10 22 2008 Personality Theory Research and Assessment Chapter 11 Assessing personality Defining Personality The word comes from the Latin persona meaning Personality An individual s distinct and relatively enduringg pattern p of and feelings g motives Stability in behavior over time and across situations Behavioral differences among people reacting to the same situation 1 10 22 2008 Defining Personality Personality Traits Personality Traits and dimensions The Model Extraversion i Openness to experience Agreeableness Studying Personality The Approach The five factor model Psychodynamic Perspective Behavioral Approaches Perspective Biological Perspective Perspectives psychoanalytic theory Structure of personality Pleasure principle Ego Reality principle Morality Levels of awareness Conscious Unconscious 2 10 22 2008 Psychodynamic Perspectives Freud s psychoanalytic theory Anxiety A i t Defense and Aggression Figure 11 2 Freud s model of personality structure Figure 11 3 Freud s model of personality dynamics 3 10 22 2008 Defense Mechanisms Keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in Projection Attributing your thoughts feelings or motives to someone else Divert emotional feelings anger from original source to substitute Reaction formation Behaving exactly opposite of your true feelings Reverting to immature patterns of behavior Rationalization Creating a false excuse to justify unacceptable behavior Increasing self image by forming with person group Freud on Development Stages physical pleasure Psychosexual stages Oral Oral Phallic Phallic Latency Latency Excessive gratification or frustration during Overemphasis on psychosexual fixated stage Stage 4 10 22 2008 Stage Early or delayed weaning leads to talkativeness over eating a lot biting sarcasm Stage Stage Adults who remain fixated at the anal stage tend to be Stubborn Obsessed with orderliness Sloppy disorganized 5 10 22 2008 Stage Stage The Complex Boy s id impulses involve sexual desire and a desire to for eliminate the Eventually identifies with his The Complex Girl has strong attachment to mother envy where she and develops blames her mother for not having a penis Eventually transfer love to father identifies with Stage If fixated at this stage adults tend to have Problems with sexual identity Problems with stable love relationship 6 10 22 2008 Period Stage Evaluating Psychodynamic Perspectives Strengths The importance of early experiences Spurred other research and theories The The role of internal conflict The use of to respond to unpleasant experiences 7 10 22 2008 Evaluating Psychodynamic Perspectives Weaknesses Violates the scientific principle of falsifiability poor Inadequate base Based on experiences of a few atypical individuals Theory is based on retrospective accounts and fallible memories views Perspectives views Conditioning and response tendencies Bandura s social theory Observational learning Behavior is shaped by models Self efficacy Mischel s views The controversy Situational factors determine behavior rather than traits Figure 11 5 A behavioral view of personality 8 10 22 2008 Figure 11 6 Personality development and operant conditioning Evaluating Behavioral Perspectives Pros Based on controlled research Explains different behaviors in different situations Major events in life can change Cons Over dependence on animal research Personality not a valid Perspectives Carl Rogers s theory Self concept Conditional unconditional and anxiety Abraham Maslow s theory of regard of needs The healthy personality 9 10 22 2008 Figure 11 7 Rogers s view of personality structure Figure 11 8 Rogers s view of personality development and dynamics Figure 11 9 Maslow s hierarchy of needs 10 10 22 2008 Figure 11 10 Maslow s view of the healthy personality Evaluating Humanistic Perspectives Pros Recognized importance of subjective views Recognized importance of self Led to some effective Laid foundation for psychology Cons Many aspects of theory are difficult to test Unrealistic More empirical research needed Biological Perspectives theory Determined by genes Extraversion introversion Behavioral genetics studies Heritability estimates The evolutionary approach Traits conducive to reproductive 11 10 22 2008 Figure 11 11 Eysenck s model of personality structure Evaluating Biological Perspectives Pros Convincing evidence for influence Extensive carefully controlled research of neural brain p patterns and personality traits Cons Too much reliance on estimates Cannot explain all behavior no comprehensive theory of Personality Tests projective tests Thematic Test TAT Self report S lf t inventories i t i Factor Trait Inventory 12 10 22 2008 Psychoanalysis Personality Tests Tests Allow people to wishes and conflicts onto unconscious needs stimuli A test in which people are asked to report what they see in a set of inkblots Psychoanalysis Personality Tests Tests Thematic Test TAT A test in which people are asked to make up from a set of ambiguous pictures Activity 11 3 13 10 22 2008 14 10 22 2008 Review of TAT We will go over each picture and discuss what you found There are no right answers 15 10 22 2008 Personality Scales Answer a series of question about self I am easily I like to go to T or F T or F Assumes that you can accurately report There are no right or wrong answers From responses develop a picture of you called a profile 16 10 22 2008 Minnesota Personality Inventory Most widely used personality instrument Now the MMPI 2 Clinical settings g Measures aspects of personality that if extreme suggest a problem e g extreme Long test questions Characteristics of the MMPI 2 Has several different multiphasic Scales thought to measure different kinds of psychological e g depression Scale scores indicate how you compare with others Overall assessment is From inspecting profile of different scales 17 10 22 2008 MMPI Score Profile The Model Some version of the factors reliably appear in many cultures countries may be basic componentt off human h However there are some drawbacks to adopting this view of personality theories are better at describing people than The them Model Artistic curious imaginative insightful Efficient organized reliable ethical Active assertive energetic gregarious Appreciative forgiving generous considerate Anxious selfself pitying tense impulsive touchy 18 10 22 2008 Influences on Personality 123 pairs of identical twins and 127 pairs of fraternal twins Measured on Big Big personality dimensions Results