Clinical Psych Recitation 1 Personality Personality is enduring patterns consistent over time inner experience and outer behavior Freud s theory Psychodynamic Perspective Structure of the mind o Unconscious the ID self protection basic drives and defense mechanisms o The root of problems in living the conflict comes when the unconscious and the conscious meet These 3 systems determine the strengths They conflict with each other and this occurs at an unconscious level o Id basic instinctual drives pleasure principle o Ego rational thoughts reality principle o Superego moral limits our conscience Defense mechanisms o Repression keeping thoughts or memories that would be too threatening to acknowledge from awareness o Denial refusing to acknowledge external realities or emotions o Projection attributing one s own unacknowledged feelings or o Reaction formation turning unacceptable feelings or impulses into o Sublimation converting sexual or aggressive impulses into socially impulses onto others their opposites acceptable activities o Rationalization explaining away actions in a seemingly logical way to avoid uncomfortable feelings particularly guilt or shame Criticisms toward Freud s theory there is an excessive focus on conflict sex and instincts It is sexist towards women It has an exclusive focus on childhood It was non parsimonious Contributions from Freud s theory recognized the unconscious biology and instincts influence on psychology Early childhood experience influences how we grow up and who we become Humanistic Theories of Personality a theory of personality that emphasizes people s potential and highlights each person s consciousness free will and other special human qualities This was a reaction to Freud s theory and it focused on striving for fulfillment and self improvement ad capacity for positive contributions to society Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs he believed in self actualization or the need of humans to fulfill their full potential Frustration tolerance is built through having one s needs met Frustration tolerance is decreased when you don t meet your needs Carl Rodgers Client Centered Therapy o Self concept a pattern of perception that can be used to characterize an individual and remains consistent over time o Unconditional Positive Regard accepting a person without negative judgment of a person s basic worth o Client Centered Therapy working with clients to create an atmosphere of openness honesty and absence of judgment regardless of the specific type of psychological problems the person was experiencing It promotes awareness and personal free will Positive Psychology the study of positive experience and healthy mental functioning This is focused on questions of life Things that help Three Good Things write down 3 good things you enjoyed in the previous day and then why it happened to you Gratitude Letter write a letter to someone who has positively impact your life about how they bettered you then meet and read this letter to them Discover Character Strengths discover a trait that is strong for you and then use it every day for a week in service to others Genes Traits and Personalities In behavioral genetics personality psychologists investigate the correlation between traits in monozygotic and dizygotic twins The average genetic component of personality is between 40 and 60 Shared environment must be ruled out Traits relatively stable disposition to behave in a particular and consistent way Personality can be measured by self reports or other s reports and factor analysis Costa and McCrae the Big Five or five factor model o Openness to Experience fantasy aesthetics feelings actions ideas and values o Conscientiousness competence order achievement striving self discipline and deliberation o Extraversion warmth gregariousness assertiveness activity excitement seeking and positive emotions o Agreeableness trust straightforwardness compliance modesty and tender mindedness o Neuroticism anxiety angry hostility depression self consciousness impulsiveness and vulnerability Contributions of Trait Theory traits are measurable and empirically tested This theory answers questions about heritability and the consistency of personality Limitations of Trait Theory it is not connected to theoretical assumptions It relies on self report measurement There is a subjectivity of factor analysis It does not take in to account the environment Gender and Culture Differences in personality Gender Differences women are socially attuned and have emotional intelligence Men decide based on abstract ideas and aggression o Social role theory gender differences are due to the way we are socialized to particular gender role expectations Cultural Differences collectivist cultures are higher in agreeableness and individualist cultures are high in extroversion and openness How we describe ourselves plays a role in this o Collectivists say their social role job or family member o Individualists say personality trait Western Cultures are more independent There is an emphasis on self as a unique entity Dispositions explain behavior Traits are consistent across situations Individual is responsible for their actions Eastern Cultures are more collectivist People define themselves as a part of a collective The self should adjust to meet the norms Behavior is explained by the context Connection to others is essential Uniqueness isn t desired Measuring Personality Personality inventories o Self report series of answers to a questionnaire that asks people to indicate the extent to which sets of statements or adjectives accurately describe their own behavior or mental states o Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory well researched clinical questionnaire used to assess personality and psychological problems Projective techniques standard series of ambiguous stimuli designed to elicit unique responses that reveal inner aspects of an individuals personality o Rorschach Inkblot Test individual interpretations of the meaning of a set of unstructured inkblots are analyzed to identity a respondent s inner feelings and interpret his or her personality structure o Thematic Apperception Test respondents reveal underlying motives concerns and the way they use the social world through the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people