PERDEV Q1 Reviewer PDF - Personality Theories, Self-Esteem

MODULE 1 KNOWING ONESELF Self-Concept -refers to how someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves -to be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself “The individual’s belief about himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and...

MODULE 1 KNOWING ONESELF Self-Concept -refers to how someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves -to be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself “The individual’s belief about himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is” Baumeister (1999) 3 Different Components [Carl Rogers (1959)]​ ​ ​ ​ Self-image -the view you have of yourself -how you see yourself -this does not necessarily have to reflect reality -ex. A person with anorexia who is thin may have a self-image in which the person believes they are fat -it is affected by many factors, such as parental influences, friends, the media, etc. ​ Self-esteem or Self-worth -how much value you place on yourself -the extent to which you value yourself -refers to the extent to which we like, accept, or approve of ourselves or how much we value ourselves -always involves a degree of evaluation -we may have either a positive or negative view of ourselves ​ High self-esteem -confidence in our abilities -self-acceptance -not worrying about what others think -optimism ​ Low self-esteem -lack of confidence -want to be or look like someone else -always worrying about what others might think -pessimism ​ 4 Major Factors that Influence Self-Esteem (Argyle, 2008) ​ The Reaction of Others -if people admire us, flatter us, seek out our company, listen attentively, and agree with us, we tend to develop a positive self-image -if they avoid, neglect, and tell us things about ourselves that we don’t want to hear, we create a negative self-image  ​ Comparison with Others -if people we compare ourselves with (our reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, more prosperous, and better looking than ourselves we tend to develop a negative self-image BUT if they are less successful than us, our image will be positive ​ Social Roles -some social roles carry prestige, e.g., being a doctor, airline pilot, or TV presenter, premiership footballer, and this promotes self-esteem -other roles carry stigma, e.g., a prisoner, a mental hospital patient, refuse collector, or unemployed person ​ Identification -roles aren’t just “out there,” they also become part of our personality i.e. we identify with the positions we occupy, the roles we play, and the groups we belong to ​ Ideal Self -what you wish you were really like -what you’d like to be -if there is a mismatch between how you see yourself (e.g., your self-image) and what you’d like to be (e.g., your ideal self), then this will likely affect how much you value yourself -an intimate relationship exists between self-image, ego-ideal, and self-esteem -a person’s ideal self may not be consistent with what happens in the life and experiences of a person -a difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual experience (this is called incongruence) Being self-aware demonstrates one’s “ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values,” along with understanding how they impact one’s behavior. Additionally, self-awareness encompasses an individual’s ability to accurately assess one’s strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a ‘growth mindset,’ PERSONALITY TRAITS History of the Big Five Personality Theories -trait theories of personality have long attempted to pinpoint exactly how many traits exist -earlier theories have suggested various numbers -for instance, Gordon Allport’s list contained 4,000 personality traits, -Raymond Cattell had 16 personality factors, -and Hans Eysenck offered a three-factor theory -many researchers felt that Cattell’s theory was too complicated and Eysenck’s was too limited in scope -as a result, Big 5 personality traits (OCEAN) emerged and are used to describe the broad traits that serve as building blocks of personality ​ Openness -also referred as openness to experience -emphasizes imagination and insight the most of all five personality traits -people with high openness tend to have a broad range of interests, they are curious about the world and others, eager to learn and enjoy new experiences -people who are high in this personality trait also tend to be more adventurous and creative -conversely, people low on this personality trait are often much more traditional and may struggle with abstract thinking ​ Conscientiousness -it is defined by high levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors -highly conscientious people tend to be organized and mindful of details, they plan, consider how their behavior affects others, and are mindful of deadlines -someone scoring lower in this primary personality trait is less structured and less organized, they may procrastinate to get things done, come times missing deadlines completely ​ Extraversion -characterized by excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high emotional expressiveness -people high in extraversion are outgoing and tend to gain energy in social situations, being around others helps them feel energized and excited -people who are low in this personality trait or introverted tend to be more reserved, they have less energy to spend in social settings, and social events can feel draining, introverts often require a period of solitude and quiet to “recharge.” ​ Agreeableness -it includes trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors -people with high agreeableness tend to be more cooperative, while -those with low levels of this personality trait tend to be more competitive and sometimes manipulative ​ Neuroticism -characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability -individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to experience mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness -low in this personality trait tend to be more stable and emotionally resilient Research suggests that both biological and environmental influences play a role in shaping our personalities. Twin studies suggest that both nature and nurture play a role in developing each of the five personality traits. DIMENSIONS OF THE SELF (HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT) Physical -the ability to maintain a healthy life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress -recognizing that our behaviors significantly impact our physical health and adopting healthy habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive ones (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will help preserve physical well-being Emotional -the ability to understand ourselves with greater self-awareness and better cope with life’s challenges -the ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress, hope, love, joy, and happiness in a productive manner contributes significantly to our emotional well-being Social -the ability to relate meaningfully to and connect deeply with others -includes establishing and maintaining positive relationships with family, friends, and co-workers -relationships contribute significantly to our social well-being Intellectual -the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences -the desire to learn new concepts, improve skills, and seek challenges in pursuing lifelong learning contributes to our intellectual well-being Spiritual -is a deep subject and relates to the ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives -it calls for developing greater congruency between our values and actions -ultimately spiritual well-being invites the realization of the common purpose that binds humanity and creation together CHALLENGES IN THE MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE The Adolescent Transition Period -adolescence is a period of transition when the individual changes–physically and psychologically from a child to an adult -a period when rapid physiological and psychological changes demand new social roles -adolescence represents one of the greatest periods of crisis -it is the stage of stress, strain, and storm -it brings many ambiguities in life -during this phase, one does not know where he or she stands -it is believed that this uncertainty about one’s role causes many conflicts -adolescence is both biological and social in nature -the beginning of adolescence is marked by biological changes in girls and boys -during this period, and following shortly thereafter, the secondary sexual characteristics emerge -adolescence for both boys and girls is primarily marked by social changes -such factors as when an adolescent leaves home, gets a job, and can vote to determine when his or her transition from childhood to adulthood is accomplished -the problems adolescents face during the long period of growing up have both biological and social roots -physical changes and deviation can create many problems -the society also creates problems for adolescents -adolescents in Western societies behave differently than in Eastern societies due to varying social norms, expectations, and family structure Gender Roles -gender is much more complex term -it relates to a given society’s beliefs about the traits and behaviors supposedly characteristic of males and females -gender roles refer to the expectations concerning the roles males and females should perform and how they should behave, such expectations come into play as soon as a child is born -children’s recognition that they belong to one sex or the other is called “gender identity,” it is established quite early in one's life by the age of three or four, however, they are uncertain whether they will always be a boy or girl COGNITIVE TRIANGLE -visually represents the interconnections of thoughts, emotions, and behavior -it illustrates how thoughts influence emotions, leading to actions that, in turn, affect thoughts, creating a continuous cycle -this cycle persists without intervention to disrupt the pattern The Three-Component Model of Emotions -from the CBT perspective, three components make up our emotional experience ​ Thoughts -refer to the ways that we make sense of situations -can take several forms (verbal-words, sentences, and explicit ideas; non-verbal-mental images) -are the running commentary we hear in our minds throughout our lives ​ Feelings -does not refer to emotion but the psychological changes due to emotion -are the hard-wired physical manifestation of emotion ​ Behaviors -are simply the things we do -also the things we don’t do TEEN BRAIN ​ Adolescence is an important time for brain development. -although the brain stops growing in size by early adolescence, teen years are all about fine-tuning how the brain works -the brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s -the prefrontal cortex is one of the last parts of the brain behind the forehead to mature, this area is responsible for planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions ​ Brain development is related to social experiences during adolescence -changes to the areas of the brain responsible for social processes can lead teens to focus more on peer relationships and social experiences -the emphasis on peer relationships and ongoing prefrontal cortex development might lead teens to take more risks because the social benefits outweigh the possible consequences of a decision -these risks could be negative, dangerous, or positive, such as talking to a new classmate, or joining a new club or sport ​ The teen brain is ready to learn and adapt -the teen brain has an amazing ability to adapt and respond to new experiences and situations -taking challenging classes, exercising, and engaging in creative activities like art or music can strengthen brain circuits and help the brain ​ Teen brains may respond differently to stress -because it is still developing, this could increase the teens’ chances of developing stress-related mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression -recognizing possible triggers and practicing effective coping techniques can help teens deal with stress ​ Most teens do not get enough sleep -research shows that the sleep hormone melatonin works differently in teens than children and adults -in adolescence, melatonin levels stay high later at night and drop later in the morning, which may explain why teens stay up late and struggle waking up early -many teens do not get enough sleep, making it harder to pay attention, control impulses, and do well at school -getting good sleep at night can help support mental health ​ Mental illnesses may begin to appear during adolescence -ongoing changes in the brain, along with the physical, emotional, and social changes, can make teens more likely to experience mental health problems -the fact that all these changes happen at one time may explain why many mental illnesses–such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders–emerge during adolescence ​ The teen brain is resilient -despite the stresses and challenges that come with adolescence, most teens go on to become healthy adults -some changes in the brain during this critical phase of development help support resilience and mental health over the long term