Psychology Themes & Variations SA 4e Chapter 11: Personality PDF

Psychology Themes & Variations SA 4e Chapter 11: Personality 1  Learning Outcomes Discuss the psychodynamic perspective in understanding personality Discuss the behavioural perspectives in understanding personality Discuss human...

Psychology Themes & Variations SA 4e Chapter 11: Personality 1  Learning Outcomes Discuss the psychodynamic perspective in understanding personality Discuss the behavioural perspectives in understanding personality Discuss humanistic perspectives in understanding personality Discuss biological perspectives in understanding personality 2  Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Focused on the development and dynamics of the personality People are driven by motives and emotional conflicts − Unaware of these motives and conflicts − Shaped by their earliest experiences in the family 3  Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Psychoanalytic theory − Emphasized biological instincts and unconscious motivation − Three parts of the personality − Five stages of psychosexual development Theory far less influential than in the past 4  Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Freud viewed the newborn as inherently selfish, driven by instincts − Inborn biological forces that motivate behavior (nature)  Source of the mental energy that fuels human behavior Believed in unconscious motivation − Power of instincts to influence our behavior without our awareness 5  Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Id − Impulsive, irrational, and selfish part of the personality Ego − Rational side of the individual that tries to find realistic ways of gratifying the instincts – develops in infancy Superego − Individual’s internalized moral standards (3 – 6) 6  The Id Primitive and instinctive Aim to satisfy instincts Pleasure principle Two kinds of instincts: o Eros – life instinct o Thanatos – death instinct - aggression Not affected by reality 7  The Ego Mediate between id and external world Decision making component of personality Develops from the id during infancy Satisfy id’s demands in a safe and socially acceptable way Reality principle as it operates in both the conscious and unconscious mind 8  The Superego Incorporates the values and morals of society Around 3 – 5 years during the phallic stage of psychosexual development Operates on the morality principle Behave in a socially responsible and acceptable manner 9 10  Internal Conflicts Behaviour = result of series of internal conflicts Id wants to gratify urges – ego and superego keep it in check Internal conflicts that centre on sexual and aggressive impulses have far- reaching consequences o These urges subjected to more social controls than other basic motives o Also frustrated more regularly When not resolved = internal tension – anxiety surfaces 11  Anxiety Conflict Reliance on between id, Anxiety defence ego and mechanisms superego 12  Defence mechanisms Anxiety leads to distress To avoid this people use defence mechanisms o Largely unconscious reactions to protect from unpleasant emotions o Works by means of self deception Most widely used is repression Table on p 487 13 Defence mechanisms 14  Defence mechanisms 1. The therapist suggests to the client, Amelia, that she fails to acknowledge her partner’s feelings in an argument. Amelia believes she is a very empathetic person, and she thinks she is very responsive to her partner’s feelings. In response, Amelia argues that it is not her, but her partner who fails to acknowledge Amelia’s feelings. 2. Aidan experiences intense rage and hatred toward his mother; however, he cannot act on these impulses. He channels his feelings about his mother onto other people whom he associates with her. He might show hostile behaviour toward other women who embody the same characteristics and behaviours as his mother. 15  Defence mechanisms 3. Jacob cannot remember certain painful memories as a child. To protect himself, he unconsciously keeps these memories away from his consciousness. Instead, he displays anxious behaviours toward other items that he associates with these original painful memories. 4. In response to the news that his parents are getting divorced, Gary has displayed behaviour that is more typical of younger children. When frustrated, he screams and bites, kicks and hits his parents, and has started wetting the bed. 16  Defence mechanisms 5. Ahmed has received various negative job evaluations about his inability to communicate empathetically with clients. Since Ahmed believes he communicates very effectively, he dismisses these negative evaluations using several arguments. He argues that his manager is wrong, his manager is jealous, that he was stressed that one day with the client, that the client was unclear, and that the other client was hostile. 17  Defence mechanisms 1. Projection 2. Displacement 3. Repression 4. Regression 5. Denial 18  Development: Psychosexual stages Claimed that foundation of personality was in place by 5 Stage theory of developmental periods which affect adult personality Characteristic sexual (referring to urges for physical pleasure) focus Shift in focus as children progress Each stage has developmental tasks How these are handled shapes personality If fail to move from one stage to next - fixation in adulthood 19  Oral stage: 0 – 1 Erotic focus on mouth (biting, sucking) Feeding experience is NB here The way in which child is weaned from breast/bottle is crucial to subsequent development Fixation can lead to obsessive overeating/smoking in adults 20  Anal stage: 2 - 3 Focus on bowel movements Toilet training experience is NB here Excessive punishment in this stage – latent feeling of hostility towards “trainer” Can generalise to all women later in life Fixation - Excessive need for control 21  Phallic stage: 4 - 5 Genitals become the focus This period is marked by the child’s libido (or desire) focusing on their genitals as the primary source of pleasure Fixation – sexual dysfunction, overly assertive or aggressive 22  Latency stage: 6 - 12 Expanding social contacts beyond immediate family Focus shifts to other pursuits e.g. education, social relationships Developing social and intellectual skills, including school, friendships, and hobbies Most sexual impulses are repressed during the latent stage Play becomes largely confined to other children of the same gender Fixation – feelings of inadequacy, insecurity and isolation in adulthood 23  Genital stage: 12 onward Libido re-emerges - directed towards peers of the other sex, marking the onset of mature adult sexuality Start to become sexually mature - begin exploring sexual feelings and desires more maturely and responsibly Onset of romantic and sexual emotions, leading to the formation of intimate relationships Fixation – sexual perversions, other emotional problems 24  Relevance? While some aspects of the theory may no longer be considered relevant or valid, its legacy and impact on psychology cannot be denied Psychosexual theory has provided important insights into how early experiences can shape personality and behavior Influenced many aspects of modern psychology, including psychodynamic therapy, attachment theory, and developmental psychology 25  Oedipus Complex Phallic stage Boy between 3 to 6 - becomes unconsciously sexually attached to his mother, and hostile towards his father – seen as a rival Envy & jealousy since father is object of the mother’s affection and attention Leads to fantasies of getting rid of his father and taking his place with the mother Resolution – through process of identification with the same-sex parent 26  Oedipus Complex Father becomes role model rather than a rival Boys acquire their superego and the male sex role Boy substitutes his desire for his mother with his desire for other women 27  Electra Complex Girl, aged 3 to 6, - unconsciously sexually attached to her father and increasingly hostile toward her mother Attributed to Freud - actually proposed by Carl Jung For girls to develop their superego and female sex role, they need to identify with the mother If not resolved – leads to fixation - unhealthy attachment or dependence on their opposite-sex parent in adulthood 28  Other theorists Carl Jung and Alfred Adler – colleagues of Freud Argued that Freud overemphasized sexuality in terms of explaining psychological disorders Jung – Analytical psychology Adler – Individual psychology 29  Carl Jung Agreed that ego controls personality and behaviour – mostly unconscious Argued that subconscious consist of two parts: The personal unconscious - the things we have experienced, and can recall or have repressed Collective unconscious - collection of shared memories we have inherited from our ancestors – shared with entire human race 30  Carl Jung Agreed that ego controls personality and behaviour – mostly unconscious Argued that subconscious consist of two parts: The personal unconscious - the things we have experienced, and can recall or have repressed Collective unconscious - collection of shared memories we have inherited from our ancestors – shared with entire human race Referred to this as “archetypes” – emotionally charged images and forms of thought that have universal meaning 31 Carl Jung 32  Adler - Individual psychology Superiority is the foremost source of human motivation Compensation are efforts to overcome inferiorities by developing one’s abilities Adler focused on early childhood experiences and parent–child relations: An inferiority complex is exaggerated feelings of weakness and inadequacy Overcompensation is used to deal with feelings of inferiority Birth order was a factor governing personality 33  Skinner’s ideas applied to personality No internal personality structures Determinism – personality is determined by environmental stimuli People show stable response tendencies acquired as a result of experience – these may change with new experiences Personality = collection of response tendencies that are tied to various stimulus situations Environmental consequences – reinforcement, punishment & extinction = patterns of responding 34 Skinner’s ideas applied to personality 35  Skinner’s ideas applied to personality When followed by favourable consequences – strengthened When lead to negative consequences – weakened Personality is a continuous life-long journey No stages Childhood experiences not NB 36  Skinner’s ideas applied to personality Pavlov – focus on stimuli that precede the response Operant conditioning is a form of learning where: Voluntary responses are controlled by their consequences Responses followed by favorable consequences are repeated The fundamental principle is reinforcement, or a response strengthened because it leads to rewarding consequences You go to work because you will get a salary 37  Skinner’s ideas applied to personality Reinforcement − When a consequence strengthens a response, or makes it more likely to occur − Positive reinforcement  Event that makes that behavior more probable to be repeated − Negative reinforcement  Behavior is strengthened because something unpleasant is removed or is avoided after the behavior occurs 38  Skinner’s ideas applied to personality Punishment − Decreases the strength of the behaviour − Positive punishment  Occurs when an unpleasant stimulus is the consequence of a behavior - spanking − Negative punishment  Occurs when a desirable stimulus is removed following the behavior – being grounded 39 40 Skinner 41  Bandura’s social cognitive theory Social cognitive theory Observational learning Personality is shaped through One’s responses are influenced by learning, like behaviourism observing others People seek and process information Classical and operant conditioning about their environment to maximise both can occur indirectly (getting favorable outcomes conned) Brings in cognitive processes Model is a person whose behaviour is observed by another Self-efficacy is one’s belief about ability to perform behaviours that should lead to expected outcomes 42  Bandura’s self-efficacy High self-efficacy Confident that we can respond in a way that leads to reinforcers Low self-efficacy Worry that responses may be beyond abilities Can influence what challenges people tackle and how they perform Greater – less procrastination, more planning, better weight-loss efforts, lower stress and anxiety 43 Bandura’s reciprocal determinism 44  Bandura’s reciprocal determinism Imagine a shy student who usually keeps to themselves (personal factor), walks into class on the first day of school to find that the other students are already sitting down (environmental factor). The shy student tries to slip into the back of the class to avoid becoming the center of attention (behavioral factor) 45  Bandura’s reciprocal determinism If a classmate sitting at the front of the room boisterously greets the shy student and invites them to sit next to them, the environment has introduced a new reinforcing stimulus (the friendly student) Could lead to a change in this student's normal routine as well as a change in their behavior 46  Mischel and the person-situation controversy Mischel focused on how much situational factors govern behaviour People make responses they think will lead to reinforcement in the situation at hand People do not perform consistently in different situations Both personality and situation are NB determinants of behaviour 47  Mischel and the marshmallow study Preschool child in a room with one marshmallow on the table Can eat the marshmallow now – or wait until he (Mischel) returns If waited – 2 marshmallows Findings:  Young children differ in terms of self control  Followed them through high school  Those with more self control in pre-school – more successful in high school  Less substance abuse issues – later on more stable marriages  Concluded that people are situation processors 48  Knowledge check activity 2: Answer According to Bandura, which of the following influences the challenges people tackle and how they will perform? a. perceptions of self-efficacy Self-efficacy refers to one’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviours that should lead to expected outcomes. When self-efficacy is high, individuals feel confident that they can execute the responses necessary to earn reinforcers. When self-efficacy is low, individuals worry that the necessary responses may be beyond their abilities. 49  Rogers’s person-centred theory Humanism is a theoretical orientation emphasising the unique qualities of humans. Humanistic theorists assume that: People can rise above their primitive animal heritage. People are conscious and rational beings not dominated by unconscious, irrational conflicts. People are not helpless pawns of deterministic forces. 50 Activity 51 Maslow’s theory of self-actualisation 52  Characteristics of self-actualising people Humans have a drive toward personal growth. Self-actualisation, which is the need to fulfill one’s potential, is the highest need in Maslow’s hierarchy. 53