Personality

 

�    Personality - the unique and relatively _____________ ways in which people think, feel, and behave.

�    Character - value judgments of a person�s ______________ and ________________ behavior.

�    Temperament - the enduring characteristics with which each person is _____________.

 

Four Perspectives in the Study of Personality

 

�    Psychoanalytic - focuses on the role of the ___________________ mind.

�    Behaviorist - focuses on the role of the _________________.

�    Humanistic - focuses on each person�s _____________ life experiences and choices.

�    Trait Perspective - focuses on the various _________________ that make up personality.

 

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

 

Sigmund Freud

 

�    Founder of the psychoanalytic movement in psychology.

�    Europe during the _______________ age.

�  Men were understood to be unable to control their �animal� desires at times, and a good Victorian husband would father several children with his wife and then turn to a mistress for sexual comfort, leaving his virtuous wife untouched.

�  Women, especially those of the upper classes, were not supposed to have ______________ urges.

�  Backdrop for this theory.

 

Divisions of the Mind

 

�    Conscious - level of the mind that is aware of ______________________ and perceptions.

� Similar to short-term memory.

�    Preconscious - level of the mind in which information is available but not ________________ conscious.

� Sometimes referred to as the �subconscious�.

� Similar to explicit long-term memories.

�    Unconscious - level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other information are kept that are not ____________ or voluntarily brought into consciousness.

�  According to Freud, the majority of our _____________ is determined by our unconscious.

�  Freudian Slip - a slip of the tongue that appears to be accidental, but may provide a clue to the individual�s unconscious ___________ or ______________.

�  Similar to implicit long-term memories.

 

Divisions of Personality

 

�    Id - part of the personality present at birth and completely unconscious.

�  Pleasure Principle - principle by which the id functions; the immediate satisfaction of needs without regard for the ___________________.

�  Libido - the instinctual energy that may come into conflict with the demands of a society�s ________________ for behavior.

�  Exists in the unconscious level of the mind.

�    Ego - part of the personality that develops during childhood out of a need to deal with ______________; mostly conscious, rational, and logical.

�  Reality Principle - principle by which the ego attempts to satisfy the needs of the id by avoiding ________________ consequences.

�  Exists in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels of the mind.

�    Superego - part of the personality that develops during later childhood and acts as a ________________ center.

�  Morality Principle - principle by which the superego attempts to guide behavior with ____________ and ____________ principles.

�  Home to the ego ideal and conscience.

�  Exists in the preconscious and unconscious levels of the mind.

 

Defense Mechanisms

 

�    Denial - refusal to recognize or acknowledge a threatening situation.

�  Example: When accused of cheating, a person merely denies the blame (�It wasn�t me.�).

�    Repression - �pushing� threatening or conflicting events or situations out of conscious memory.

�  Example: A person who was sexually abused as a child pushes the memory of this event out of their consciousness.

�    Rationalization - using reason and logic to make up rational excuses for one�s behavior.

�  Example: Although illegal, a person argues that smoking marijuana is acceptable because it is �from the earth� and not a �real drug�.

�    Projection - placing one�s own unacceptable urges onto someone else.

�  Example: A woman accuses her boyfriend of wanting to cheat, when she herself has been fantasizing about her coworker.

�    Displacement - taking out one�s feelings on a more �safe� target.

�  Example: After being scolded by his parent, a boy beats up on his younger brother.

�    Reaction Formation - forming a reaction or attitude that is the opposite of one�s own threatening desires.

�  Example: A young boy is attracted to his classmate, so he teases her and pulls her hair.

�    Sublimation - turning socially unacceptable urges into more constructive, socially acceptable behavior.

�  Example: A person who desires to cut people becomes a surgeon instead of a serial killer.

�    Regression - falling back on childlike patterns or expressing behaviors from an earlier stage of development.

�  Example: During an argument with someone, a person begins throwing a tantrum like a toddler.

�    Compensation - attempting to become superior in one area in order to make up for lack in another area.

�  Example: A person who has difficulty with academics puts all their energy into becoming an athlete.

 

 

 

Overview of Psychoanalytic Personality Development

 

�    Personality develops in five stages.

�    Each stage is associated with a particular _______________________ (area of sensuality or pleasure).

�    Each stage is associated with a particular ________________.

�    Fixation - exhibiting personality traits and behavior from a particular stage of development as a result failing to _____________ the conflict during that stage.

 

Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development

 

�    Oral - first stage in which the _____________ is the focus of pleasure.

�  Age: Birth to 1� years old.

�  Conflict: weaning from the breast or bottle.

�    Anal - second stage in which the __________ (bowel and bladder control) is the focus of pleasure.

�  Age: 1� years to 3 years old.

�  Conflict: toilet training (withholding and releasing feces at will).

�    Phallic - third stage which the _____________ are the focus of pleasure.

�  Age: 3 to 6 years old.

�  Conflict: ______________ with the same sex parent.

�  Oedipus Complex � boy develops a sexual attraction to mother and jealousy of father.

�  Electra Complex � girl develops a sexual attraction to father and jealousy of mother.

�    Latent - fourth stage of development during which sexual energy is __________________.

�  Age: 6 years old to puberty.

�  Conflict: Developing social and intellectual skills.

�    Genital - final stage of development during which __________________ becomes the focus of pleasure.

�  Age: puberty to death.

�  Conflict: sexual relationships with a partner.

 

Evaluating Psychoanalytic Theory

 

�    Current research has found support for:

� Defense mechanisms.

� Concept of an unconscious mind that can influence conscious behavior (Frensch & Runger, 2003; Kihlstrom et al., 1998).

�    Other concepts cannot be _________________ researched.

 

The Behaviorist Perspective

 

Behaviorism and Personality

 

�    Behaviorists define personality as nothing more than a set of learned __________________ or ________________.

� Habits - in behaviorism, sets of well-learned responses that have become automatic.

�    Social Cognitive View - learning theory that includes cognitive processes such as anticipating, judging, memory, and imitation of ______________.

�    Reciprocal Determinism - explanation of how the factors of environment, personal characteristics, and behavior can interact to determine future behavior.

 

The Humanistic Perspective

 

Overview of Humanistic Personality Theory

 

�    Called the �_________________� because it grew as a reaction to the pessimism of psychoanalysis and determinism of behaviorism.

�    Focuses on aspects of personality that make people uniquely human, such as subjective feelings and freedom of choice.

 

Carl Roger�s Theory of Personality (1961)

 

�    Self-concept - the image of oneself that develops from interactions with important, significant people in one�s life.

�  Real Self - one�s perception of ____________ characteristics, traits, and abilities.

�  Ideal Self - one�s perception of whom one ____________ be or would like to be.

�    Self-Actualizing Tendency � the striving to fulfill one�s innate capacities and capabilities.

�    Positive Regard - warmth, affection, love, and respect that come from significant others in one�s life.

�    Unconditional Positive Regard - positive regard that is given without _________________ or strings attached.

�    Conditional Positive Regard - positive regard that is given ___________ when the person is doing what the providers of positive regard wish.

�    Fully Functioning Person � a person who is in touch with and trusting of the deepest, innermost __________ and _______________.

 

Evaluating Humanistic Theory

 

�    Criticized for being too �rosy�, ignoring the ________________ aspects of human nature.

� What about sociopathic personalities or terrorism?

�    Difficult to test scientifically.

� Seems more like a ___________________ view of human behavior, rather than a psychological explanation.

 

The Trait Perspective

 

Trait Theories of Personality

 

�    Trait - a consistent, __________________ way of thinking, feeling, or behaving.

�    Trait Theories - endeavor to describe the ____________________ that make up human personality in an effort to predict future behavior.

�    16 Personality Factor (16PF)

�  Developed by Raymond Cattell (1995)

�  Based upon 16 _______________________ that are seen as existing along a continuum, with two opposite traits at each end.

�  E.g., Undisciplined � Self-Controlled

�    Five-Factor Model (Big Five) - model of personality traits that describes five basic ________________________ (McCrae & Costa, 1996).

 

The Big Five (OCEAN)

 

�    Openness - willingness to try _____________________ and be open to new experiences.

�    Conscientiousness - the care a person gives to organization and ____________________ of others; dependability.

�    Extraversion - dimension of personality referring to one�s need to be with ______________________.

� Extravert - someone who is outgoing and _________________.

� Introvert - someone who prefers ________________ and dislikes being the center of attention.

�    Agreeableness - the _______________ style of a person that may range from easygoing, friendly, and likeable to grumpy, crabby, and unpleasant.

�    Neuroticism - degree of emotional ______________ or _____________.

 

Evaluating Trait Theories

 

�    _________________________ research has found support for the five-factor model of personality traits in a number different cultures (Digman, 1990; McCrae et al., 2000; Paunonen et al., 1996).

�    Trait�Situation Interaction - the assumption that the particular circumstances of any given situation will influence the way in which a trait is expressed (Mischel & Shoda, 1995).

 

Measuring Personality

 

Interviews

 

�    Interview - method of personality assessment in which the professional _______________________ of the client and allows the client to answer, either in a structured or unstructured fashion.

�    Problems:

�  People can lie, misremember, or be prone to social desirability bias.

�  Interviewers may be biased.

 

Behavioral Observations

 

�    Direct Observation - assessment in which the professional _________________ the client engaged in ordinary, day-to-day behavior in either a clinical or natural setting.

�    Problems:

�  Observer effect and observer bias.

 

 

 

 

 

Personality Inventories (Objective Tests)

 

�    Inventory - paper and pencil or computerized test that consists of statements that require a specific, _____________________ response from the person taking the test.

�  16 PF - based on Cattell�s traits (Cattell, 1995)

�  NEO-PI-R - based on the five-factor model (McCrae & Costa, 2000)

�  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - examines four personality dimensions that can yield various profiles (Briggs & Myers, 1998).

�  MMPI-2 - designed to detect abnormal behavior patterns in personality (Butcher et al., 1989).

�    Problems:

�  People can still attempt to _________ or answer items in socially acceptable ways.

�  People might just pick answers at _________________.

�  People might answer based on how they _____________________, rather than how they ___________________.

 

Projective Tests

 

�    Projective Tests - assessments that present ________________ stimuli to the client and ask the client to respond with whatever comes to mind.

�  Rorschach Inkblot Test - projective test that uses 10 inkblots as the ambiguous stimuli (Rorschach, 1921).

�  Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) - projective test that uses 20 pictures of people in ambiguous situations as the visual stimuli (Morgan & Murray, 1935).

�    Problems:

�  Highly ________________ (valid only within the person�s own perception).

�  Interpretation can be difficult and is more of an _______ than a science.

�  Concerns about ________________ and ________________.