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Introduction to Personality

Personality Psychology. Introduction to Personality. Personality Defined. Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that is organized and relatively enduring and that influences his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the environment.

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Introduction to Personality

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  1. Personality Psychology Introduction to Personality

  2. Personality Defined • Personality is the set of • psychological traits and mechanisms • within the individual • that is organized and relatively enduring and • that influences his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the environment.

  3. Personality Defined • Personality is a • dynamic organization, • inside the person, • of psychophysical systems that create • the person's characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts and feelings

  4. Personality Defined This definition makes several points: Personality • has organization • is active, it has processes of some sort • is a psychological concept, but is tied to the physical body • is a causal force…it helps determine how the person relates to the world • shows up in patterns…it has consistency • is displayed in many ways (Carver, Scheier, Allport)

  5. What is a Theory? Theory Defined • A theory is a model of reality that helps us to understand, explain, predict, and control that reality. • A theory is a set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses.

  6. A Good Theory A useful theory must • Generate Research - both descriptive research and hypothesis testing, • Be Falsifiable; that is, research findings should be able to either support or refute the theory, • Organize Data into an intelligible framework and integrate new information into its structure; • Guide Action, or provide the practitioner with a road map for making day-to-day decisions; • Be Internally Consistent and have a set of operational definitions; and • Be Parsimonious, or as simple as possible.

  7. Why Different Theories? • Psychologists and other scientists generate a variety of theories because they have different life experiences and different ways of looking at the same data. • Different theories may useful in different situations.

  8. Major Questions a Personality Theory Attempts to Answer • Developmental-Historical Question • How did the person come to behave as he or she does now? What were the causes or the beginnings of the person? • Predictions-Consistency Question • Will this person behave similarly in similar situations at a later time? • Uniqueness-Generality Question • When are we unique and when are we the same? • Content/Process • "Personality is something that does something" Allport.

  9. Pitfall of Theories • Ethnocentrism • Egocentrism • Dogmatism • Misunderstandings • Evidence (Lack of)

  10. Basic Assumptions Concerning Human Nature • Heredity … Environment (?) • Free Will … Determinism (?) • Optimistic (Changeability) … Pessimistic (Unchangeability) (?) • Uniqueness …Universality • Physiological … Purposive Motivation • (Homeostasis … Heterostasis) • Unconsciousness … Conscious • Proactivity (Personal) … Reactivity (Situation) • Stage (Discontinuous) … Non Stage Theory (Continuous) • Early … Late Experience • Holism … Elementalism (Reductionism) • Cultural Determinism … Cultural Transcendence

  11. Summary • Theories serve as a guide for researchers • Theories organize known findings • Theories allow us to make predictions • Theories are more than just beliefs • Theory and research are bound together

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