Personality

What is personality?An individual’s unique patterns of thoughts,

feelings, and behaviors that persists over time and across situations.

Classes of Personality TheoriesPsychodynamic theoriesHumanistic theoriesTrait theoriesCognitive-social learning theories

Psychodynamic TheoriesPersonality is the result of unconscious

motivations and conflicts.Sigmund FreudCarl JungAlfred AdlerKaren HorneyErik Erikson

Jung’s 2 Levels of the UnconsciousPersonal unconscious: contains the

individual’s repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and undeveloped ideas

Collective unconscious: the part of the unconscious that is inherited and common to all members of a species

Jung’s 2 General Attitude TypesExtrovert: One who focuses more on social

life and the external world instead of his/her own thoughts and feelings.

Introvert: One who focuses on his/her own thoughts and feelings.

Freud vs. Erickson

Humanistic Personality TheoryAny personality theory that asserts the

fundamental goodness of people and their striving toward higher levels of functioning.

Cognitive-Social Learning TheoriesBehavior is viewed as the product of the

interaction of cognitions, learning and past experiences, and the immediate environment.

Bandura’s ContributionWhat a person anticipates in a situation or as

a result of behaving in certain ways.The expectancy that one’s efforts will be

successful.Standards that people develop to rate the

adequacy of their own behavior in a variety of situations.

Psychological TestingMeasure personality traits, emotional states,

aptitudes, interests, abilities, and values.Usually measured as a single score.

Objective Tests: Participants is awareFeelings, attitudes, beliefsAsking questions directly

Projective Tests: Participants are unawareUnconscious feelingsExamples: Rorschach Test, Draw a Person, Play Therapy,

Draw-A-Person, Sentence Completion

Popular Personality TestsAims to describe aspects of a person's character that

remain stable throughout that person's lifetime, the individual's character pattern of behavior, thoughts, and feelings.

Examples: Woodworth Personal Data Sheet (1919)-used to screen army recruits. Rorschach Inkblot Test (1921) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT-1930’s) MMPI (1942)-aids in detection of psychopathology in a clinical setting. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Based on Carl Jung’s psychological types. Keirsey Temperament Sorter 16PF Questionnaire (1940’s-1950’s)-Developed by Raymond Cattell.

Psychological TestingPsychological testing categories: Achievement and aptitude Intelligence Neuropsychological Occupational Personality Specific Clinical

Justification for using tests: It is easier to get

information from tests than by clinical interview.

The information from tests is more scientifically consistent than the information from a clinical interview.

It is harder to get away with lying on a test than an interview.

Raymond B. Cattell There are five main clusters of personality traits (The big Five)

Extroversion versus introversion (outgoing or shy) Neuroticism versus emotional stability (how much does

a person suffer from anxiety) Agreeableness versus antagonism (good natured or

irritable, cooperative or abrasive) Conscientiousness versus impulsiveness (responsible or

undependable) Openness to experience versus resistance to new

experience (curious, imaginative or unimaginative)