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Personality

Personality. Defining Personality. From persona , meaning “mask” An individual’s distinct and relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, feelings, motives, and behaviors Traits vs. states. Search for the building blocks of personality--reductionism.

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Personality

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  1. Personality

  2. Defining Personality • From persona, meaning “mask” • An individual’s distinct and relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, feelings, motives, and behaviors • Traits vs. states

  3. Search for the building blocks of personality--reductionism

  4. How many “basic units” of personality are necessary?

  5. Two historical proposals (non-empirical)

  6. Galen (A.D. 130-200) • black bile Melancholy (sadness); • yellow bile  choleric (anger); • Phlegm  phlegmatic (apathetic) • Blood -> sanguine (overly hopeful, excitable) • Sheldon (endomorphs, ectomorphs, mesomorphs)

  7. Modern, empirical approaches:Rely heavily on factor analysis

  8. Hans Eysenck (1952) • Extraversion-introversion • Neuroticism-stability • Psychoticism-nonpsychoticism

  9. Raymond Cattell (1950)

  10. Problems with Cattell’s and Eysenck’s approach

  11. “Big Five” theory

  12. Questions about the predictive value of personality traits • Stability personality measures over time • Patterns of change in personality with age

  13. Relationship of Personality Measures with Actual Behavior • Neuroticism • Extraversion • Openness to experience • Agreeableness • Conscientiousness

  14. Genetic foundations of personality traits • Heritability of traits • A surprising challenge to a strong “nurture” (environment) view • Single genes?

  15. Personality as Adaptation to Life Conditions • Advantages of being different from one another • Sibling contrast • Influence of birth order • Sulloway (1996) • Historical analysis of scientists • Firstborns: • More conscientious, support status quo

  16. Gender differences • By far, strongest evidence: • Agreeableness • Other differences are smaller and/or harder to interpret • Examples • Where do gender differences come from? • Evolutionary-based theories • Culturally-based theories

  17. Psychonanalytic TheorySigmund Freud

  18. Fundamental Assumptions: 1. Basic Instincts - Sex and Aggression • mind like a dynamic hydraulic system • 2 innate forces: lidido (life, sex) thanatos (death, aggression)

  19. Assumptions (cont’d): 2. Unconscious Motivation Human mind consists of 3 parts: conscious preconscious unconscious

  20. Assumptions (cont’d): 3. Psychic Determinism - nothing happens by chance - case of Anna O.

  21. Structure of Personality3 components: 1. Id • present at birth • operates according to “pleasure-principle”

  22. Structure of Personality (cont’d) 2. Ego • develops in 2-3 years • operates according to the “reality-principle”

  23. Structure of Personality (cont’d) 3. Superego • develops around age 5 • our “conscience”

  24. Defense Mechanisms • Repression - process of preventing unacceptable thoughts, feelings, urges from reaching conscious awareness - “repressed memories” of childhood

  25. Denial Displacement Rationalization Reaction Formation Projection Sublimation Other Defense MechanismsAnna Freud

  26. Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development 1. Oral Stage • birth - 18 months • source of pleasure is mouth • main conflict: weaning Adult personality?

  27. Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development 2. Anal Stage • 18 months - 3 years • source of pleasure is anal sphincter • main conflict: toilet training, control Adult personality?

  28. Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development 3. Phallic Stage • 3 - 5 years • source of pleasure are genitals • main conflict: • Oedipal - for boys • Electra complex - for girls

  29. Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development 4. Latency Stage • 6 years - puberty • little development or conflict during this time • personality was developed by age 6

  30. Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development 5. Genital Stage • puberty through adulthood • libido is focused on genitals, not self-manipulation

  31. Criticisms of Freudian Theory • more of a belief system, than scientific • nature of evidence - case studies • emphasis on sexual drives in childhood • emphasis on aggressive drives • personality is developed by age 6

  32. Contributions of Freudian Theory • comprehensive theory of human nature • defense mechanisms has some validity • role of the unconscious • importance of childhood development • popularized Psychology

  33. Humanistic Theories(Rogers & Maslow) 1. role of choice in life 2. human need for growth and realization of one’s potential self-actualization

  34. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

  35. perception of reality acceptance of self and others spontaneity problem focus independent of culture affinity for solitude freshness of appreciation peak experiences desire to help human race deep ties to few people democratic values discriminate means and ends philosophical sense of humor creativity resist enculturation Characteristics of “Self-actualized”

  36. NEO Personality Inventory- Revised (Costa & McCrae, 1989) • I have frequent mood swings. (N) • I don’t find it easy to take charge of a situation. (E) • I enjoy trying new and foreign foods (O) • Most people I know like me. (A) • I keep my belongings neat and clean. (C)

  37. I. Are Personality Traits Stable over Time?

  38. Stability in Adulthood • Personality consistency with increasing age: teenage years +.47 during 20’s +.57 during 30’s +.62 during 50’s +.75

  39. Some change in Big Five:

  40. Twin Studies: Heritability Minnesota Twin Studies identical twins were more similar than fraternal twins - regardless of whether they were reared together or apart.

  41. III. Are there biological substrates of personality traits? Eysenck (1967) • Difference in levels of activity in ascending reticular activating system in introverts vs. extroverts

  42. Geen (1984) study • previous groups of I’s and E’s chose optimum noise level for task (E - 72 dbl. I - 55 dbl.) • introverts and extroverts learn difficult memory task under noise conditions 1. Introverts with I noise level 2. Extroverts with E noise level 3. Introverts with E noise level 4. Extroverts with I noise level

  43. Results:

  44. New Trends: Health and Personality • Classic Example: Type A and heart disease • Type A Personality: • competitive achievement motivation • time urgency • hostility

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