Module 4: DQ1
Kishon
CE...PPt_7_new1.pptxPsychology, Society, and Culture
Chapter 7
Culture
Culture created by individuals
Individuals all shaped by their culture
Somewhat flexible
Culture shapes society
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
What Is Personality?
Total organization of inherited and acquired characteristics
Evidenced by individual behavior
Culture shapes individual personality
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Socialization in Childhood
Personality development
Family (greatest influence)
Biological inheritance
Physical environment
Develops in early childhood
Piaget’s four stages of child development
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Figure 7.1: Piaget’s Four Stages
Social Environments Vary
No two individuals have exactly the same social environments
Identical twins may come close
Variances in birth order, family, neighborhood, community, school, region, etc.
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Isolation Affects Children’s Development
Socially isolated children:
Suffer socially and emotionally
Development is hampered
All children need normal human contact
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Factors That Affect Personality
Inherited individual potentialities
Natural environment
Culture of the individual’s society
Unique personal experiences
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Nature vs. Nurture
B. F. Skinner: environment primary force in shaping personality (through conditioning)
Operant conditioning
Positive reinforcement (strengthens behavior)
Negative reinforcement (strengthens behavior)
Punishment (suppresses behavior)
Others view heredity as primary force shaping personality
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Table 7.1: Types of Punishments and Reinforcements
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
| APPROACH | PRIMARY INFLUENCE |
| Cognitive | Nature initiates and determines behavior |
| Psychoanalytic | Focuses on nature Innate tendencies |
| Behavioralist | Nature initiates and determines behavior |
| Humanist | Focuses on entire person and interrelationship with culture |
Explanations of Behavior
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Five levels of human achievement
Must be reached in order
Self-actualization is highest level
Requires work to reach and stay at top level
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Figure 7.2: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Freudian Concept of Personality
Three major systems or structures
Id (seeks pleasure)
Ego (controls behavior, balances id/superego)
Superego (conscience)
Defense mechanisms: behaviors used to avoid issues
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Intelligence
Measured by various mental tests
Intelligence test (general mental ability)
Interest index
Aptitude test
Achievement test
Special abilities or disabilities test
Personality or emotional adjustment test
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
General Intelligence Test
Measures mental age
Intelligence quotient (IQ) is ratio between mental age and chronological age
Tests mental ability compared to rest of population
IQ = Mental Age / Chronological Age × 100
Percentile rank sometimes used
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Figure 7.3: Distribution of Children in IQ groupings
Limitations of IQ Tests
Scores influenced by
Cultural factors
Environmental factors
Educational level
Scores increasing over time due to sociological influences
Racially biased?
Current trend away from “knowledge tests”
NOT a measure of innate intelligence
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Highly Intelligent Person
Perceive a situation as a whole rather than partially or incompletely
Learn quickly
Concentrate thought and learning in a desired direction
Find satisfactory solutions, either with or without help from others
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
Intelligence and Personal Adjustment
Adjustment has:
Little relation to one’s intelligence
More about emotional stability
Coming to terms with who one is as a person
© 2019 Taylor and Francis
