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AS Psychology The Core studies

AS Psychology The Core studies. Individual Differences approach & Psychodynamic perspective. What IS personality?. Write a definition of what YOU think personality means. What IS personality?. Personality is a hypothetical construct! We can never observe one

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AS Psychology The Core studies

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  1. AS PsychologyThe Core studies Individual Differences approach& Psychodynamic perspective

  2. What IS personality? • Write a definition of what YOU think personality means...

  3. What IS personality? • Personality is a hypothetical construct! • We can never observe one • We can only infer personality from behaviour

  4. What IS personality? • Personality is not a THING but can only be inferred from how we interact with other people and generally deal with the world

  5. What IS personality? • Baron & Byrne (1991) • Personality is … • ……the combination of those relatively enduring TRAITS which influence behaviour in a predictable way in a variety of situations…...

  6. Trait theories of personality.. • EYSENCK (1953) • The INTROVERT personality • A typical introvert is quiet, retiring, introspective, fond of books rather than of people, reserved & distant...

  7. Trait theories of personality.. • EYSENCK (1953) • The EXTROVERT personality • A typical extrovert is sociable, likes parties, has many friends, needs people to talk to, craves excitement, and likes change…

  8. The BIOLOGICAL basis for personality • EYSENCK.. Biological differences in nervous systems • Extroverts have STRONG nervous systems which tend to DAMP down incoming sensory data - thus they are UNDER AROUSED and need to ‘arouse themselves’ with activity’ • Introverts have SENSITIVE nervous systems which AMPLIFY incoming sensory data, thus they need to ‘reduce sensory input’...

  9. Personality traits... • Does the EYSENCK theory of a biological basis for personality predict • STABLE personality traits? • VARIABLE personality traits? • This is a reductionist theory of personality • What do we mean by ‘reductionist’

  10. Freud ‘s psychodynamic theory of personality The tripartite structure of personality ID EGO SUPEREGO

  11. The THREE faces of EVE A case study multiple personality disorder Thigpen & Cleckley (1954)

  12. The THREE faces of EVE • This is a case study • and • a record of a therapeutic process

  13. The THREE faces of EVE • Who were Thigpen & Cleckley? • They were psychiatrists • (medically qualified) • Their paper was published in the Journal of abnormal & social psychology (1954)

  14. The THREE faces of EVE • Who was EVE? • A 25 year old woman who was referred • because of her SEVERE & BLINDING HEADACHES and spells of amnesia • Thigpen & Cleckley tested her with • Psychometric tests, projective tests,

  15. The THREE faces of EVE • In the initial interviews (EVE WHITE) • EVE complained of (symptoms) • Blinding Headaches • Blackouts • Marital Problems • Personal problems

  16. The THREE faces of EVE • What was EVE WHITE like? • IQ score 110 • memory - excellent • repressive personality • conservative, shy, dutiful • loving wife and mother

  17. The THREE faces of EVE • THEN WHAT HAPPENED? • EVE WHITE • EVE showed amnesia for a recent trip and was HYPNOTISED in order to restore her memory

  18. The THREE faces of EVE • THEN WHAT HAPPENED? • FIRST SIGN OF SOMETHING ODD! • A letter arrived which was written in two kinds of handwriting!

  19. The THREEfaces of EVE The letter is objective evidence

  20. The THREE faces of EVE • What did EVE say about the letter? • She denied writing it, though she did say she had begun a letter which she had not finished

  21. The THREE faces of EVE • What happened then? • Eve became distressed and asked • “whether hearing voices in her head meant she was insane” • she said that she had heard a voice in her head speaking to her

  22. The THREE faces of EVE • This was a critical interview • Several times she put her hands to her head as if in pain • AND THEN...

  23. The THREE faces of EVE • THE TRANSFORMATION! • EVE WHITE CHANGED and became EVE BLACK! • 1st ‘alter-ego?

  24. The THREE faces of EVE • THE TRANSFORMATION! • The therapist noted • A quick reckless smile…”HI DOC” • Eve White now displayed • a childishly daredevil air • an erotic glance • even her sitting posture changed • Eve White became Eve Black

  25. The THREE faces of EVE • What was EVE BLACK like? • IQ score 104 • memory - poor • regressive personality • childish, extrovert, mischievous • denied being a wife & mother

  26. The THREE faces of EVE • The therapy lasted 14 months and 100 hours of interviews • Eve Black would sometimes ‘appear’ but could only be CALLED OUT under hypnosis

  27. The THREE faces of EVE • Eve White was not aware of Eve Black • Eve Black was aware of Eve White • Eve Black had existed since childhood • Eve Black - “would emerge, would behave badly and then retreat and let Eve White take the blame…(parents verified incidents)

  28. The THREE faces of EVE • How T & C described Eve Black • “childish, irresponsible & shallow • “seeking pleasure & excitement • “denied marriage to EW’s husband • whom she despised • “denied relationship with EW’s daughter

  29. The THREE faces of EVE • Did her family not notice ANYTHING odd • When they observed EB they put her harshness & aggression down to ‘occasional temper tantrums in a normally gentle woman

  30. How did the therapists measure the variables of personality? • Personality tests (psychometric tests) • Rorschach ink blot tests • EW = repressive (FREUD) • EB = regressive (FREUD) • Electroencephalograms (EEG) to record brain activity)

  31. How did the therapists measure the variables of personality? Rorschach ink blot test = a projective test • Discussion: • What do you see? • Is what you see a projection of your unconscious mind? • Is this a quantitative or qualitative measure? • How valid is this measure?

  32. How did the therapists measure the variables of personality? Thematic Apperception Test = a projective test • Write a storyline for the pic: • What has been happening? • What is happening? • What will happen? • Is your story a projection of your unconscious fears/desires? • How valid is this measure?

  33. As treatment progressed • EW headaches recurred & got worse • Blackouts increased • Both EW & EW denied awareness in these blackouts • EW state of mind deteriorated • (confinement was considered) • THEN WHAT HAPPENED!!

  34. Another personality appears! • A THIRD personality • who called herself JANE • JANE had full awareness of EW and EB • Neither EW nor EB were aware of JANE

  35. What did Thigpen & Cleckley do? • All THREE personalities were tested by electroencephalogram • clear differences were recorded • therapy continued to treat all THREE women in the ONE body

  36. The decision of Thigpen & Cleckley • Jane seemed to be • the person most likely • to bring a solution • to the troubled mind • She was increasingly dominant over the other personalities

  37. The moral dilemma (ethics) • They noted the moral problem re: • the problem of killing one or more of the personalities

  38. Other explanations? • Was the woman a very good actress • (were T & C conned?) • Was the woman psychotic (schizophrenic?) • Could the hypnotism have caused the multiple personality effect?

  39. What did T & C conclude? • They did wonder whether they had become so involved that they ‘lost their sense of judgement and over dramatised the case’ • They remain convinced that they witnessed a case of multiple personality • Note: A film was made!

  40. Another strange case The multiple personalities of SYBIL (see SCHREIBER 1973)

  41. Back to the question? • What do we mean by personality? • Is personality a stable trait? • What do we mean by • not like himself/herself • s/he’s a changed person • acting out of character

  42. The Three faces of Eve - postscript • In 1975 a woman came forward and said SHE was EVE White • said she had experienced many other personalities both before therapy and since (22 in all) • that the fragmentation of her personality had been to protect herself from ‘unbearable experiences’

  43. Ethical problems • Killing one/more of the personalities - who should decide this? • Making a film for profit - who benefits & what about patient confidentiality? • During the treatment Eve White got worse • ‘Who’ gives informed consent for the treatment procedures ?

  44. Ethical problems • Which personality do you think T & C approved of most? • Might there be a ‘culture & gender bias issue here? Were their judgements biased by the ‘social norms’ of the 1950s

  45. Questions you should be able to answer • What were the similarities & differences between Eve White and Eve Black? • What is the main difference between multiple personality disorder & schizophrenia? • What problems with the case study method does this study highlight? • What factor(s) may have influenced their diagnosis?

  46. A question to think about • If Eysenck’s theory of biological basis for personality is CORRECT could Eve have had multiple personalities? • Note: These days MPD is called DID ! Disassociative Identity Disorder

  47. Multiple Personality Disorder • Frequency distribution • 14 cases between 1944 - 1969 • 50 cases in the 1970s ! (6 by Sybil’s therapist) • even more in the 1980s (an epidemic) • the rise & fall correlates with the impact of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory • MOSTLY in the USA

  48. The three faces of Eve • There is NO universally accepted definition even among psychiatrists in the USA • Read the study & read up about HYPNOTISM – is this an altered state of consciousness or an extreme case of demand characteristics? • Draw up a table of similarities and differences between EW, EB and Jane

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