN: Openness to experience, Stable components of personality Conscientiousness, Extraversion/introversion, Nomothetic approach Agreeableness, Neuroticism Typically assessed via self report about what a person believes they would do in a given context 23 24 4  24/07/2024 Dispositional traits: limitation ii) Characteristic adaptations Traits are a useful place starting point when it Personal goals & motives comes to examining personality, but…. Values & beliefs Attachment & relationship styles Trait psychology provides “the psychology of Domain-specific skills & interests the stranger” (McAdams, 1992) Defence mechanisms & coping Traits provide general information about strategies how someone is likely to behave Includes psychoanalytic, social-learning, Traits do not provide a sense of the unique humanistic, evolutionary components person etc. These still do not address the actual 25 ‘person’ 26 iii) Life story & personal identity Narrative identity & making sense of one’s life Life stories as identity Making sense & meaning in our lives Through our stories we develop a coherent sense of self Story provides sense of unity & purpose Humanistic approach Idiographic approach Takes into account personality change McAdams, D. P. (2013). The psychological self as actor, agent, & author. Perspectives on 27 Psychological Science, 8, 272-295 28 Life story & identity Stories “provide the person with a purposeful “If the psychologist seeks to describe & self-history that explains how the self of explain the personality of a typical adult yesterday became the self of today & will living in modern society, then the answer become the anticipated self of tomorrow” to this question is identity. The answer (McAdams, 1996) stems from the characteristic mind set of Our stories connect past, present & future modernity, within which individuals are expected to create, discover, explore, Identity & self shaped by culture: culture control, & “work on” personalised selves as reflexive projects that define who they are provides meaningful stories over time & how they are similar to as well as different from other individuals” 29 (McAdams, 1996) 30 5  24/07/2024 Self & culture: possibility of Where does our research come ethnocentrism? from? Are our personality theories universal or Arnett (2008): analysis of 6 major journals reflections of specific cultures? > 70% of samples/authors from the US “The model that is inscribed in many theories of Represents only 5% of the world’s pop’n personality does not reflect “human” nature; instead it reflects the ideas & practices of European American contexts” (Markus, 2004) 31 32 Where does our research come Criticism of personality research from? Thalmayer et al (2021): reviewed same journals Where have theories of personality mostly b/w 2014-18 developed? > 60% of samples/authors from the US WEIRDos—Western, educated, industrialised, Increase from other English-speaking & rich & democratic cultures Western European countries Sample bias? 11% of the world’s pop’n now represented but Are theories of personality rooted in Western ‘89% of the world’s population continues to assumptions about persons? be neglected’ What assumptions may there be? “Psychology still has a long way to go to become a science truly representative of human beings” Arnett, J. J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63, 602-614 Thalmayer, et al. (2021). The neglected 95% revisited: Is American psychology becoming less American? American Psychologist, 76, 116–129 33 34 Criticisms of personality theories: Cultural assumptions Emphasis on the individual: importance of ‘self’ & ‘identity’ Person/situation dichotomy: the person is somehow separate from the social environment Individual is separate from the group ‘Universality’ of personality questioned Individualism (independence) vs collectivism (interdependence) DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 35 36 6  24/07/2024 Person vs Situation? “Personality is only imagined to be “separate” People are always situated in both space & time from the environment or the context in middle We need to consider: class American models of personality” Historical context (Markus, 2004) Local & global contexts The role of culture Nature & nurture? 37 38 One more consideration: the present-day replicability crisis This course… Replication an essential feature of science We will be examining the relationship b/w: Open Science Collaboration (Nosek et al. x 269, 2015) Personality & culture (broadly defined) Psychology research is mostly not replicable Individualism/collectivism & personality Solution: meta-analyses? Universal theories of personality No, but…. (traits/evolutionary approaches) ‘Normal’ personality? 40 This course… Thanks… We will then examine personality pathology in the context of ‘culture’ Personality disorders & DSM-5 Trauma & Dissociative Identity Disorder Questions? Is there a culture of narcissism? Psychopathy around the world Dark Triad & popular culture Personality & cyber-culture Transcending the self 41 42 7