Introduction to Psychology - Personality PDF

Introduction to Psychology Personality Outline Personality (definition) Theory of Personality Psychoanalytic (Freud) Defense mechanisms (types and uses) Humanistic (Rogers) Adler Horney Four basic tools psychologists use to measure personality Personality (defin...

Introduction to Psychology Personality Outline Personality (definition) Theory of Personality Psychoanalytic (Freud) Defense mechanisms (types and uses) Humanistic (Rogers) Adler Horney Four basic tools psychologists use to measure personality Personality (definition) Is a pattern of enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that characterize the way an individual adapts to the world Psychologists have approached these enduring characteristics in a variety of ways, focusing on different aspects of the person Theories of Personality Psychoanalytic: Sigmund Freud For Freud, the sexual drive was the most important motivator of all human activity He theorized that the human sex drive was the main determinant of personality development, and he felt that psychological disorders, dreams, and all human behavior represent the conflict between the unconscious sexual drive and the demands of human civilized society Psychoanalytic: Sigmund Freud Freud divided the mind into 3 structures: ID EGO SUPEREGO Freud divided the mind into 3 levels: Conscious Preconscious Unconscious Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalytic Structure of the Mind ID EGO (Pleasure (Reality Principle) Principle) SUPEREGO (Moral Principle)  Sigmund Freud: ID This psychic structure is present at birth & operates under the “Pleasure Principle” It is primitive and is only concerned w/ selfish desires It is mainly concerned w/ physiological drives such as sex, food, water & is fully Unconscious ID desires are often irrational & unrealistic Sigmund Freud : SUPEREGO Functions as a moral guardian & sets Extremely high & somewhat unrealistic expectations / standards of behavior Sigmund Freud : EGO Characterized by self awareness, rational planning & delayed gratification Its primary purpose is to strike a balance between the unrealistic demands of the Id & the overly moral demands of the Superego Ego employs the use of Defense Mechanisms to manage anxiety Sigmund Freud: EGO ; Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms: are the tactics the ego uses to reduce anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Repression Rationalization Sublimation Identification Reaction Formation Projection Denial Displacement Regression Defense How it works Example Mechanis m Repression The ego pushes the A young girl was sexually unacceptable impulses out of abused as a child, has no awareness, into the recollection of the traumatic unconscious mind experience Rationaliza The ego replaces a less A person did not get into a tion acceptable motive with a college, the person now tells more acceptable one himself that the college only accepts rich people Displacem The ego shifts the feelings A woman can’t take her anger ent towards an unacceptable out on her boss, so she takes object to another more it out on her husband acceptable object Sublimatio The ego replaces an A man with strong sexual n unacceptable impulse with a urges, becomes an artistes socially acceptable one and paints nudes Projection Ego attributes personal A man who wants to cheat shortcomings, problems, and accuses his wife of flirting with faults to others other men Reaction The ego transforms an A woman with strong sexual Formation unacceptable motive into its urges becomes a devout Psychosexual Stages of Development Oral Stage (Birth- 1 yr) Freud Oral activity (mouth, lips, tongue & gums) is the pleasure center Child is concerned w/ obtaining maximum about of pleasure by sucking, eating, biting, talking If oral needs are not met appropriately, the person may develop habits where comfort is oral such as biting nails, pencil chewing, overeating & smoking etc Psychosexual Stages of Development Anal Stage ( 1-3 yrs) The anus is now the pleasure center Toilet training become the major issue between parent & child If parents insist that children be trained before they are ready, or if they make too few demands, conflicts about anal control may appear in the form of extreme orderliness (anally retentive)/ messiness & disorder (anally expulsive) Psychosexual Stages of Development Phallic Stage (3-6 yrs) Genitals are the pleasure centers for this stage & also for the 2 remaining stages Major function of this stage is the healthy development, sexually This is achieved through masturbation & unconscious sexual desires for the Opposite sex parent Psychosexual Stages of Development Phallic Stage (3-6 yrs) Oedipus Complex Boy is in a state in which they are sexually attracted to their mother For fear of Castration anxiety (fear that their penis will be cut off by their father) Instead, they mimic the behaviors of their father in order to get attention from their mother Hence , boys learn to become men Psychosexual Stages of Development Phallic Stage (3-6 yrs) Electra Complex Girls become sexually attracted to their fathers However for fear of punishment from their mothers they do not act on these desires They mimic the behaviors of their mother to gain their father’s attention Freud claimed that girls suffer from ‘penis envy’ Psychosexual Stages of Development Latent Stage (6-11 yrs) Sexual instincts die down (especially true for males) and the superego develops further Development shifts from sexual to cognitive (with the exposure to school) Children invest all their energy into acquiring new social values from adults and same- sex peers outside the family Psychosexual Stages of Development Genital Stage (Adolescence) With puberty, the sexual impulses of the phallic stage reappear for both sexes Children learn that sexual desires for their opposite sex parent to considered taboo and therefore begin to establish relationships with members of the opposite sex If the development has been successful during earlier stages, it leads to marriage, mature sexually, and the birth and rearing of children This stage extends to adulthood Defense Mechanisms and Freudian Stages Stag Adult Extensions Sublimations Reaction e (Fixations) Formation Oral Smoking, eating, kissing, Seeking Speech purist, chewing gum, oral knowledge, dislike of milk hygiene humor, wit, sarcasm, being a food or wine expert Anal Notable interest in one’s Interest in Extreme disgust own bowel movements, painting or with feces, fear love of bathroom humor, sculpture, being of dirt, extreme messiness; or, overly giving, prudishness, alternately, extreme great interest in irritability cleanliness, stubbornness, statistics and a strong desire for simplicity and structure Phalli Heavy reliance on Interest in Puritanical c masturbation, poetry, love of attitude Horney’s Sociocultural Approach Karen Horney (1885- 1952) rejected the classical psychoanalytical concept that anatomy is destiny and cautioned that some of Freud’s most popular ideas were only hypotheses Main Assumption: She also argued that sociocultural influences on personality development should be considered Horney also believed that the need for Security, not for sex, is the prime motive in human existence Horney reasoned that an individual whose needs for security are met should be able to develop his/her capacities to the fullest extent She viewed psychological health as allowing the person to express talents and abilities freely and spontaneously Adler’s Individual Psychology Main Assumption: people are motivated by purposes and goals and that perfection, not pleasure, is thus the key motivator in human life Adler argued that people have the ability to take their genetic inheritance and their environmental experiences and act upon them creatively to become the person they want to be Adler thought that everyone strives for superiority by seeking to adapt, improve and master the environment Compensation: is Adler’s term for the individual’s attempt to overcome imagined or real inferiorities or weaknesses by development one’s own abilities Adler’s Individual Psychology (contd.) Adler believed that birth order could influence how successfully a person could strive for superiority He viewed the first born children to be in a particularly vulnerable state given that they begin life as the center of attention but then are knocked off their pedestal by their siblings He also believed that first born children are more likely to suffer from a psychological disorder and to engage in criminal behavior Youngest children, however, also are potentially in trouble because they are most likely to be spoilt Middle- born are in a particularly advantageous situation because we have older siblings as built- in inspiration for superiority striving Carl Rogers Humanistic Approach Humanistic: Carl Rogers Humanistic perspective: theoretical view that stresses a person’s capacity for personal growth and positive human qualities Carl Rogers was a psychotherapist struggling to understand the unhappiness of the individuals he encountered in therapy Rogers noted the things that seemed to be keeping them from reaching their full potential Rogers believed that we are all born with the raw ingredients of a fulfilling life, we simply need the right conditions to thrive We are also endowed with an innate sense- a gut feeling- that allows us to evaluate whether an experience is good or bad for us We are also born with a need for POSITIVE REGARD from others Humanistic: Carl Rogers We need to be loved, liked, accepted by people around us As children interacting with our parents, we learn early on to value the feeling that they value us, and we gain a sense of self- worth EXPLAINING UNHAPPINESS Unconditional Positive Regard: this refers to the individual’s need to be accepted, valued, and treated positively regardless of his or her behavior Conditions of Worth: the standards that the individual must live up to in order to receive positive regard from others Humanistic: Carl Rogers Roger’s theory includes the idea that we develop a SELF- CONCEPT, which is our conscious representation of who we are and who we wish to become, during childhood Conditions of worth can become part of who we think we ought to be As a result, we can become alienated from our genuine feelings and strive to actualize a self that is not who we are meant to be A person who dedicates him or herself to such goals might be very successful by outward appearances but might feel utterly unfulfilled Humanistic: Carl Rogers To remedy this situation… Rogers believes that the person must reconnect with his or her true feelings and desires He proposed to achieve this reconnection, the person must experience a relationship that includes 3 essential qualities: 1. Unconditional positive regard 2. Empathy (surrounding yourself with persons who are sensitive listeners and understanding of their true feelings) 3. Genuineness (being open with one’s feelings and dropping all pretenses and facades) Measurement of Personality Basic Tools Psychologists use to Measure Personality One of the great contributions of personality psychology is the development of rigorous methods for measuring mental processes Psychologists use a number of scientifically developed methods to evaluate personality They assess personality for different reasons- from clinical evaluation to career counseling and job selection Personal Interview Direct Observation Objective Tests Projective tests Measurements of Personality Objective Projective Minnesota Multiphasic Projective test: a Personality Inventory personality (MMPI) assessment test Sixteen personality that presents factor Questionnaire individuals with an (16PF) ambiguous stimulus NEO-PI-R and asks them to describe it or tell a story about it- to project their own meaning onto the stimulus Measures of Personality: Objective Tests Minnesota Multiphasic 16 Personality Factor Personality Inventory (MMPI) Questionnaire (16PF) The most widely used and researched empirically keyed self- report personality test The scale features 567 items and provides information on a variety of personality characteristics Includes items to assess if the person is lying Measures of Personality: Objective Tests NEO-PI-R is a concise measure of the five major domains of personality, as well as the six traits or facets that define each domain. Taken together, the five domain scales and 30 facet scales of the NEO PI-R facilitate a comprehensive and detailed assessment of normal adult personality. Measure of Personality: Projective Test Thematic Rorschach Inkblot Test Apperception Test A famous projective test A projective test that is that uses an individual’s designed to elicit stories perception of inkblots to that reveal something determine his/ her about an individual’s personality personality The test consists of 10 The TAT taker is asked to cards, half in black, half in tell a story about each of white, which the the pictures shown, individual views one at a events leading up to the time situations, the character’s Its usefulness is quite thoughts and feelings and controversial the way the situation turns out