ch 14 personality theory notes. trait approach aspect of personality considered to be reasonably...
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Ch 14 Personality Theory
Notes
Trait Approach
Aspect of personality considered to be reasonably stable
Hippocrates Gordon Allport: dictionary of traits
to describe a personality Traits are building blocks of personality
Hans Eysenck: introverts vs extroverts and emotional stability vs instability
5 Factor Model “Big Five”
Basic personality factors Extroversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotional Stability-Instability Openness to Experience
Personalities mature rather than are shaped by environmental conditions
Expression of traits affected by culture
Other Uses of the “Big Five”
Studying politics Ways that they are connected with the
ways people interact with friends/family Relationship between them and disorders Are there other personality factors that
are important? Yes, but these 5 are agreed upon by most as the basic ones
Psychoanalytic Approach
All people undergo inner struggles People are born with certain biological
drives like aggression, sex, and need for superiority May come into conflict with laws, social norms,
and moral codes that have been internalized Person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions
represent the outcome of inner contests between the opposing forces of drives and rules
Sigmund Freud
Conscious feelings occupy only small part of mind
Unconscious holds deepest thoughts, fears, and urges
Psychoanalysis used to explore the unconscious “talking cure” Dream analysis hypnosis
Structures of the Mind
Id: basic drives Follows the pleasure principle: urge for
immediate release of energy/emotion that will bring personal gratification, relief, or pleasure
Ego: the self (reason and good sense) Reality principle: understanding that in real
world we can’t always get what we want Provides conscious sense of self
Superego: moral sense moral principle: values and standards
Defense Mechanisms
Methods the ego uses to avoid recognizing ideas/emotions that may cause anxiety
Repression Reaction Formation Rationalization Denial Displacement Sublimation Regression Projection Normal to use but should not be
“crutches” because it becomes unhealthy
Stages of Development
Oral Stage (birth to 1 ½) Anal Stage (1 ½ to 2 ½) Phallic Stage (3rd year) Latency Stage (5 or 6 to puberty) Genital Stage (puberty on)
Carl Jung
Analytic psychology: more emphasis on influences of mysticism and religion on behavior
People have a personal unconscious and a collective unconscious (store of human concepts shared by all people across all cultures) Archetypes: ideas and images of accumulated
experience of all human beings (supreme being, young hero, fertile/nurturing mother)
1 archetype - Sense of self: unifying force of personality that gives people direction and a sense of completeness Characterized by 4 functions of the
mind: thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation
Individuation: integrating conscious elements with the collective unconscious
Alfred Adler
People basically motivated by a need to overcome feelings of inferiority
Inferiority complex: based on physical problems and need to compensate for them
Self-awareness plays a major role in the formation of personality
Creative self: strives to overcome obstacles and develop individual’s unique potential
Karen Horney
Greatest influences on personality are social relationships
Importance of childhood experiences Parent-child relationship extremely
important Basic anxiety: insecurity children develop
with neglectful parents Genuine and consistent love could temper
the effects of the most painful childhoods
Erik Erikson
Believed social relationships are most important factors in personality development
Emphasized the general emotional climate of mother-infant relationship
People are capable of making real and meaningful choices
Developmental theory of personality with stages and traits that might develop at each stage
Learning Approach-Behaviorism
Behaviorism: John B. Watson claimed that external forces/influences shape people’s preferences and behavior
B.F. Skinner: emphasized the effects of reinforcement on behavior Environmental influences condition/shape us
into wanting some things and not others Socialization: process by which people learn
socially desirable behaviors of particular culture
We are shaped into wanting what is good for society at early age and no one is really free
Social-Learning Theory
Albert Bandura: focus on importance of learning by observation and the role of cognitive processes that produce individual differences People can act intentionally to influence the
environment People engage in meaningful learning Internal variables also influence how we act in
certain situations (skills, values, goals, expectations, self-efficacy expectations)
Humanistic Approach
Begin with assumption that self-awareness is the core of humanity
Focus on people’s pursuits of self-fulfillment and ethical conduct
People are free to do as they choose with their lives and are responsible for the choices they make
Abraham Maslow
Desire to achieve self-actualization Must follow own path to self-
actualization
Carl Rogers
“Father of Humanism” People shape personalities through
free choice and action Self theory: revolves around
people’s sense of self Self-concept: view of oneself as an
individual Self is center of person’s experience
Pieces of His Theory
Key to happiness and healthy adjustment is congruence: consistency between own self-concept and one’s experience
Self-Esteem/Self-Respect and Positive Regard (unconditional positive regard vs conditional positive regard)
Sociocultural Approach
Roles of ethnicity, gender, and culture in formation of personality
Individualism vs Collectivism Sociocultural Factors and the Self
Self-concept and self-esteem Acculturation (process of adapting
to a new/different culture) and self-esteem