1 Chapter 11 Personality Trait Properties unique to each individual Personality is an organized combination of attributes motives values and bvrs Personality trait theory studies patterns of traits Psychometric approach o Traits unique to each individual o Traits are relatively consistent across situations and time McAdams and Pals 5 principles of personality Evolved human nature dispositional traits characteristic adaptations unique narrative identities or life stories and cultural or situational influences Psychoanalytic Theory Explore inner dynamics of personality and universal age related personality changes with Freud believing that personality emerges within the first 5 years of life but Erikson believing in stage like changes throughout life Self concept theory Studies sum total of self ideas perceptions attitudes a very different history and tradition than trait theory uses terms such as self esteem and identity Self esteem your overall evaluation of your worth as a person Identity an overall sense of who you are where you are heading and where you fit into society and how one fits in with others Self concept your perceptions pos or neg of your unique attributes and traits Trait Theory To identify distinct trait dimensions researchers construct personality scales and use the statistical technique of factor analysis to identify groupings of personality scale items that are correlated with each other but not with other groupings of items The Big Five o Personalities can be described in terms of a five factor model with 5 major dimensions of personality o Openness to experience curiosity and interest in variety vs preference for sameness openness to fantasy esthetics feelings actions ideas values o Conscientiousness discipline and organization vs lack of seriousness competence order dutifulness striving for achievement seld discipline deliberation o Extraversion sociability and outgoingness vs introversion warmth gregariousness assertiveness activity excitement seeking positive emotions o Agreeableness compliance and cooperativeness vs suspiciousness trust straightforwardness altruism compliance modesty tender mindedness o Neuroticism emotional instability vs stability anxiety hostility depression self consciousness impulsiveness vulnerability o These dimensions are genetically influenced and emerge early in life big five is universal occurs over a variety of cultures Social Learning Theory Do not believe in universal stages of personality development or in the existence of enduring personality traits in a variety of situations over the lifespan 2 People change if their environments change Personality is a set of behavioral tendencies shaped by interactions with other people in specific social situation ex a woman who has been socially withdrawn can become outgoing if she begins to socialize with friends who serve as models of outgoing sociable behavior The Emerging Self 2 to 3 month olds discover that they are physically distinct from the world around them and can act upon it and by 18 24 months toddlers show self awareness and form a categorical self classify themselves into social categories based on age sex Temperament early genetically based tendencies to respond in predictable ways to events that serve as building blocks of personality Thomas and Stella gathered info about nine dimensions of infant behavior typical mood regularity of biological functions such as feeding sleeping habits tendency to approach or withdraw from new stimuli intensity of emotional reactions adaptability to new experiences and changes in routine o Easy temperament even tempered typically happy open and adaptable to new experiences regular feeding habits tolerate frustration discomfort o Difficult temperament active irritable and irregular habits Often reactive negatively to changes in routine slow to adapt to new people situations cry frequently and loudly o Slow to warm up temperament relatively inactive somewhat moody only moderately regular in daily activities slow to adapt to new people but typically respond mildly may resist cuddling by looking away from the cuddler rather than screaming 40 easy 10 difficult 15 slow to warm up a difficult infant would fall apart if they couldn t do math but by adulthood an individual s adjustment had little to do with temperament during infancy Goodness of Fit Thomas and Chess differences in temperament are rooted in genetically based differences but environment helps determine how adaptive particular temperamental qualities are and whether they persist goodness of fit between child and environment the extent to which the child s temperament is compatible with the demands and expectations of the social world to which she must adapt infant s temperaments and parents parenting behaviors reciprocally influence one another and interact over time to steer the direction of later personality development Identity Development in Adolescence self understandings become more psychological abstract differentiated and integrated and self awareness increases Erikson believed they experience the psychosocial conflict of identity vs role confusion Self Esteem Changes with Age self concepts become more differentiated or multidimensional with age 3 preschool children distinguish between only 2 broad aspects of self esteem their competence physical and cognitive and their social and personal adequacy social acceptance mid elementary school children differentiate among 5 aspects of self worth scholastic competence social acceptance behavioral conduct athletic competence and physical appearance decrease in self esteem from early to middle childhood but once self esteem is established it remains stable over elementary school years decrease from childhood to adolescence because they are now more knowledgeable and realistic about their strengths weaknesses become unhappy with changing bodies this dip affects only some teens but most emerge from adolescence with a higher self esteem than they had when they entered adolescence Adult adults gain self esteem as they cope successfully in life but lose it as aging disease and losses of roles and relationships take their toll later in life older adults are able to maintain self esteem by closing the gap between ideal and real self altering goals and standards and comparing themselves with other aging people until some lose self esteem in late old age activity theory aging adults will find their lives satisfying to the extent that