personality+notes

Personality Unit – Challenging Ideas & Topics

Excellent Comprehensive Resource on Personality Theories http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/perscontents.html

Ie. Freud’s Psychic Determinism – controlled by unconscious (sexual + aggressive drives)
 * Determinism ** belief that behavior is ruled by forces over which we have little or no control


 * Preconscious ** structure of personality b/w Conscious + Unconscious where most memories reside


 * Id ** functions by //primary-process thought//: irrational, instinct-driven, unrealistic
 * Ego ** relies on //secondary-process thought// which is rational & reality based & helps thinker make sense of world & act sensibly
 * Superego ** operates on idealistic principle dictated by internalized moral authority figures w/o regard to rationality or ext reality

// Application in interpersonal relationships // : we may fall in love with our idealization of a man or woman based on our idealization of a man or woman which is based on the archetype in collective unconscious rather than with who he/ she really is.
 * Jung ** believed that in addition to the personal unconscious, we share a **collective unconscious** which contains memories and behavioral predispositions inherited from common ancestors and we interpret and use exp. He called these **archetypes,** universal inherited human tendencies to perceive and act on things in particular ways. Cross cultural thematic similarities in myths, legends, religions and customs supports this. (“the great mother”, “the wise old man”, “the hero”)


 * The Self ** includes the whole of the personality, including __both__ the conscious and unconscious elements.

=Humanistic Approach to Personality=


 * Humanism ** emphasizes the individual’s potential for growth and change. It is **nondeterministic** b/c we can create our own lives and determine our own destinies and do not allow ourselves to be shaped by inexplicable forces outside our conscious control. Heavy emphasis on **conscious** experience rather than unconscious.

Maslow – based on hierarchy of needs
Fully Functioning People have 5 Characterisitics: 1. They will consistently grow & evolve 2. They will be open to experience, avoid defensiveness, and accept experiences as opportunities for learning 3. They will trust themselves, and, although they will seek guidance from other people, they will make their own decisions rather than strictly following what others suggest. 4. They will have harmonious relations with other people and will realize that they do not need to be well like by everyone. Achieving **unconditional acceptance** from at least some others will free them from the need to be well liked by all. 5. They will live fully in the present rather than dwell on the past or live only for the future
 * Rogers’s __person centered approach__ ( ** self theory**)** emphasizes the self and our perception of it
 * The greater the similarity b/w self-concept and ideal self, the better adjusted the individual will be
 * Unlike Freud, believed that development is life-long


 * Ideas of **UPR (Unconditional Positive Regard)** & **Client-Centered Therapy**

__Trait Theories of Personality: Allport, Ancient Greeks, Eysenck, Big 5 Theory__
Allport recognizes that some traits are more closely tied to the proprium (one’s self) than others. **Central traits** are the building blocks of your personality. When you describe someone, you are likely to use words that refer to these central traits: smart, dumb, wild, shy, sneaky, dopey, grumpy.... He noted that most people have somewhere between five and ten of these.
 * Allport ** - pioneered trait theory of personality after visiting Freud and being disenchanted with psychoanalytic theory
 * secondary traits **, ones that aren’t quite so obvious, or so general, or so consistent. Preferences, attitudes, situational traits are all secondary. For example, “he gets angry when you try to tickle him,” “she has some very unusual sexual preferences,” and “you can’t take him to restaurants.”
 * cardinal traits ** are the traits that some people have which practically define their life. Someone who spends their life seeking fame, or fortune, or sex is such a person. Often we use specific historical people to name these cardinal traits: Scrooge (greed), Joan of Arc (heroic self-sacrifice), Mother Teresa (religious service), Hitler (political ruthlessness), and so on. Relatively few people develop a cardinal trait. If they do, it tends to be late in life.

The **sanguine** type is cheerful and optimistic, pleasant to be with, comfortable with his or her work. According to the Greeks, the sanguine type has a particularly abundant supply of blood (hence the name sanguine, from sanguis, Latin for blood) and so also is characterized by a healthful look, including rosy cheeks. The **choleric** type is characterized by a quick, hot temper, often an aggressive nature. The name refers to bile (a chemical that is excreted by the gall bladder to aid in digestion). Physical features of the choleric person include a yellowish complexion and tense muscles. Next, we have the **phlegmatic** temperament. These people are characterized by their slowness, laziness, and dullness. The name obviously comes from the word phlegm, which is the mucus we bring up from our lungs when we have a cold or lung infection. Physically, these people are thought to be kind of cold, and shaking hands with one is like shaking hands with a fish. Finally, there’s the **melancholy** temperament. These people tend to be sad, even depressed, and take a pessimistic view of the world. The name has, of course, been adopted as a synonym for sadness, but comes from the Greek words for black bile. Now, since there is no such thing, we don’t quite know what the ancient Greeks were referring to. But the melancholy person was thought to have too much of it!
 * Hippocrates (c400 BCE) & the ancient Greeks ** were really the first to think of personality traits leading to four “types,” based on what kind of fluids (called humors) they had too much or too little of. This theory became popular during the middle ages.

Extroverts are sociable, expansive, lively and oriented toward having fun Introverts are quiet, reserved and unsociable
 * Eyesenck- ** 3 dimensions on personality (sometimes Eysenck just includes the first 2)
 * 1. Extroversion v. Introversion **

Neurotics are nervous, emotionally unstable, moody, tense irritable Stable are less fretful, more uniform in behavior, less moody Psychotics are solitary, are detached from others in interpersonal relationships lack feelings, caring, empathy and Sensitivity
 * 2. Neuroticism v Emotionally Stable **
 * 3. Psychoticism v non-Psychoticism **


 * Big Five Theory of Personality:** most widely accepted theory, based on analysis of the main kind of terms people use to describe personality; has been consistent across many cultures; traits endure throughout the lifespan; **sometimes called the Five-Factor Theory**

1. **Neuroticism:** nervousness, emotional instability, moodiness, tension, irritability, & tendency to worry 2. **Extroversion:** sociability, expansiveness, liveliness, orientation toward fun, interest in interacting w/ others 3. **Openness:** imaginativeness, intelligence, curiosity, & aesthetic sensitivity 4. **Agreeableness:** pleasant disposition, charitable nature, empathy toward others, friendliness 5. **Conscientiousness:** reliability, hard work, punctuality, doing things right


 * Well being is associated w/ high scores on Openness, Agreeableness, Extroversion
 * High neuroticism is associated w/ poor life adjustment
 * High Extroversion score predicts positive mood in everyday life


 * Walter Mischel** (1968) criticized trait theory after finding that there was only a +.3 correlation b/w traits and their respected behaviors and argues that personality theorists should consider relationships b/w traits and situations rather than just stable traits & behavior is not as consistent as trait theorists claim


 * Seymour Epstein ** (1983) counters and says true personality tests don’t predict your behavior in a given situation, but they do predict your average behavior across many situations


 * __ Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective __**__ of Personality __

Must look at meaning that the individual assigns to personal experiences –if they consistently interpret situations in a certain way, that mental inclination is part of the individual’s personality >>unlike Skinner who solely focused on behaviorial aspects of personality, Rotter was also interested in the cognitive aspects individual
 * Rotter ** behavior doesn’t solely depend on external stimuli and reinforcements
 * internal locus of control- ** believe that causes of behavioral consequences originate w/in the
 * external locus of control- ** causes of bhevioral consequences originate in the environment


 * Bandura’s Social-Cognitive Theory ** focused on __interaction__ b/w how we think and how we act
 * ** Reciprocal determinism ** attributes human functioning to the interactions of behaviors, personal variables and the environment (we are architects and products of our environment)
 * ** Personal variables ** (motivation & ability to succeed)
 * ** Environmental events ** (parental encouragement, access to funds)
 * ** Behavior ( ** going to college which in turn affects the opportunities you have later in life which may affect personal variables as well, ie. level of happiness)

things Self-efficacy is an excellent predictor of success in many realms Ie. If you tell yourself that you cannot do something, then you often will not even try it, with the result that you will never really learn how to do it. Also – if you try it and tell yourself that you won’t succeed, negative expectations get in the way resulting in a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.
 * __ Self – Efficacy (Bandura) __**** – ** our feelings of competence to do things seem actually to lead to our being better able to do those


 * Objective Personality Tests ** are administered using a uniform standardized (ie. objective) procedure for scoring the assessment instruments.
 * ** MMPI-2 ** is empirically derived and assesses personality as it reflects on abnormal behavior
 * ** NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-PI-R) ** is a self-report that measures the “Big Five Factors”

MMPI Strengths: its objective scoring and interpretation, the extensive data set available for creating norms and for making predictions about health and welfare, and its inclusion of several validity scales. MMPI Weaknesses: include the fact that it is hard to know how to interpret responses on the MMPI because test-takers may not respond to the questions literally. In addition, with the reliance on self report, it is not clear that statements relate to actual behaviors. Further, the MMPI requires modification when used for groups other than white, middle-class individuals.

Please read interview: http://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/interviews_seligman.htm
Since 1887, articles on negative emotion have outnumbered those on positive emotion 13 to 1
 * Seligman states that the **purpose of psychology is to measure, understand, & build human strengths & civic virtues**
 * During times of peace & prosperity in our culture have enabled us to change focus form repairing weakness to promoting the highest qualities of life (eg. Athens in 5th c. was prosperous and philosophy & democracy were nurtured and today Western Culture is prosperous and thus can promote a positive psychology concerned with strength & virtue)
 * Uses scientific methodology to study Happiness, Health, Optimism & Thriving **
 * ** 3 pillars: **
 * ** 1. positive subjective well-being ** (happiness, health, optimism, thriving)
 * ** 2. positive character ** (fruits of self-control, leadership, spirituality, wisdom)
 * ** 3. positive groups ** (healthy families, effective schools, communal neighborhoods)

Seligman’s research on **__“optimistic explanatory styles”__** showed that: 1. optimists live longer and don’t get sick as much 2. optimists perform better in school and attribute good grades to their hard work so they believe it helps 3. “success requires enough optimism to provide hope and enough pessimism to prevent complacency”