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Unit Ten:

Unit Ten:. Personality. What is Personality?. Definition A relatively enduring set of behavioral, emotional and mental characteristics remains relatively stable over time makes each of us unique. Begin Lec. 1 Guide. Enduring Issues in Psychology. Nature vs. Nurture

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Unit Ten:

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  1. Unit Ten: Personality

  2. What is Personality? • Definition • A relatively enduring set of behavioral, emotional and mental characteristics • remains relatively stable over time • makes each of us unique Begin Lec. 1 Guide

  3. Enduring Issues in Psychology • Nature vs. Nurture • Is personality genetically encoded or learned?

  4. Enduring Issues in Psychology • Unconscious or Conscious? • Do you know why you do what you do?

  5. Enduring Issues in Psychology • Fixed vs. Situational • Is personality stable or does it change from situation to situation?

  6. Sigmund Freud Background • Victorian Era • A time of repression • Rigid gender roles - separate spheres for males and females • Clothing restricted movement and covered head to toe • Rumors said people were even scandalized by bare table and piano legs! Queen Victoria of England

  7. Sigmund Freud Background • Personal History • Remarriage of his father • Older half-brothers • Young, doting mother • “Golden Sigi” • Favored over his other siblings ABOVE: Freud and his Dad. BELOW: Freud and his Mom

  8. Sigmund Freud Three Main Beliefs • Childhood experiences determine the adult personality • Unconscious mental processes influence everyday behavior • Conflict causes most human behavior

  9. Sigmund Freud 3-Part Theory of Personality Structure DO IT NOW! • Part 1: The Id • Born with this intact • Governed by “Pleasure Principle” • Houses unconscious drives of sex (libido) and aggression • Selfish, irrational, seeks instant gratification

  10. Sigmund Freud 3-Part Theory of Personality Structure • Part 2: The Superego • Develops during childhood (6 years) • Governed by “Judicial” or “Moral Principle” • The internalized parent • Seeks to do what is right and good (conscience) • Causes us to feel guilty for our desires/id impulses Behave!

  11. Sigmund Freud 3-Part Theory of Personality Structure • Part 3: The Ego • Develops during childhood (6 months) • Governed by “Reality Principle” • Seeks to gratify Id urges at an appropriate time • Inherits inevitable anxiety produced by Id-Superego conflict ?

  12. Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious • Dream Interpretation • Dreams allow unconscious urges to leak out • Dreams allow unconscious wishes to be fulfilled in a safe way • Dreams are symbolic and may be interpreted

  13. Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious • “Slip of the tongue” • AKA “Freudian Slip” • Your unconscious thoughts leak out and you say something you did not mean to

  14. Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious • Free Association • Freudian therapeutic technique • Say whatever comes to mind without censorship • Unconscious comes to the surface

  15. Sigmund Freud Evidence for Existence of the Unconscious S’up. • “Tip of the Iceberg” • Freudian saying that implies we are unaware of most of what motivates us • What is conscious is just the “tip of the iceberg” • A LOT more is beneath the surface What we are aware of at any given time. What we can easily retrieve What we are unaware of and is deeply buried

  16. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages • Oral Stage (0-1.5) • Erogenous Zone=Mouth • Libido satisfied by breast feeding • Major conflict: weaning • Failure to resolve the issue leads to an oral fixation • Suck/chew things for security • Smoking, obsessive eating, nail biting, pen chewing, drinking • Sarcasm, aggressiveness

  17. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages • Anal Stage (1.5-3) • Erogenous Zone=Anus • Libido satisfied by defecating • Major conflict: toilet training • Failure to resolve the issue leads to an anal fixation • Anal Retentive - tightly controlled, OCD, fear of dirt, obsessed with punctuality • Anal Expulsive - messy, disorganized, rebellious, overly giving, obsession with bathroom humor I refuse!

  18. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages HA! WT*!! • Phallic Stage (4-6) BOYS • Erogenous Zone=Penis • Libido satisfied by genital stimulation • Oedipus Complex • Boy desires mother, wants to eliminate father • Resolved through castration anxiety, where boy fears father will find out about his plan and cut “it” off • Boy relinquishes desire for mom and befriends dad out of fear Uh-oh AHA!!

  19. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages WHAT!? Take That! • Phallic Stage (4-6) GIRLS • Erogenous Zone=Clitoris • Libido satisfied by genital stimulation • Oedipus Complex • Resolved FAST due to PENIS ENVY • Girl then seeks penis through father during Electra Complex • Girl resolves this by replacing her desire for a penis with her desire for a baby and plays with dolls

  20. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages • Phallic Stage (4-6) • Major conflict: relinquishing desire for opposite sex parent • Failure to resolve the issue leads to fixation • Excessive masturbation, overly flirtatious • Excessive modesty, or excessively timid • Overly proud • Promiscuous

  21. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages • Latency (7-11) • Erogenous Zone=NONE • Child goes to school • Sexual feelings repressed • Child develops academic, social and extracurricular skills • Typically plays in same-sex play groups

  22. Sigmund Freud The Psychosexual Stages Hi, I’m your dad! • Genital (puberty on) • Erogenous Zone=Penis/Vagina • Begins when child hits puberty/sexual maturity • Normal sexual relationships occur at this stage No he’s not.

  23. Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms • The inevitable conflict between id and superego produces anxiety. • This anxiety is inherited by the ego, which uses the defense mechanisms to better manage it.

  24. Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms • Denial (Negation) • Refusal to acknowledge a painful reality • Repression • Unpleasant thoughts are excluded from consciousness; “motivated forgetting” • Projection • Attributing one’s own feelings, motives, or wishes to others • Identification • Taking on the characteristics of other to avoid feeling incompetent • Regression • Reverting to childlike behavior • Rationalization • Making up a logical explanation for an emotionally painful event rather than dealing with the pain

  25. Sigmund Freud The Defense Mechanisms • Intellectualization • Thinking about stressful problems in an abstract way to detach oneself from them • Reaction formation • Expression of exaggerated ideas and emotions that are opposite of true feelings • Displacement • Shift repressed motives from an original object to a substitute object • Sublimation • Redirecting repressed motives and feelings into socially acceptable activities • Undoing • After-the-fact defense mechanism involving “making up” for guilt-producing actions

  26. Neo Freudians General Themes • The Neo-Freudians were a group of psychologists who followed Freud’s teachings and were often his best and brightest students. • They eventually had some minor disagreements with Freud about his theory, and developed theories of their own. • Freud had little patience for these dissenters, and quickly kicked them to the curb. Begin Lec. 2 Guide

  27. Neo Freudians Alfred Adler • He was the younger, “weaker” son in his family • Inferiority was the key to understanding personality • Inferiority complex • Fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that can lead to emotional and social paralysis • Fictional Finalism • Setting long-term goals that may never be reached, but help you to achieve a sense of satisfaction along the way

  28. Neo Freudians Alfred Adler • Birth Order • Oldest • Middle • Youngest • Only • Dethronement • When the next child is born, the older one is forced to share parental attention • Compensation • Our efforts to win back parental love after dethronement

  29. Neo Freudians Karen Horney (Horn-EYE!) • One of the first female psychoanalysts to study with Freud. • Got divorced to pursue her career – rare at the time! • Viewed anxiety as a powerful motivating force • Environmental and social factors important seen as being as important as unconscious sexual conflict

  30. Neo Freudians Karen Horney • Developed Coping Mechanisms to deal with insecurity (inferiority, break ups, overwhelmed at work, school, etc.) • All people use these; Neurotics are exercise them in an extreme way. • Compliance – moving toward others • Aggression – moving against others • Withdrawal – moving away from others

  31. Compliance: Moving Toward People • 1. The need for affection and approval; pleasing others and being liked by them. • 2. The need for a partner; one who can love and solve all problems. • 3. The need to restrict life practices to within narrow borders; to live as inconspicuous a life as possible (to fit in).

  32. Aggression: Moving Against People • 4. The need for power; the ability to bend wills and achieve control over others—while most persons seek strength, the neurotic may be desperate for it. • 5. The need to exploit others; to get the better of them. To become manipulative, fostering the belief that people are there simply to be used. • 6. The need for social recognition; prestige and limelight. • 7. The need for personal admiration; for both inner and outer qualities to be valued. • 8. The need for personal achievement; though virtually all persons wish to make achievements, as with No. 4, the neurotic may be desperate for achievement.

  33. Withdrawal: Moving Away from People • 9. The need for self sufficiency and independence; while most desire some autonomy, the neurotic may simply wish to discard other individuals entirely. • 10. Lastly, the need for perfection; while many are driven to perfect their lives in the form of well being, the neurotic may display a fear of being slightly flawed.

  34. Karen Horney (cont.) To be clear: • Neurotic trends come from the inability to adapt successfully to environment (and accept and adapt to anxieties) • This anxiety that cannot be managed may seek expression in • exaggeration of coping mechanism and/or • a disguised response or symptom • OCD tendencies (constant washing, counting), phobias (can’t leave the house), personality disorders, tics, psychosis (The Aviator?) etc.

  35. Neo Freudians Carl Jung • One of Freud’s best students – his “surrogate son” • Freud was said to have fainted in his presence several times! • Believed in the collective unconscious, in addition to the personal unconscious • Collective unconscious was comprised of archetypes

  36. Neo Freudians Erik Erikson • Another of Freud’s best students and biggest advocates • Strayed from Freud’s theory due to disagreement with the psychosexual stages • Erikson believed in the psychosocial stages which involved a series of conflicts that lasted throughout the entire lifespan • Trust vs. mistrust • Autonomy vs. shame and doubt • Initiative vs. guilt • Industry vs. inferiority • Identity vs. role confusion • Intimacy vs. isolation • Generativity vs. stagnation • Ego integrity vs. despair

  37. Refresher: Psychodynamic Theories of Personality • According to psychodynamic theories, what drives personality and human behavior? • What are some methods that Freud employed to uncover this? • Dream analysis, Free association- Can tell us about the unconscious, but don’t “assess”

  38. Uncovering the Unconscious:Psychodynamic Assessments • According to Freud, what is projection? • With this in mind, how might you develop a method by which a person “projects” in order to assess their unconscious?

  39. Uncovering the Unconscious:Psychodynamic Assessments • Projective tests • Ambiguous stimuli presented to subject/client • Open-ended – no “correct” answer • Answers are interpreted by therapist for underlying meaning (beliefs, motives) • Preferred by psychodynamic theorists to “unleash the unconscious” by bypassing defense mechanisms (may bury info) • Examples • Rorschach test • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

  40. Rorschach Test • Hermann Rorschach – Psychodiagnostik1921 • “Blotto”- Interesting answers? • Most commonly used P.T. (Behind MMPI- (Minn. Multiphasic Pers. Inv.) • 10 inkblots – 5 color, 5 black/white • Subjects describe all 10 inkblots • Examiner then goes through cards again and asks questions for clarification/detail • Provides subject with considerable freedom to respond

  41. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) • Henry Murray - 1935 • Examiner chooses 10 cards with ambiguous black-and-white drawings of people in various emotional, yet undetailed situations • Have psychodynamic undertones (i.e. aggression) • Subjects must tell a story about each card • Results analyzed based on need for achievement, affiliation, and aggression • Heroes, needs, themes and outcomes of the stories provide insight

  42. Experience the Tests • “Administration” vs. “Interpretation” • Take the TAT test and have a partner “interpret” results using psychodynamic concepts!!

  43. Assessing Psychodynamic Theories of Personality • Strengths • Early experiences shape personality and these should be studied from a developmental perspective • Human emotion and motivation are important in understanding personality • Concept of the unconscious is emphasized • Useful therapeutic techniques • Criticisms • Lack reliability and validity (recent attempts to standardize interpretations have resulted in more support) • Subjective • Pessimistic (drives are determined during childhood) • Today, common results are posted online- biased results

  44. Early Applications • Projective tests were once used for diagnosing psychological disorders • Rorschach intended it to be used for schizophrenic diagnoses, not projective testing • Example: • John Wayne Gacy • Murdered 33 boys in Chicago in 1970s • Interviewed and given Projective Personality Assessments to determine existence of mental illness • Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer • Ewing and Cahill

  45. Modern Applications Rorschach • Exner’sComprehensive System of scoring • How much of the inkblot is referenced, story that is told, level of detail (i.e. Form, Movement, Color) • Personality Assessment- Insight into underlying motivations of person’s current issues and behaviors • Forensic Psychology TAT • Personality assessment, Personality disorders, thought disorders, crime suspect evaluation, high-stress occupation screenings • Also used internationally (France, Argentina, India)

  46. Other Projective Techniques(Provide interesting insight into personality, but lack reliability or clinical purpose) • House, Tree, Person • Draw and describe each • Word Association • Mother, Father, Sex • Complete the sentence • A best friend _______ • Mothers ___________ • My worst experience was __________________. • Next time you gaze at the clouds to determine a shape, think of what you may be projecting!!

  47. Humanistic Theories • As you already know, these theories stress the potential for human goodness and the natural desire to achieve personal goals • Unlike psychodynamic theories, humanistic theories give individuals the power to control their own destiny • Representatives include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers Begin Lec. 3 Guide

  48. Humanistic TheoriesAbraham Maslow

  49. Humanistic TheoriesCarl Rogers • Behavior is goal-directed and worthwhile • Positive Regard • Conditional – you are only loved when you conform to others’ wishes • Unconditional – you are loved no matter what choices you make • Positive regard impacts personality and happiness • Real self – what you really are • Ideal self – what you want to be • Should have some overlap – you will if you get unconditional positive regard! REAL SELF IDEAL SELF REAL SELF IDEAL SELF

  50. Trait and Type Theories • Personality is best explained in terms of descriptive adjectives and categories comprised of related qualities • Earliest of all types of personality theories • Representatives include Hippocrates and Galen, Allport and Eysenck

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