PERSONALITY CH 12 pgs 419 449 8 2 12 1 Personality what makes us us Patterns in thoughts feelings actions Personality Each of our old friends the dwarfs has a distinct personality 2 3 Understanding Personality Different theories of how to explain Perspectives Psychodynamic Freudian Humanistic Trait Social Cognitive 4 Freud What comes to mind when we think of Freud 5 Freud Get s a bad rap for his weirder ideas BUT there were key contributions For instance Multiple levels of consciousness Some processes ARE below awareness We ll focus on accessible ideas 6 Psychoanalytic Perspective How did this begin Freud clinician encountered patients with nervous disorders More than physical causes 7 Anna O Example Suffered sudden paralysis numbness of the hands No single nerve to cause What is happening Must be psychological Talking cure repressed grief over childhood abuse Discussing abuse got rid of symptoms 8 Psychodynamic Perspective Concluded personalities are rooted in past events suppressed urges How we cope with these personality Abnormalities Trauma or failure to resolve past conflict 9 Example Little Hans was afraid of horses Freud he had repressed hostile jealous impulses toward his father Association Dad and horses power repressed guilt over Fears being bitten by horses hostile impulse toward Dad Personality trait phobia repressed childhood fantasies 10 Psychoanalysis Designed to tap into unconscious mind Analyze unacceptable Thoughts Wishes Feelings Memories Several Methods free association Dream analysis Hypnosis 11 Psychoanalysis free association say what you are thinking Make connections Look for patterns Patterns may reveal key memories experiences Must be retrieved released In theory After the patient feels better 12 Dream Analysis Mentioned before Means of addressing underlying meaning Two components Manifest content what the person reports I dreamed I shot a horse Latent content the underlying threatening meaning I have aggressive impulses toward my father Sort content into categories dream dictionaries 13 Levels of Consciousness Mentioned before Freud believed much more went on below the surface Three layers of consciousness consciousness preconsciousness subconscious 14 Iceberg Metaphor Revisited 15 Unconscious May seem silly outdated We have all wanted things we shouldn t To do something bad To do someone Freud says That desire doesn t just vanish 16 Personality components Freud s theory of Personality biological impulses solving conflict social restraints ego superego id 17 Id We ve all heard that devil on our shoulder Freud says That s the Id unconsciously strives to satisfy basic sexual aggressive drives uses pleasure principle immediate gratification Basic hedonistic impulses Very powerful and very threatening If we all acted on it society would collapse 18 Superego For every devil there s an angel on your shoulder Freud says That s the superego provides standards for judgment the conscience future aspirations goals The shoulds in your life Society s rules and regulations Ruins the Id s party 19 Ego What mediates the devil and angel Freud says That s the ego functions as the executive Mediates like a lawyer fights id superego You can have fun within acceptable boundaries Ex To stay out late or study next before Exam Not following superego s rules GUILT This balancing act our personality 20 Example Your favorite band is in town and your friend gets you backstage passes Yay BUT You have a Final exam at 9 am the next day Boo What do you do Why What would the Id Ego and Superego each want you to do 21 Psychosexual Stages a little wacky but influential Good ol Freud Personality determined during early years of life divided into psychosexual stages Each stage is a conflict the id s energies focus on erogenous zone Pleasure centers How you cope personality traits 22 Oral Stage Age 0 18 months Pleasure centers on the mouth sucking biting chewing Infants put everything in their mouths CONFLICT weaning too soon If conflict not resolved Oral Fixation Characteristics include overly dependent or distant from others Seeking pleasure through mouth Ex Smoking eating obsessively chewing on pencil 23 Anal Stage Age 18 36 months Around potty training Pleasure center bowel and bladder elimination coping with demands for control CONFLICT potty training If conflict not resolved Anal Fixation overly regulated and planned Calling someone anal or anal retentive 24 Phallic Stage Age 3 6 years Pleasure centers genitals Little boys running around with hands in pants CONFLICT sexual rivalry for opposite sex parent i e Oedipal complex Boy views father as rival for mother s affections Possible Electra complex Girl views mother as rival for father s affections If conflict not resolved Phallic Fixation sexual misconduct 25 Latency Stage Age 6 puberty Dormant sexual feelings Child focuses on development Cognitive moral social CONFLICT repressing sexuality cootie phase diverting sexual energies to other outlets If not resolved Latency fixation asexuality disinterest in sexual relationships 26 Genital Stage Puberty on Maturation of sexual interest Girls Boys no longer gross Hormones kick in we ve seen what happens there CONFLICT social rules If conflict not resolved Genital fixation Manifests as sexual dysfunction could relate back to other stages 27 Identification Complexes Threatened by rival parent Cope by repressing these feelings identify with rival parent Identification strengthens superego incorporates their parents values 28 Defense Mechanism We see where impulses come from how do we hide them Develop defense mechanisms Ego s protective methods reduce anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality Perhaps Freud wasn t completely crazy Many are still accepted sort of 29 Defense Mechanisms What are our defense mechanisms 1 Repression move to unconscious Motivated forgetting Memory retrieval are the memories legit Emotional memories actually are STRONGER 2 Regression retreat to more infantile stage When things were easier Ex Feeling homesick at college Baby Joel Eternal Sunshine example 30 Defense Mechanisms What are our defense mechanisms 3 Reaction Formation ego switches to impulse opposite Or at least makes it look that way Ex Expressing feelings of purity when suffering anxiety from unconscious feelings about sex 4 Projection disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others Ex Telling your partner that they re acting distant hostile when in fact you feel distant hostile Homophobia
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