Topic: Autobiographical Psychosocial History

profiletutorthammy
Theories_of_Personality_McAlhaney.ppt
Home>Psychology homework help>Topic: Autobiographical Psychosocial History

PSY 150

MCALHANEY

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

DEFINING PERSONALITY

  • Personality is made up the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life.

How exactly do psychologists define personality?

What are the different components of personality?

*

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

  • There are a number of different theories have emerged to explain different aspects of personality.

  • Some theories focus on explaining how personality develops while others are concerned with individual differences in personality.

  • We will discuss a few of the major theories of personality proposed by different psychologists.

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

Today, we will cover the following…….

  • Psychoanalytic theories with an emphasis on Freud
  • Humanistic theories with an emphasis on Rogers
  • Trait Theories

PSYCHANALYTIC THEORIES

  • Psychoanalytic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, and emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences on personality.

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic theories include Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage theory and Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.

*

SIGMUND FREUD

  • Freud’s view of the individual was that every human being is a selfish human being that is always in psychological turmoil and facing frustration.

  • Freud also felt that the individual was not able or capable to deal with their own psychological issues.

The individual, according to Freud, looks to external sources (such as society, religion, etc) to help deal with the constant inner selfish urges and desires. His view of humanity is indeed gloomy and borders on determinism.

*

FREUD’S THEORY

  • Oscar Wilde said, “I can believe anything so long as it is unbelievable.”

  • Freud is responsible for making most other psychological theories seem rather dull.

  • His intriguing account of human behavior is rather like a sci-fi novel where nothing is what it seems.

  • Freud talks about some of the most important themes on human life such as ambition, sex and power.

FREUD’S THEORY

  • Freud’s theory is so comprehensive that it is difficult to integrate into a unitary model.

  • It is generally useful to think of Freud’s theory into two models.

  • The first model is the unconsciousness. Freud argued that real motives and desires are hidden from conscious awareness: We do things because of x, but in fact is is y and z that is driving us.

  • The second model suggest that the self can be thought of in terms of three mental structures, namely the id, the ego and the superego

Freud Described the following:

*

The conscious mind includes everything that we are aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness.

The preconscious mind is the part of the mind that represents ordinary memory. While we are not consciously aware of this information at any given time, we can retrieve it and pull it into consciousness when needed.

The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences.

FREUD’S PERSONALITY COMPONENTS

  • Freud believed the three components of personality were the id, the ego, and the superego.

The id is responsible for all needs and urges, while the superego for ideals and moral. The ego moderates between the demands of the id, the superego, and reality.

*

THE ID

  • The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. It is like a wild animal or “rock-in-roll” child inside of us pushing us to do naughty things (naughty because society is pushing us to suppress them)

According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality.

*

THE ID

  • The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs.

  • If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension.

For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant's needs are met. If the infant is hungry or uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met.

However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or even possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other people's hands to satisfy our own cravings. This sort of behavior would be both disruptive and socially unacceptable.

*

THE EGO

  • The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.

According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego functions in both the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.

*

THE EGO

  • The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways.

  • The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses.

In many cases, the id's impulses can be satisfied through a process of delayed gratification--the ego will eventually allow the behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place.

*

THE SUPEREGO

  • The last component of personality to develop is the superego. The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society--our sense of right and wrong.

The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.

According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five.

*

THE TWO PARTS OF THE SUPEREGO

  • The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for good behaviors. These behaviors include those which are approved of by parental and other authority figures. Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment.

  • The conscience includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. These behaviors are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse.

The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious.

*


THE INTERACTION OF THE ID, EGO AND SUPEREGO

  • With so many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite these dueling forces.

  • A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too unyielding or too disrupting.

So according to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

Cat in the hat exercise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQW8AfBdea4

*

FREUD’S LEGACY

  • 1st Person to propose unified theory to understand and explain human behavior

  • No theory more complete, complex, or controversial

  • Some criticize his theory for being impossible to test

  • Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was the predecessor of all later personality theories

CARL JUNG

  • Freud’s personal successor. Their relationship ended because Jung disagreed with Freud’s emphasis on sexual urges

  • The Collective unconscious (part of the mind that contains inherited instincts, urges, and memories common to all people) holds Archetypes (an inherited idea based on experiences of one’s ancestors, which shapes one’s personality)

  • Jung believed we fit our personalities to our Archetypes

Jung began to separate from Freudian theory, rejecting Freud's emphasis on sex as the sole source of behavior motivation

Personal unconscious – repressed feelings and thoughts developed during life

Jung believed the human psyche exists in three parts: the ego (the conscious mind), the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Jung believed the collective unconscious was a reservoir of all the experience and knowledge of the human species.

*

ALFRED ADLER

  • Believed people are driven to overcome feelings of inferiority

  • Inferiority Complex – when a person continually tries to compensate for his weakness and avoid feelings of inadequacy.

For those of us who strive to be accomplished writers, powerful business people, or influential politicians, it is because of our feelings of inferiority and a strong need to over come this negative part of us according to Adler.  This excessive feeling of inferiority can also have the opposite effect.  As it becomes overwhelming and without the needed successes, we can develop an inferiority complex.  This belief leaves us with feeling incredibly less important and deserving than others, helpless, hopeless, and unmotivated to strive for the superiority that would make us complete.

*

ERIK ERICKSON

  • Erikson believed that personality progressed through a series of stages, with certain conflicts arising at each stage. Success in any stage depended upon successfully overcoming these conflicts.

HUMANISTIC THEORIES

  • Humanist theorists also emphasize the concept of self-actualization, which is an innate need for personal growth that motivates behavior.
  • Humanist theorists include Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.

Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual experience in the development of personality.

"If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life." ~ Abraham Maslow

*

CARL ROGERS

  • Carl Rogers was a prominent humanistic psychologist who interestingly acquired principles of science and growth from his agricultural studies in college.

At one time Rogers became a very devout Christian, but objections later to the doctrine of original sin led Rogers to a more liberal Christian faith. Rogers did not believe human beings were inherently “defective” as the doctrine of original sin presents.

It was at this time that Rogers developed into an independent person, no longer attached to the traditions he had grown up with. After earning his PhD in Child Psychology from Columbia University, he served as a child guidance counselor. While Rogers was influenced early in his psychology career by Freud, he later moved away from psychoanalysis and preferred the growth model. Carl Rogers contended that all men and women develop their personalities in the service of positive goals.

*

PERSON-CENTERED THEORY

  • Carl Rogers believed that everyone was born with certain capabilities and that the individual’s goal in life was to follow their genetic blueprint and be the best of who they were capable of becoming (Morris and Maisto).

As mentioned before, Rogers believed that individuals develop their personalities in the service of positive goals. The biological push to become whatever it is that individuals are capable of becoming is what Rogers refers to as the actualizing tendency.

*

PERSON-CENTERED THEORY

  • In addition to trying to realize our biological potential, we attempt to fulfill our conscious sense of who we are. Rogers calls this the self-actualizing tendency. *

  • According to Rogers, a fully functioning individual is someone whose self-concept closely matches his or her inborn capabilities. (Morris and Maisto)

*For example, if a person believes that they are smart or athletic they tend to live up to the image that they have of themselves. This leads one to becoming a fully functioning individual.

*

TRAIT THEORIES

  • The Trait Theory approach is one of the largest areas within personality psychology. According to this theory, personality is made up of a number of broad traits.

  • A trait is basically a relatively stable characteristic that causes an individual to behave in certain ways.

  • One of the best known trait theories include is the five factor theory of personality.


WHAT ARE THE BIG FIVE DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY?

  • Personality researchers have proposed that there are five basic dimensions of personality.

  • Today, many contemporary personality psychologists also believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, often referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits.

WHAT ARE THE BIG FIVE DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY?

  • The "big five" are categories of personality traits.

  • While there is a significant body of literature supporting this five-factor model of personality, researchers don't always agree on the exact labels for each dimension.

  • However, the following five categories are usually described as follows…………….

THE BIG FIVE!

  • Extraversion: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.

  • Agreeableness: This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors.

  • Conscientiousness: Common features of this dimension include high levels of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details.

  • Neuroticism: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness.

  • Openness: This trait features characteristics such as imagination and insight, and those high in this trait also tend to have a broad range of interests.

THE BIG FIVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqGJyltHME

*

O

C

E

A

N

*

  • This is an example of a mnemonic device used to help remember (retrieval)

BIG FIVE DISCUSSION

  • After reviewing the Big Five trait approaches to personality. Which personality trait best describes you and why?

PERSONALITY DISORDERS

  • An estimated 10 to 15% of adults in the United States experience symptoms of at least one personality disorder.

  • What are personality disorders? A personality disorder is a chronic and pervasive mental disorder that affects thoughts, behaviors, and interpersonal functioning. The DSM-IV currently lists 10 different personality disorders. We will discuss those in more detail when we get to psychological disorders.

MYERS BRIGGS PERSONALITY TEST

Take the Online Personality Assessment located at the following link: http://www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter/register.asp

 

What personality type are you? Discuss some of the characteristics of your type. Do you think the assessment is accurate? Explain why or why not.

According to Carl G. Jung's theory of psychological types [Jung, 1971], people can be characterized by their preference of general attitude:

Extraverted (E) vs. Introverted (I),

their preference of one of the two functions of perception:

Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N),

and their preference of one of the two functions of judging:

Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

The three areas of preferences introduced by Jung are dichotomies (i.e. bipolar dimensions where each pole represents a different preference). Jung also proposed that in a person one of the four functions above is dominant – either a function of perception or a function of judging. Isabel Briggs Myers, a researcher and practitioner of Jung’s theory, proposed to see the judging-perceiving relationship as a fourth dichotomy influencing personality type [Briggs Myers, 1980]:

Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

All possible permutations of preferences in the 4 dichotomies above yield 16 different combinations, or personality types, representing which of the two poles in each of the four dichotomies dominates in a person, thus defining 16 different personality types. Each personality type can be assigned a 4 letter acronym of corresponding combination of preferences:

The 16 personality types

ESTJ ISTJ ENTJ INTJ

ESTP ISTP ENTP INTP

ESFJ ISFJ ENFJ INFJ

ESFP ISFP ENFP INFP

The first letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the first letter of the preference of general attitude - “E” for extraversion and “I” for introversion.

The second letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to the preference within the sensing-intuition dimension: “S” stands for sensing and “N” stands for intuition.

The third letter in the personality type acronym corresponds to preference within the thinking-feeling pair: “T” stands for thinking and “F” stands for feeling.

The forth letter in the personality type acronym corresponds a person’s preference within the judging-perceiving pair: “J” for judging and “P” for perception.

For example:

ISTJ stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging

ENFP stands for Extraverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving

*

KEIRSEY TEMPERAMENT SORTER®-II

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter®-II (KTS®-II) is the most widely used personality instrument in the world. It is a powerful 70 question personality instrument that helps individuals discover their personality type. The KTS-II is based on Keirsey Temperament Theory™, published in the best selling books, Please Understand Me® and Please Understand Me II, by Dr. David Keirsey.

*