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LASA 2: Exploring Personality Theories (Part 1)

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LASA 2: Exploring Personality Theories

In this study paper, I will apply each of the four personality theories to my personal life experience. The theories are as follows the Five-Factor Model of Personality, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Freudian Theory of Personality Structure.

The Five Factor Model of Personality

According to psychologist personality trait can be grouped into five factors that are openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism. In the first dimension or trait openness to experience, I believe I score high in openness to experiences based on the fact that I appreciate art, emotion, unusual idea, curiosity, adventure and am creative. Even as a child I still recall having this trait, so I believe I was born with it. The second trait is conscientiousness I can say I am organized and efficient because not only am I a dependable person but also a hardworking person. This is a trait I believe I developed when growing up since my parent were very hardworking, organized and dependable people (McCrae & Allik, 2002). On extraversion, I can say am out going energetic based on the fact that am talkative, assertive and sociable. I have had this trait for as long as I can remember, so I believe I was born with it. Another trait is agreeableness which explains why am a friendly and compassionate person this is a trait I developed from the surrounding environment because I grew up surrounded by people who always willing to go out of their way to help others and I believe I developed this trait from them. The last trait is high neuroticism which refers to the degree of impulse control and emotional stability. My classmate describes me as calm, secure and even-tempered. I do believe I was born with this trait.

Based on my experience the personality traits are both innate and learned because there are those I learned from the surrounding, and there are those that came naturally.

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

According to this theory we learn behavior through observation from observing others we form ideas of how new behavior are conducted. Through interactions with others, I learned the importance of being a disciplined person and the importance of showing other people respect. I like giving and helping needy people because my parent used to take as to the street families every thanks giving day and we would shower them with gifts. Since then I have been giving to the poor and helping the needy. Aside from my parent my teachers too have been goo role model and through them I have learned good behavior. By observing how a disciplined person behaves am able to live as a good example too to others. On numerous occasions, my teachers and parent have recognized my effort and motivated me to keep learning good behavior and shunning bad behavior. The reinforcement for this behavior has been internal since I get to feel proud of myself and approval from friends and family (Shaffer, 2009).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Every single human being belongs to one of the hierarchical levels of Maslow hierarchy. When Maslow comes up with this theory, his intention was to understand what motivates people. He formulated the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and used it to explain the deficiency and basic needs are what motivate people (Rakowski, 2008). According to him, every person has a deficiency to one of the following: basic needs, psychological needs and self-fulfillment. The basic needs comprise of the physiological needs that food, water, rest and warmth, safety needs: security and safety. The psychological needs comprise of the esteem needs: a feeling of accomplishment and prestige and belongings and love needs: friends and intimate relationship. The final stage is self-fulfillment needs comprises of self-actualization whereby people in this stage have attained their full potential including creative activities. I believe I belong to the psychological needs stage whereby my deficiencies are belongingness and love needs.

The reason why to believe I belong to this hierarchical level is because I have passed the basic needs stage and am currently struggling with the school making friends and having intimate relationships. I believe once am done with school I will be past this stage and moving to feel prestige and enjoy my accomplishment. At the esteem needs level I hope to already have a well-paying job in order for me to enjoy my accomplishments and live a prestigious life.

Freudian Theory of Personality Structure

In this theory, personality is developed by a series of stages with each stage characterized by a particular internal psychological conflict. According to Freud human development and experiences go through three levels of human mind and the ability of an individual to resolve the internal conflict at each level determines how they will cope in future. Super ego is one of the tier of the human mind which functions at a conscious level and serves as screening center of what is going on. Super-ego develops in early childhood and is responsible for making sure that the moral standards are followed. Super-ego works on the morality principle and motivates people to behave in an acceptable manner and socially responsible. Ego, on the other hand, aims at satisfying id demands in a socially acceptable and safe manner. Ego follows reality principles because it operates both the unconscious and conscious mind. The Id is concerned with the instant gratification of basic urges and needs and operates outside the conscious mind.

As for me the three works for me in the following when I walk past a stranger eating ice cream I usually want the Ice cream for myself unconsciously. But my superego which is concerned with social rules and morals helps me to know that the action of taking the ice cream from the stranger would be rude. My ego would mediate between the id which insists unconsciously that it wants the ice cream and superego which tells me that it is wrong to take the ice cream because it is not mined my ego would, therefore, help m decide to buy mine.

Yes I believe the unconscious mind plays an important part in people’s behavior. Based on my reading in psychology and my own experiences I believe the unconscious mind plays an important part in everyday life it help people escape some painful memories by locking that information away. I know of people who acted strongly when a loved one dies but later become depressed because of locking away such information. Also, children operating with id tend to cry for things that do not belong to them something we do not expect to see in adults (Slee, et al. 2012).

References

McCrae, R. R., & Allik, I. U. (2002). The five-factor model of personality across cultures. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Rakowski, N. (2008). Maslow's hierarchy of needs model: The difference of the Chinese and the Western pyramid on the example of purchasing luxurious products. Norderstedt: Grin Verla, g.

Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and personality development. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Slee, P. T., Campbell, M., & Spears, B. A. (2012). Child, adolescent and family development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.