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THEORIES OF PERSONALITY “Listening became, for Freud, more than an art; it became a method, a privileged road to knowledge that his patients mapped out for him” Personality Most agree that the word “personality” originated from the Latin persona, which referred to a theatrical mask worn...

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY “Listening became, for Freud, more than an art; it became a method, a privileged road to knowledge that his patients mapped out for him” Personality Most agree that the word “personality” originated from the Latin persona, which referred to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas When psychologists use the term “personality”, they are referring to something more than the role people play Personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior Traits- contribute to individual differences in behavior, consistency, of behavior over time and stability of behavior across situations. Characteristics- are unique personalities of an individual that include such attributes as temperament, physique, and intelligence What makes a theory useful? A useful theory has a mutual and dynamic interaction with research data. First, a theory generates a number of hypotheses that can be investigated through research, thus yielding research data Second, a useful theory organizes research data into a meaningful structure and provides an explanation for the results of scientific research What makes a theory useful? 1. Generates research 2. Falsifiable 3. Organizes data 4. Guides action 5. Internally consistent 6. Parsimonious (simple) Dimensions for a Concept of Humanity Pessimism (Negative) vs Optimism (Positive) Causality vs Teleology Causality holds that behavior is a function of past experiences Teleology is an explanation of behavior in terms of future goals or purposes Conscious (awareness) vs Unconscious (unawareness) determinants of behavior Biological (Heredity) vs Social Influences (Environment) on personality Uniqueness vs Similarities 7 Major Perspectives in Psychology 1. Psychodynamic Perspective Emphasis: Unconscious dynamics, motives, conflicts, and past experiences Keywords: unconscious, unresolved conflicts, past experiences, defense mechanisms, repression 2. Behavioral Perspective Emphasis: Objective,observable environmental influences on behavior Keywords: learning, conditioning, reinforcement, punishment 3. Humanistic Perspective Emphasis: Free will and self-actualization, human nature is positive and growth-seeking Keywords: free will, self-actualization, choice, positive, growth, unconditional positive regard 4. Cognitive Perspective Emphasis: Mental processes used in thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating Keywords: think, thoughts, memory, attention, information-processing  5. Biological Perspective Emphasis: Genetics and Biological processes, focus on the body Keywords: genes, brain, nervous system, hormones, neurons, neurotransmitters, neuroscience 6. Evolutionary Perspective Emphasis: Natural selection, adaptation, survival, and reproduction Keywords: adapt, survive, reproduce, natural selection 7. Sociocultural Perspective Emphasis: Social interaction and the cultural influences on behavior and mental processes Keywords: society, culture, norms, social interaction, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class