Psych Perspectives on Personality PDF

Self from various psychological perspectives Personality  The sum total of all acquired and inherited traits of an individual  Aggregates of physical and mental qualities of the individual as these interact with his environment  Theories of Personality Developm...

Self from various psychological perspectives Personality  The sum total of all acquired and inherited traits of an individual  Aggregates of physical and mental qualities of the individual as these interact with his environment  Theories of Personality Development Sigmund Freud – Father of Psychoanalysis and Modern Psychiatry - Proponent of Psychosexual theory Structures of Personality: 1. Id – born with it, present at birth  Operates on “Pleasure principle” (reduce tension by immediate gratification of needs)  Pleasure principle – instinctive seeking of pleasure and avoiding of pain to satisfy biological and psychological needs  Sexual and aggressive drive  Irrational and not based on reality  Represents biological instinctual impulses in humans, such as aggression (Thanatos or Death instinct) and sexuality (Eros or Life instinct) 2. Ego – Chief Executive Officer  Develops at 4th – 5th month of life  Operates on “Reality principle” – ability of the mind to assess the reality of the external world and to act upon it accordingly  Major personality mechanism that mediates between the person and the environment  Major Functions:  Adaptation to reality  Modulation of anxiety  Problem solving  Controls and regulates instinctual drives  Mediates id drives and demands of reality  Evaluates and judges the external world  Reality testing - objective evaluation of an emotion or thought against real life  Stores experiences in memory  Directs motor activities and actions  Uses Defense Mechanisms to protect self  Balances the id and the superego 3. Superego – develops last (3-6 years of age)  Stubborn and as blind and ruthless as the id  Based on what’s ideal rather than real = operates on “Morality principle” – behaving in a socially responsible and acceptable manner  Residue of internalized values and moral training of early childhood  The child internalizes the moral standards of parents and society  Critical part of self, censoring part, morality  Perfectionist  Conscience – criticisms, prohibitions and inhibitions form a person’s conscience - punishes one for something wrong that was done  Ego-ideal – positive aspirations and ideals represent one’s idealized self-image - rewards one for something good that was done  Stages of Psychosexual Development 1. Oral stage – 0-18 months - Area of gratification: Mouth, by taking everything in - Orally fixated bahavior 2. Anal stage – 18 mos. to 3 yrs. - Area of gratification: Bowels, pleasure thru elimination of feces 3. Phallic stage / Oedipal – 3-6 yrs. - Interest on his own body and bodies of others = gender identity - Area of gratification: Genitals (in boys = masturbation is common) - Penis is organ of interest for both sexes  Castration fear (boys)  Penis envy (wish to possess penis) – seen in girls Oedipal complex (coined by Freud) – wish to marry opposite-sex parent and be rid of same-sex parent (is seen in both boys and girls but apply commonly to son to mother) – male child competes with his father for the love and attention of the mother. Electra complex (coined by Carl Jung) – girl to father Jocasta complex – sexual desire of a mother towards her son, or over-concern for the son (mama’s boy) 4. Latency stage (Quiet) – 6-12 yrs. - Resolution of oedipal complex - Period of low sexual activity, energy is used to gain new skills and knowledge, and play activities - Socialization outside the home 5. Genital or Adolescence – 12-18 yrs. - Heterosexual relationship, sexual activity increases while identity is strengthened - Emergence of lust - Over concern towards physical appearance  Structures of the Psyche (Mind) / Levels of Consciousness 1. Conscious – aware of what is happening - Functions when the person is awake, causing the individual to be aware of himself, his thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and what is going on in the environment 2. Subconscious / Semiconscious / Preconscious – it contains some partly remembered, partly forgotten experiences which can usually be recalled spontaneously and voluntarily - Acts as “watchman” which prevents unacceptable unconscious memories from reaching the conscious mind 3. Unconscious – largest portion of the psyche - Contains memories of one’s past life, esp. unpleasant and emotionally painful, stored away from the conscious awareness and difficult to recall except under certain circumstances (all negative and traumatic experiences) = when remembered, may cause mental problem - Storehouse of all memories and responses experienced by the individual during the entire life - Can’t deliberately be brought back to awareness  Freudian slip – a term we commonly use to describe slips of the tongue. He believed these slips are not accidents or coincidences but rather are indications of subconscious feelings or thoughts that accidentally emerge in casual day-to-day conversation.  Erik Erikson – Psychosocial theory of human development - Coined the phrase “identity crisis” Stages of Virtue Age Main Support statement Psychosocial Question crisis Trust vs. Hope Infants,Birth If the needs of the child are Mistrust to 12-18 constantly met – trust months develops Autonomy vs. Will Toddlers, 18 Shame and mos.- 3 Let child perform, decide on Doubt years some things (choosing toys) Initiative vs. Purpose Preschool, “Am I If the child’s sexual Guilt 3-6 years good or curiosity is handled without am I anxiety, initiative develops bad?” Industry vs. Competence Childhood, 6-12 “How can I be If the child’s Inferiority years good?” effort @ learning is supported, industry develops Identity vs. Fidelity Adolescence, “Who am I and If the Role 12-18 years where am I adolescent’s Confusion going?” decision is supported, identity develops Intimacy vs. Love Young adults, “Am I loved or If the decisions Isolation 19-40 years wanted?” or regarding love “Shall I share my relationships life with someone are supported, or live alone?” intimacy develops Generativity Care Middle “Will I If an adult vs. adulthood, produce enjoys Stagnation 40-65 something support from years of real family, value?” generativity develops Ego Integrity Wisdom Seniors, 65 “Have I If the elderly vs. Despair years lived a full has a onwards life?” satisfying past recollection, integrity develops Jean Piaget – Cognitive Development Theory 1. Sensorimotor (0-2) – dev’t proceeds from reflex activity to sensorimotor solution to problems 2. Pre-operational (2-7)  2 – 4 = language development; learns pre- logical thought  4 – 7 = Intuitive thought; able to think in terms of class; able to determine that individuals have roles  3. Concrete operational (7-12) development proceeds from pre-logical to logical concrete thought - can’t solve complex verbal problems 4. Formal-operational (12-adulthood) – able to think abstractly and apply scientific methods - solves complex problems  Lawrence Kohlberg – development of Moral reasoning Level I – Preconventional level Stage 1 = Punishment and Obedience orientation “I must follow the rules otherwise I will be punished” Stage 2 = Instrumental Relativist orientation - conforms to obtain rewards and favors “I must follow the rules for the reward and favor it gives”  Level II – Conventional level Stage 3 = Good boy – Nice girl orientation - seeks good relations and approval of family group - orientation to interpersonal relations of mutuality “I must follow the rules so I will be accepted” Stage 4 = Society-maintaining orientation - obedience to law and order “I must follow rules, so there is order in the society”  Level III – Postconventional level Stage 5 = Social Contract orientation - concerned with individual rights and legal contract “I must follow rules as there are reasonable laws for it” Stage 6 = Universal Ethical Principle orientation - concerned with higher law and conscience “I must follow rules because my conscience tells” Harry Stack Sullivan – Stages of Healthy Interpersonal Development 1. Infancy – experience maternal tenderness and intuits maternal anxiety - struggles to achieve feelings of security and avoid anxiety 2. Childhood – modifies actions to suit social demands in sex roles training, peer play, family events. Uses language and movement to avoid anxiety 3. Juvenile – learns to accept subordinate to authority figures outside the family. More concept of self status and role 4. Preadolescence (9-12) – same sex “chum”. Capable of participating in genuine love relationships with others. - Develops consideration and concerns outside self 5. Early adolescence (12-15) – heterosexaul intimacy. - Attempts to integrate sex with other personal relationship 6. Late adolescence (15-18) – social productivity. - Master expression of sexual impulses. - Forms satisfying and responsible associations. - Uses communication skills to protect self from conflicts with others Carl Jung – Analytical Psychology Types of Temperaments 1. Extrovert – actively aggressive, ambitious, enthusiastic, uninhibited - expresses feelings and relates to other persons readily - inclined to engage in organizations, politics, business acts. 2. Introvert – reserved, quiet, shy, contemplative, serious, studious, sensitive - limits social relation and feeling (expression) - interests and attention are subjectively directed - inclined to engage in scientific pursuits and the creative arts 3. Ambivert – possesses characteristics of both extrovert and introvert but does not lean too heavily in either direction - balanced personality  Alfred Adler - founder of the school of “Individual Psychology” (main motive of human thought and behavior is striving for superiority and power, partly in compensation for his feeling of inferiority) - coined the concepts “Inferiority Complex” and “Superiority Complex”  Inferiority Complex = an unrealistic feeling of general inadequacy caused by actual or supposed inferiority. - Occurs when the feelings of inferiority are intensified in the individual through discouragement or failure - Stresses associated with feelings of failure and inferiority cause a pessimistic attitude and an inability to overcome difficulties in life - Signs: 1. Social withdrawal – feel uncomfortable around others 2. Fault finding 5. Craving for attention 3. Performance anxiety 6. Increased sensitivity 4. Easily feeling disrespected Superiority Complex = is a psychological defense mechanism that compensates for an inferiority complex or usually a direct result of an underlying IC. - Because the person suffers from feelings of inferiority, he compensates by moving in the opposite direction which is acting superior - An attitude of superiority which conceals actual feelings of inferiority and failure - Sufferers do not always care about image or vanity, since they have innate feelings of superiority and thus do not usually concern themselves with proving their superiority to others - The term SC in everyday usage, refers to an overly high opinion of oneself. Ivan Pavlov – Classical Conditioning - aka Pavlovian or Respondent - he believed that the behavior can be changed thru conditioning with external or environmental conditions or stimuli (laboratory experiments with dogs provided the basis for this) B. F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning - aka Instrumental - he believed people learn their behavior from their history or past experiences, particularly those experiences that were repeatedly reinforced - behaviors are modified by the effect they produce (i.e reward or punishment) William James’ concept of the Me-self and I-self I-self  refers to the self that knows who he or she is.  He believed that the I-self is the thinking, acting, and feeling self.  it reflects the soul of a person or called the pure ego. Me-self  is the empirical self.  it refers to describing the person’s personal experiences which is further divided into material, social, and spiritual self.  Material self refers to the things that belong to a person such as the body, clothes, cars and other physical objects.  Social self refers to whom and how a person acts on social situations.  Spiritual self refers to the most intimate and important part of the self that includes the person’s purpose, motives, emotions, values, conscience, and moral behavior. He believed that introspection is the way in understanding the spiritual self.  Real Self vs Ideal Self (Carl Rogers)  Rogers viewed self as the person’s inner personality that is influenced by his/her experiences as well as the interpretation he/she made out of such experiences. Real self - the feelings, thoughts and behavior the person shows to others and whom he/she thinks his/her real image. Ideal self - is what he/she wants to be. It could be his/her desires, ambitions or goals. These are dynamic, i. e., changing. The ambitions the person wants in the past is no longer his/her ambitions at present. True Self vs False Self (Donald Winnicott) Winnicott stressed that a person’s true self started to manifest while he/she was just an infant where the real self existed. The infant cries when hungry or has a feeling of discomfort and smile or laugh when tickled or being played. As the infant grows, the false self gradually develops when compelled by a situation.  Winnicott saw it as a defensive façade which is somehow calculated and done only when necessary.  Have you experienced showing your false self? If yes, in what particular situation? Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs – is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review. Cognitive Aesthetic needs needs  Johari’s Window  A simple and useful tool for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, team development and inter-group relationships  Developed by American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in the1950s, calling it Johari after combining their first names, Joe and Harry Four Regions of Johari’s Window 1. Open area, open self, free area, free self, or the arena: = what is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by others 2. Blind area, blind self, or blindspot: = what is unknown by the person about him/herself but which others know 3. Hidden area, hidden self, avoided area, avoided self or façade: = what the person knows about him/herself that others do not know 4. Unknown area or unknown self: = what is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by others Can be changed in size to reflect the relevant proportions of each type of knowledge of/about a particular person in a given situation Coping and Defense Mechanisms  Coping Mechanism  Involves any effort to decrease the stress response  Psychological technique that the person develops to manage anxiety, aggression, and hostility  Constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external or internal elements/demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person (Lazarus)  Represents conflicts between the id and superego  Used by both mentally healthy and ill individuals  It is constructive when it leads to direct problem solving (task oriented) or regulates the response to protect oneself (defense oriented)  It is destructive when the person avoids the problem that causes the disorder. Neurotic or psychotic behaviors typically can result when coping mechanisms become destructive Defense Mechanism / Ego Defense Mechanism  Is a coping mechanism (protective defense) of the ego that attempts to protect the individual from feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness and to prevent awareness of anxiety  Unconscious, protective barriers that are used to manage instinct and affect in the presence of stressful situations (Sigmund Freud)  Specific defense processes used by individuals to relieve or decrease anxieties caused by uncomfortable situations that threatened self-esteem Purposes  To resolve a mental conflict  To reduce anxiety or fear Anxiety – unexplained feeling or apprehension, tension, and uneasiness Fear – an emotional response to a recognizable object or threat. Decreases when the danger or threat subsides  To protect one’s self-esteem  To protect one’s sense of security (safety or freedom from worry/uncertainty) Common types of DM  Suppression  willfully/voluntarily/consciously putting an unacceptable thought or feeling out of one’s mind with the ability to recall the thought or feeling at will  intentional exclusion of forbidden ideas and anxiety producing situations from the conscious level  a deliberate intentional exclusion from the conscious mind is referred to as “voluntary forgetting or postponing”  Repression  referred to as “Burying alive mechanism”  an involuntary, automatic submerging of painful, unpleasant thoughts and feelings bec. they are automatically and involuntarily pushed into one’s unconsciousness  Rationalization  the most common and referred to as “Self-deception at its subtle best”  used unconsciously to justify ideas, actions, or feelings with good acceptable reasons or explanations  used to maintain self-respect, prevent guilt feelings, and obtain social approval or acceptance  Identification  referred to as the “Imitator”  people use it in an attempt to identify with the personality and traits of another  unconscious attempt to pattern or resemble the personality of an admired person.  Compensation  putting forth extra effort to achieve in areas where one has a real or imagined deficiency to maintain self- esteem or self-respect  the person overcomes an inability by becoming proficient in another area  Reaction-formation  referred to as “Overcompensation”  the person exaggerates or overdevelops certain actions by displaying exactly the opposite behavior, attitude, or feeling from what he/she would show in a given situation  this mechanism is considered a protective drive by which the person prevents painful, undesirable or unacceptable attitudes towards others from emerging = assuming attitudes that one consciously regrets or acting opposite to what the person truly feels  Substitution  unconscious act of replacing a goal when it is blocked  the replacement of consciously unacceptable emotions, drives, attitudes, or needs by those that are more acceptable  used to reduce frustration and promote feelings of satisfaction or success  Displacement  feelings are transferred, or discharged from the appropriate person or object to a less threatening person or object  the substitute target is less threatening and allows the person to release emotional reaction  Restitution or Undoing  the negation of a previous consciously intolerable action or experience to reduce or alleviate feelings of guilt  engaging in behavior that is considered to be opposite of a previous unacceptable behavior, thought or feeling  Projection often termed the “Scapegoat” transferring one’s internal feelings, thoughts, and unacceptable ideas and traits to someone else  the person rejects unwanted characteristics of self and assigns them to others the person may blame others for faults, feelings, or shortcomings that are unacceptable to self  Sublimation  diversion of unacceptable instinctual drives into personally and socially acceptable areas to help channel forbidden impulse into constructive activities replacement of an unacceptable need, attitude or emotion with one more socially acceptable  Denial  disowning consciously intolerable thoughts and impulses  blocking the awareness of reality by refusing to acknowledge its existence  Fantasy  gratification by imaginary achievements (ex. Daydreaming) and wishful thinking  Anticipation  realistic planning for future discomfort  the anticipation of a potentially stressful event is one way a person might mentally prepare for it.  Humor  a primarily adaptive technique to help us to cope with tense or stressful situations  overt expression of ideas and feelings (esp. those that are unpleasant to focus on or too terrible to talk about) that gives pleasure to others. The thoughts retain a portion of their innate distress, but they are “skirted round” by witticism  Social comparison  when people feel that they have been victims of unjust actions, they may defend the ego by comparing themselves to those worse off. Similarly, we may see similarities between ourselves and others in a better position to improve our self image.  can be downward or an upward social comparison  Avoidance  when a perceived situation creates anxiety, one convenient option is sometimes to avoid it.  Although avoidance can provide an escape from a particular event, it neglects to deal with the cause of the anxiety. (good only as short term option)  Personality Disorders  Spectrum of maladaptive traits that produce or influence considerable psychological and emotional disturbance and impair relationship (Kernberg)  Enduring pattern of feeling (emotion), thinking (cognitive distortions), and behaving (maladaptive interpersonal functioning and impulse control) that become rigid (inflexible), pervasive and stable over time.  Symptoms are described as ego syntonic – which means comfortable for the individual but uncomfortable for others  Cluster I Cluster II Cluster III Person is withdrawn Person seeks Person seeks to avoid or and engages in odd attention and engage minimize the experience and eccentric behavior in erratic, dramatic, of anxiety or fear and emotional behavior Paranoid Antisocial Avoidant  Suspicious,  Exploitation of  Fears criticism and secretive, jealous others rejection and distrustful  Violate laws and  Escapes intimate rights of others relationship  Impulsive risky  Avoidance of positive behaviors social events  Lack of loyalty,  Reluctant to engage honesty and in new activities fidelity Schizoid Borderline Dependent  Unable to form  Chronic feelings  Passively allows social relationship of emptiness others to assume as person is cold,  Lack of control responsibility for aloof, withdrawn,  Impulsive and his/her life loners, and self-damaging  Marked passive  Neurotic dependence  Gesture – threats  Parasite of self mutilation  Lacks self- confidence Schizotypal Histrionic Obsessive Compulsive  Isolated,  Keep self the center of  Pervasive rigidity and hypersensitive, limited attention preoccupation with peer relationship,  Self dramatization control and power and bizarre fantasy, with (flamboyant) an exaggerated fear peculiar language and  Pose seduction and of losing control thought. intimacy  Ritualistic  Perfectionist Narcissistic  Sense of grandiose self-impotance  Excessive self- admiration  Lacks empathy and arrogant  Fantasies of unlimited power, beauty or brilliance