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THEORIES OF PERSONALITY By Niño Lito Jake Briones, RGC Psychology 2024  Psychology Overview 1. Definitions of Personality 2. Historical Perspectives on personality theory Theories of Personality ...

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY By Niño Lito Jake Briones, RGC Psychology 2024  Psychology Overview 1. Definitions of Personality 2. Historical Perspectives on personality theory Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Personality? Humans are not alone in their uniqueness of and variability between individual members of the species. Individuals within every living species exhibit differences or variability Most agree that the term “personality” originated from the Latin word persona, which referred to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas. Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Personality? Personality theorists have not agreed on a single definition of personality. Indeed, they evolved unique and vital theories because they lacked agreement as to the nature of humanity, and because each saw personality from an individual reference point. Personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior (Roberts & Mroczek, 2008) Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Personality? Traits contribute to individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and stability of behavior across situations Characteristics are unique qualities of an individual that include attributes such as temperament, physique, and intelligence Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Theory? In science, theories are tools used to generate research and organize observations, but neither “truth” nor “fact” has a place in scientific terminology. A scientific theory is a set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Theory? First, a theory is a set of assumptions. A single assumption can never fulfill all the requirements of an adequate theory Second, a theory is a set of related assumptions. Isolated assumptions can neither generate meaningful hypotheses nor possess internal consistency—the two criteria of a useful theory. Theories of Personality  Psychology What is Theory? The third key word in the definition is assumptions. The components of a theory are not proven facts in the sense that their validity has been absolutely established Fourth, logical deductive reasoning is used by the researcher to formulate hypotheses. The final part of the definition includes the qualifier testable. Theories of Personality  Psychology Theory and its Relatives PHILOSOPHY First, theory is related to philosophy, but it is a much narrower term. Philosophy means love of wisdom, and philosophers are people who pursue wisdom through page 6thinking and reasoning. Philosophy encompasses several branches, one of which is epistemology, or the nature of knowledge. Theories do not deal with “oughts” and “shoulds.” Therefore, a set of Theories of Personality principles about how one should live one’s life cannot be a theory.  Psychology Theory and its Relatives PHILOSOPHY Philosophy deals with what ought to be or what should be; theory does not. Theory deals with broad sets of if-then statements, but the goodness or badness of the outcomes of these statements is beyond the realm of theory. For example, a theory might tell us that if children are brought up in isolation, completely separated from human contact, then they will not develop human language, exhibit parenting behavior, and so on. But this statement says nothing about the morality of such a method of child rearing. Theories of Personality  Psychology Theory and its Relatives SPECULATION Second, theories rely on speculation, but they are much more than mere armchair speculation. They do not flow forth from the mind of a great thinker isolated from empirical observations. They are closely tied to empirically gathered data and to science. Theories of Personality  Psychology Theory and its Relatives SPECULATION Science is a branch of study concerned with the observation and classification of data and with the verification of general laws through the testing of hypotheses. Theories are useful tools employed by scientists to give meaning and organization to their observations. In addition, theories provide a fertile ground for producing testable hypotheses Theories of Personality  Psychology Theory and its Relatives SPECULATION Theories themselves are quite practical and are essential for the advancement of any science. Speculation and empirical observations are the two essential cornerstones of theory building, but speculation must not run rampantly in advance of controlled observation. Science is a branch of study concerned with the observation and classification of data and with the verification of general laws through the testing of hypotheses. Theories are useful tools employed by scientists Theories of Personality to give meaning and organization to their observations. In addition, theories provide a fertile ground for producing testable hypotheses  Psychology Theory and its Relatives HYPOTHESIS A good theory is capable of generating many hypotheses. A hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction specific enough for its validity to be tested through the use of the scientific method. A theory is too general to lend itself to direct verification, but a single comprehensive theory is capable of generating thousands of hypotheses. Hypotheses, then, are more specific than the theories that Theories of Personality give birth to them. The offspring, however, should not be confused with the parent.  Psychology Theory and its Relatives TAXONOMY A taxonomy is a classification of things according to their natural relationships. Taxonomies are essential for the development of science because without classification of data science could not grow. Mere classification, however, does not constitute a theory. However, taxonomies can evolve into theories when they begin to generate testable hypotheses and explain research findings Theories of Personality Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Psychodynamic Theories Beginning with Freud, psychoanalytic and then the more general psychodynamic approaches have focused on the importance of early childhood experiences and on relationships with parents as guiding forces that shape personality development. Additionally, this view sees the unconscious mind and motives as much more powerful than the conscious awareness. Psychoanalysis traditionally used dream interpretation to uncover the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and impulses as a main form of treatment for neurosis and mental illness. After Freud, Thesis Defence these theorists moved away from the importance of sexuality and more toward social and cultural forces. Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Humanistic-Existential Theories The primary assumption of the humanistic (currently known as “positive psychology”) approach is that people strive toward meaning, growth, well-being, happiness, and psychological health. States of positive emotion and happiness foster psychological health and prosocial behavior. Understanding these evolved positive aspects of human behavior provides just as much insight into human nature as does understanding the pathological aspects. Existential theorists assume that not only we are driven by a search for meaning but also negative Thesis Defence experiences, such as failure, awareness of death, death of a loved one, and anxiety, are part of the human condition and can foster psychological growth. Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Dispositional Theories Dispositional theorists argue that the unique and long-term tendencies to behave in particular ways are the essence of our personality. These unique dispositions, such as extraversion or anxiety, are called traits. The field has converged on the understanding that there are five main trait dimensions in human personality. Traits serve the function of making certain behaviors more likely in some people. Thesis Defence Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Biological-Evolutionary Theories Behavior, thoughts, feelings, and personality are influenced by differences in basic genetic, epigenetic, and neurological systems among individuals. The reason some people have different traits, dispositions, and ways of thinking stems from differences in their genotype and central nervous system (brain structures and neurochemistry The body, brain, and environment coexist and coevolve, and so more than any Thesis Defence other psychological perspective, this one emphasizes that what we think, feel, and do is always an interaction between nature (biological) and nurture (environment). Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Learning-(Social) Cognitive Theories If you want to understand behavior, then focus only on behavior, not on hypothetical and unobservable internal states such as thoughts, feelings, drives, or motives. All behaviors are learned through association and/or its consequences (whether it page 9is reinforced or punished). To shape desired behaviors, we have to understand and then establish the conditions that bring about those particular behaviors. Thesis Defence Psychology Major Theoretical Perspectives Learning-(Social) Cognitive Theories The cognitive perspective argues that how we think about ourselves and other people, as well as the assumptions we make and the strategies we use for solving problems, are the keys to understanding differences among people. Whether we believe we can do something successfully or not influences our behavior as well as in our personality. In short, what personality we have is shaped by how we think and perceive the world. Thesis Defence  Psychology What Makes a Theory Useful? 1. Generates Research 2. Falsifiable 3. Organizes Data 4. Guides Action 5. Internally Consistent Thesis Defence 5. Law of Parsimony. THANK YOU Nino Lito Jake S. Briones, RGC