Redlands PSYC 100 - What is Personality?

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What is Personality? Characteristic pattern intrinsic to the person, including - thinking - feeling - behavingStable across time and situationsBasis of individual differencesTheoretical perspectives on personality Psychoanalytic - Freudian psychoanalysis - Neo-FreudiansHumanisticBasis of Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory Based on clinical experience - hysterical blindness, paralysis - hypnosis (based on "mesmerism") alleviated symptomsDevelopment of free association - chain of thoughts leading to unconscious - available only to analysisDream analysisStructure of Personality Personality arises from our efforts to resolve conflict between biological impulsesThree interaction systems - id (operates on the pleasure principle) - ego (operates on the reality principle) - superego --ego idea --conscienceThe Mind's Level of Consciousness (See Image) ...Psychosexual stages of Personality Development During childhood, we pass through a series of stagesDuring each stage, id focuses energies on distinct pleasure-sensitive areas of body (erogenous zones)Freud's Psychosexual Stages (Table) Stage // Focus--Oral (infant, 0-18 mos.) // pleasure centers, on the mouth- sucking, biting, chewing--Anal (toddler, 18-36 mos.) // pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control--Phallic (preschool, 3-6 yrs) // pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings (superego develops)--Latency (elementary, 6-puberty) // dormant sexual feelings--Genital (adolescence, puberty on) // maturation of sexual interestsFreud / Nature of Psychosexual Conflict Maladaptive adult behavior a result of unresolved conflicts during oral, anal, or phallic stage-reason why Freud believed personality set by age 5 or so-importance of oedipal, Electra conflicts (complexes)Fixation-person's pleasure seeking locked in stagesNature of Defense Mechanisms Reduce or redirect anxiety in various waysEgo experiences anxiety - id impulse - superego impulse - realistic threatReality distorted in order to cope with anxiety*Types of Defense Mechanisms Repression (push to unconscious)Regression (retreat to earlier stage)Reaction formation (act in opposite manner) i.e. chewing on pensProjection (attribute impulses to others) i.e. homophobiaRationalization (intellectualization, justification) i.e. dentistryDisplacement (substitution) i.e. kicking the catSublimation (socially acceptable motivation) i.e. marriagePsychoanalytic Personality Assessment Projective tests - presentation of ambiguous stimulus - person describes what stimulus means to her/him - subjective - responses need to be interpretedCriticisms - poor reliability - poor validityThematic Apperception Test (TAT) (Picture)What is happening in the card?What events led up to the situation?Who are the people in the card?How do they feel?How does the situation turn out?Neo-Freudian Perspectives Carl Jung - Personal unconscious - Collective unconscious (i.e. seeing UFOs after 50's alien movies)Alfred Adler - Striving for for superiority (we want to be good at something) - Social interestKaren Horney- Role of culture (women's neurosis-because of lack of power) - Childhood sense of helplessnessEvaluation of Psychoanalytic Perspective Weaknesses - ideas untestable - current research contradicts theory (e.g. repressed memories)Strengths - attention to unconscious - importance of sexuality - tension between biology and social well-beingHumanistic Perspective Abraham Maslow -self-actualization -studied self-actualized persons --nonconformist --sociable while maintaining identity --accepting of self and others --spontaneous and creative --prefer intimate over superficial relationships --spiritualCarl Rogers ("how does that make you feel?") - emphasized importance of relationships --genuine --empathetic --offering unconditional positive regard -self-concept and --actual self --ideal self --self-actualization = congruenceHumanistic Personality Assessment Questionnaires-describe ideal self-describe actual self-see similar increase (especially with therapy)Clinical interviewsCase StudiesEvaluation of Humanistic Perspective Strengths: -basis of counseling, school, organizational psychology -take positive view of human natureWeaknesses: -vague, subjective concepts -promotes self-interest -self-esteem NOT a social problem-Western biasCross-Cultural Research and Theory on PersonalityHazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama argue that the self varies by cultureBasis of Identity -individualism -collectivismValue Contrasts Between Individualism and Collectivism (see tab in notebook)Personality-Research Perspective / Trait Perspective *Traits are characteristic behaviors and conscious motivesExamples: -childhood temperament (shy inhibited or fearless-inhibited) -Type A personality (hostile, competitive, prone to coronary heart disease)Personality / Hans Eysenck's Trait Model (Table) See tableThe Big 5 Personality Factors (OCEAN) Trait Dimension || Description1. Conscientiousness || organized/disorganized; careful/careless; disciplined/impulsive2. Agreeableness || soft-hearted/ruthless; trusting/suspicious; helpful/uncooperative3. Neuroticism || Anxious/calm; insecure/secure; self-pitying/self-satisfied4. Openness || imaginative/practical; preference for variety/preference for routine; independent/conforming5. Extraversion || Retiring/sociable; sober/fun-loving; reserved/affectionatePersonality Inventories and Assessment Several traits can be assessed at once by using personality inventoriesExample: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory -originally developed to identify emotional disorders; now for many other screening purposesPersonality / Research on Consistency of Traits Though people's traits seem to persist over time, human behavior varies across situations -Average behavior across different situations is fairly consistent -Individual differences in some traits, such as expressiveness can be quickly perceivedSocial-Cognitive Perspective Principles -Learning -Cognition -Social behaviorViews behavior as influenced by the interaction between persons and their social context*Reciprocal Determinism (Triangle) Internal Cognitive Factors (thoughts/feelings on risky activities) <-->Behavior (learning to bungee jump) <--> Environmental factors (bungee-jumping friends)Research on Personality Constructs Personal control (locus of control) -Internal: behavior controlled by person -External: behavior controlled by fate, luck, chance, more powerful


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Redlands PSYC 100 - What is Personality?

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