Iloilo Science and Technology University Lecture Notes on Personality PDF

Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.i...

Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 1 Lecture Note 1 : INTRODUCTION Unit Outcome : At the end of the unit, you must have: 1. described essential terms in the study of personality. 2. identified and explained some of the basic philosophical issues in which personality theories differ. 3. discussed the role of personality theory to human services. Lesson Title : A. Definition and Nature : Theories, Personality B. Philosophical Assumptions and Issues vs Scientific Constructs of Personality C. Evaluating Personality Theories D. Role and Application of Personality Theory to Human Services Lesson Outcomes : At the end of the lesson, you must have: 1. defined and discussed the nature of theories and personality. 2. distinguished the philosophical assumptions and the scientific constructs of personality. 3. valued the importance of personality theories to human services. Let us Take a Look at This… Each one of us, in certain respects, is like the others and different from others. When you look around you, you may only be similar but certainly not the same with others. Just think of the time you came across a friend and you introduced him to your family. After a few minutes of conversation, your friend left and you went on with your sister who blurted out, “your friend has no personality at all”, but your mom said, “no he simply is oozing with personality.” You asked then your sister what she meant with “no personality”. She told you he is not dressed well, but your mom said he speaks well and very respectful. Is this enough then to conclude that a person has no personality because he is not dressed well or oozing https://www.wikihow.com/Introduce-People  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 2 with personality because he speaks well and respectful. Or will there be more in as far as personality is concerned? Let us now delve into the personality and human nature. Let’s Get on What is PERSONALITY? Usually refers to someone’s public image Ex. John has an extremely amazing personality If only that contestant had a more dynamic personality. Origin of the word is the Latin personae, which means the masks that actors wore in ancient Greek plays. The term personality, however, became the point of disagreements among theorists: Gordon Allport : “personality is something real within an individual that leads to characteristic behavior and thought.” Carl Rogers : “the personality or ‘self’ is an organized, consistent pattern of perception of the ‘I’ or ‘Me’ that lies at the heart of an individual’s experiences.” B.F. Skinner : “personality is unnecessary. It is not something that is desirable to use this concept to understand human behavior.” Sigmund Freud : “personality is largely unconscious, hidden, and unknown.” Refers to a consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual (Burger, 2015) Is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments (Larsen & Buss, 2018) o Psychological traits = are characteristics that describe ways in which people are different or maybe similar from each other. ex. You are shy but others are more outgoing (differences). You and your friend are both shy because you are both anxious in a social situation (similarities). o Psychological mechanisms = are like traits, except that it looks more on the processes of personality. (see Fig. 1) o Within the individual = personality is something a person carries with him – or herself over time and from one situation to the next (although our personality are certainly influenced by our environments, we still carry with us the same personalities from situation to situation in our lives)  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 3 o Organized = psychological traits and mechanisms for a given person are not simply a random collection of elements. Personality is organized because the mechanisms and traits are linked to one another in a coherent fashion. o Relatively enduring = personality being somewhat consistent over situations. o Influential forces = traits and mechanisms can have an effect on people’s lives. Personality plays a key role in affecting how people shape their lives. It influences how we think, act, and feel. o Person-environment interactions o Adaptation = conveys the notion that a central feature of personality concerns adaptive functioning – accomplishing goals, coping, adjusting, and dealing with the challenges and problems we face as we go through life. o Environment = physical and social that poses challenges for people (like those that has a direct threats to survival). It also poses adaptive challenges. Intrapsychic means “within the mind” like memories, dreams, desires, fantasies, and a collection of private experiences that we live with each day. Psychological Mechanisms: three key ingredients DECISION RULES OUTPUT INPUT (IF, THEN) Confront source of Danger danger If courageous, then face danger Run from source of danger If cowardly, then run from danger Fig 1. Three essential ingredients of psychological mechanisms What is a THEORY? Comes from a Greek word Theoria, which means an act of viewing, contemplating, or thinking about something. It is a set of abstract concepts developed about a group of facts or events to explain them. Theory of Personality = is an organized system of beliefs that helps us to understand human nature. Personality theories may function as philosophy, science, and art. As scientists, personality theorists seek to develop a workable hypotheses or tentative assumptions that will help us understand human behavior. As philosophers, they explore what it means to be a person. As artists, they seek to apply what is known about human behavior to make a better life.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 4 Philosophical Assumptions and Issues Philosophical Assumptions suggest that things are not necessarily what they appear to be. They are based on a special epiphanic vision, which goes beyond the ordinary perception of our sense organs. Philosophical statements tend to be global and do not allow for any exceptions. They often are implicit rather than explicit. Basic Philosophical Assumptions Freedom Determinism People basically have control over their own behavior The behavior of people is basically determined by and understand the motives behind their behavior. internal or external forces over which they have little, if any, control. Heredity (Nature) Environment (Nurture) Inherited and inborn characteristics have the most Factors in the environment have the most important important influence on a person’s behavior. influence on a person’s behavior. Uniqueness Universality Each individual is unique and cannot be compared with People are basically very similar in nature. others. Proactivity (Active) Reactivity (Passive) Human beings primarily act on their own initiative. Human beings primarily react to stimuli from the outside world. Optimism Pessimism Significant changes in personality and behavior can A person’s personality and behavior are essentially occur throughout the course of a lifetime. stable and unchanging. Philosophical Assumptions vs Scientific Statements Philosophical Assumptions Scientific Statements things are not necessarily what they Must be based on empirical observation appear to be, what is necessarily what (on what is and what occurs in our should be or what really is. everyday world as it appears to us Epiphany, a perception of essential through our senses - meaning. objective and subjective data) Not tentative hypotheses to be discarded Must be open to falsification (is required to when evidence contradicts them. indicate the conditions under which its statements might be proven incorrect.) Consensual validation (agreements among observers) Evaluating Personality Theories The following are criteria used to determine how successfully each theory functions as a philosophy and as a science. 1. Determine which assertions function as philosophical assumptions and which function as scientific statements. Look at the major tenets of the theory and determine whether each is based on epiphanic or empirical evidence. Philosophical assumptions are based on a vision of ultimate reality, whereas scientific statements are based on empirical observation. 2. Ask how well the philosophical assumptions fulfill the criteria of philosophy. ▪ Coherence : “Is the philosophical position clear, logical, and consistent?” (it must have a clearly recognizable, consistent thrust)  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 5 ▪ Relevance : “Does the theory deal with issues that are important and meaningful to us today?” (must have some bearing on our view of reality) ▪ Comprehensiveness : “Does the theory encompass a wide array of phenomena, inclusively covering aspects of the subject it claims to deal with?” (asks whether the treatment of the subject is profound or superficial, should not leave too many questions unanswered or if it refuses to address them.) ▪ Compellingness : “Does it convince you?” (convinces you in such a way that you find the belief inescapable) 3. Ask how well the scientific statements fulfill the criteria of science. ▪ Verifiability : “Are the statements ultimately based on empirical observation, and does the theory clearly specify how they can be confirmed and refuted?””Is it testable?” (based on empirical observation and has to specify how they can be confirmed or refuted) ▪ Compatibility : “Does the theory build on, and is it consistent with, other well-established information?” (agreement of the hypothesis with previously well- established information) ▪ Predictive Power : “How successful has the theory been in generating new ideas and research?” (range and scope of the statement; explains the phenomena that we observe and when to anticipate it) ▪ Simplicity : “Does the theory adequately account for the complexity of material in the most economical way?” (parsimony; one that adequately accounts for the complexity of material in the simplest way) ▪ Usefulness : “Does the theory provide useful information to assist us in living in the everyday world?” (ability to generate information that can assist us in living) Role and Application of Personality Theory to Human Services Assessment : Evaluation or measurement. Used to measure progress and to evaluate learning disabilities, to assist in job placement or evaluate the nature of problem (in therapy or counseling) Criteria: Validity (measuring what the construct is supposed to measure), Reliability (consistency of scores over time), Objectivity (avoidance of subjective bias) Research : Interface between science and application. Approach is usually clinical, psychometric, and experimental in nature. Psychotherapy : Effort to apply the findings of personality theory in ways that will assist individuals and meet human goals.  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 6 From Greek term therapeia, which means “attending” and “healing”. The interest is also to understand “normal” people, learning how they function, and helping them to function more creatively. VIEWPOINT ACTIVITY EVALUATIVE CRITERIA Coherence PHILOSOPHY Making Assumptions Relevance Comprehensiveness Compellingness SCIENCE Forming Testable Verifiability Hypotheses Predictive power Compatibility Simplicity Usefulness ART Application of What is Known Assessment *Psychometric *Projective Criteria vary according to the specific activity and its canons of research. Research *Psychometric *Experimental *Clinical Psychotherapy Self-understanding *Scholarly *Ethical Suitable climate for therapeutic change *Curative *Symptom remission *Number of cures Fig. 2: Viewpoints for Understanding and Evaluating Personality Theories  Republic of the Philippines Iloilo Science and Technology University Burgos St., La Paz, Iloilo City, 5000 Philippines Trunkline: (+6333) 320-7190 | Telefax: (+6333) 329-4274 https://www.isatu.edu.ph/ [email protected] TOP | 7 Why Different Theories? ▪ Because the very nature of a theory allows the theorist to make speculations from a particular point of view. ▪ Theories are not immutable laws; they are built, not on proven facts, but on assumptions that are subject to individual interpretations. ▪ All theories are reflection of the authors’ personal backgrounds, childhood experiences, philosophy of life, interpersonal relationships, and unique manner or looking at the world. ▪ Observations are colored by an individual frame of reference; it follows that there may be many diverse theories. Additional Readings: https://www.verywellmind.com/personality-psychology-study-guide-2795699 Introduction to Personality. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless- psychology/chapter/introduction-to-personality/ References: Burger, Jerry M. (2015) Personality: An Introduction. 9th ed. Canada: Cengage Learning Engler, Barbara. (2012) Personality Theories: An Introduction. Canada: Cengage Learning Engler, Barbara. (2006) Personality Theories: An Introduction. 7th ed. USA: Houghton Mifflin Company Feist, Gregory J, Tomi-Ann Roberts, and Jess Feist. (2021). Theories of Personality. (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Larsen, Randy J. & David M. Buss. (2018). Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature. 6th ed. New York:Mc Graw Hill Education †AMDG/HSCPsyc109/mmj