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Psychology 305A: Personality Psychology

November 26

Lecture 22

Reminders

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1. The peer mentors (Austin, Gordon) will hold a tutorial today:

When? 5:00-6:00Where? Kenny 2101

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2. Please complete your evaluation for this course. Your evaluation will be anonymous and secure.

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To date, 24% of students have completed the evaluation.

A little R&R ….(Review and Reflect)

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1. What factors predict happiness?

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The Self-Actualization/Determination Perspective

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1. summarize research regarding sources of happiness.

2. discuss personality characteristics related to happiness.

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

3. define the terms autotelic personality, flow, and hardiness.

4. identify character strengths and virtues documented by researchers.

What factors predict happiness?

• Research suggests three broad sources of happiness:

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Sources of Happiness (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005)

Heritability (reflects “trait” happiness).

Aked et al. (2008):Connecting with others, physical activity, “savouring,” learning, giving.

Income, educational attainment, marital status, parental status, religiosity, health.

Diener & Biswas-Diener (2008): Attention, interpretation, memory.

Causes or consequences?

• Research has identified a number of personality characteristics that are related to happiness:

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1. The Big 5 (Shiota et al., 2006): Extraversion: Positively correlated with happiness. Neuroticism: Negatively correlated with happiness.

2. Attachment styles (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011): Secure attachment: Positively correlated with

happiness.

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3. The autotelic personality (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002, 2009):

Motivated by intrinsic rewards. Characterized by curiosity, persistence, low self-

centeredness. Has frequent “flow” experiences: Intense experiential

involvement in moment-to-moment activity, attention is fully invested, person functions at fullest capacity.

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"An autotelic person needs few material possessions and little entertainment, comfort, power, or fame because so much of what he or she does is already rewarding. Because such persons experience flow in work, in family life, when interacting with people, when eating, even when alone with nothing to do, they are less dependent on the external rewards that keep others motivated to go on with a life composed of routines. They are more autonomous and independent because they cannot be as easily manipulated with threats or rewards from the outside. At the same time, they are more involved with everything around them because they are fully immersed in the current of life” (Csikszentmihalyi, 2007).

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4. Hardiness (Kobasa, 1979; Maddi, 2003): Reflects three attitudes: Commitment, control, and

challenge. Associated with effective cognitive appraisal of

stressors, use of problem-focused coping strategies, and use of social resources.

Serves as a buffer against stress.

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5. Character strengths (Dahlsgaard et al., 2005; Peterson & Seligman, 2004):

Identified through an analysis of philosophical, religious, and scientific text across cultures and centuries.

Organized into six virtues. Use of “signature” strengths in daily activities can

foster happiness. The Values in Action (VIA) Questionnaire can be

completed online to assess your signature strengths. Visit: www.authentichappiness.org.

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1. summarize research regarding sources of happiness.

2. discuss personality characteristics related to happiness.

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

3. define the terms autotelic personality, flow, and hardiness.

4. identify character strengths and virtues documented by researchers.

Psychology 305 16

Analysis of the Personality of a Civil Rights Leader: Malcolm X

Discussion Questions

1. What learning processes (e.g., classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning) do you think shaped Malcolm X’s personality? Identify specific examples to illustrate how these learning processes shaped his personality.

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2. Prior to imprisonment, Malcolm X did not adhere to a separatist view regarding race relations. However, after imprisonment, he did adhere to this view, ultimately joining the Nation of Islam. How can Dollard and Miller’s learning theory be used to explain this change in Malcolm X’s attitudes and behaviour?

3. Mischel proposed 5 “cognitive-social learning person variables” to describe personality: competencies, encoding strategies/personal constructs, expectancies, subjective values, and self-regulatory systems/plans. Use these variables to describe Malcolm X’s personality when he was in Boston.

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4. Speculate on Malcolm X’s dominant needs. Consider Murray’s needs and the “Big Three” dimensions.

5. Maslow maintained that, in the hierarchy of conative needs, lower-order needs have greater strength, potency, and priority than higher-order needs. Were Malcolm X’s actions consistent with this assertion?

6. Would Maslow’s hierarchy of conative needs adequately explain motivation among collectivists?

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7. How does Maslow’s notion of the self-actualizer differ from Rogers’ notion of the fully functioning person? Can both concepts be applied to Malcolm X?

8. Deci and Ryan emphasized the importance of “self-determination” in determining well-being. At what point in his life do you believe that Malcolm X achieved self-determination?

9. Research has identified a number of personality characteristics that are related to happiness. Which of these characteristics did Malcolm X display, if any?

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