PSYCH 333 - Personality Theory

Midterm #1

factor analysis

a mathematical procedure for reducing a large number of variables to a few

• used by Eysenck and others to identify personality traits and factors

Factor Loadings

the degree of correlation that a score contributes to a given factor

unipolar traits

traits with only one pole; those traits scared from zero to some large amount

bipolar traits

traits with two poles; those traits scaled from a minus point to a positive point, with zero representing the midpoint

orthogonal rotation

a method of rotating the axes in factor analysis that assumes the independence of primary factors

oblique rotation

a method of rotating the axes in factor analysis that assumes some intercorrelation among primary factors

Five Factor Model

• Neuroticism

• Extraversion

• Openness to experience

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

Basic tendencies

the universal raw material of personality capabilities and dispositions that are generally inferred rather than observed

• includes the five major personality traits

characteristic tendencies

acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environment

• habits, skills, beliefs, attitudes, relationships, goals

• self-concept - the knowledge, views, and evaluations of the self

peripheral components (3)

1. biological basis - biological mechanisms influence basic tendencies, including genes, hormones, and brain structure

2. objective biography - all experiences of a person across the lifespan (everything a person does, feels, thinks)

3. external influences - the contextual demands that we respond to

postulates for basic tendencies (4)

1. individuality - stipulates that adults have a unique set of traits, and that each person exhibits a unique combination of trait patterns

2. origin - stipulates that all personality traits are results of solely endogenous (internal) forces, such as genetics, hormones, brain structure

3. development - stipulates that traits develop and change through childhood, but slows in adolescence, and all but stops by mid-adulthood (28 years-old)

4. structure - stipulates that traits are organized hierarchically from narrow to broad and general

postulates for characteristic adaptations (3)

1. environmental approach - stipulates that we adapt our behaviour to our environment

2. maladjustment - stipulates that our responses are not always consistent with personal goals or cultural values

3. plasticity - stipulates that basic traits may change over time in response to biological maturation, changes in the environment, or deliberate interventions

personal consistency

FFT suggests that personality is relatively stable and consistent across lifespan

personality change

making intentional changes to out personality appears to be very difficult, and whirr changes in personality do occur, seem to come about by drastic changes in life-circumstances or brain functioning

• moving abroad (increases agreeableness)

• Phineas Gage

personality disorders

an enduring pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the expectation of the individuals culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an set in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment

Cluster A: Odd / Eccentric Disorders

1. schizoid Personality disorder

2. schizotypal personality disorder

3. paranoid personality disorder

Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic disorders

1. antisocial personality disorder (psychopaths, gender difference)

2. borderline personality disorder

3. histrionic personality disorder (histeria)

4. narcissistic personality disorder

Cluster C: Anxious and Fearful Disorders

1. avoidant personality disorder

2. dependant personality disorder

3. obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

consistency paradox

Mischel’s term for the observation that clinical intuition and the perceptions of people suggest that behaviour is consistent, whereas research finds that it is NOT

fundamental attribution error

often overestimate traits and underestimate environmental factors when describing some one else while doing the reverse when about ourselves

encoding strategies

peoples way of transforming stimulus inputs into information about themselves, other people, and the world

competencies

peoples cognitive and behavioural construction of what they can and cannot do based on their observations of the world, themselves, and others

self-regulating strategies

techniques used to control ones own behaviour through self-imposed goals and self-produced consequences

Psychoanalysis

theory of personality, approach to psychotherapy, and method of investigation

histeria

a mental disorder marked by the conversion of repressed psychical elements into somatic symptoms, such as impotency, paralysis, or blindness when no physiological bases for these symptoms exist

catharsis

the process of removing or lessoning psychological disorders by talking about ones problems

seduction theory

histeria is rooted in some experience of childhood, either sexual abuse or sexual experience

unconscious

all those mental elects of which a person is unaware

preconscious

mental elements that are currently not in awareness, but that can become conscious with varying degrees of difficulty

conscious

those mental elements in awareness at any given time

Id

the region of personality that is alien to the ego because it includes experiences that have never been owned by the person (is the home of all instincts, and sole function is the pursuit of pleasure)

• pleasure Principle - a reference to the motivation of the Id to seek immediate reduction of tension through the gratification of instinctual drives

Ego

refers to the “I'“ or those experiences that are owned (not necessarily consciously) by the person

• serves the reality principle

• Reality principle - refers to the egos need to arbitrate realistically between the demands of the Id, the superego, and the external world

Superego

the moral/ethical process of personality (has two subsystems)

1. conscience - the part of the superego that results from experiences with punishment, and tells a person what is wrong or improper conduct

2. ego-ideal - the part of the superego that results from experiences with reward, and teaches a person what is right or proper conduct

Each drive is made up of 4 parts:

1. tension

2. libido

3. agression

4. anxiety

Part of tension

• Cathexis - the investment/attachment of some psychical energy to an idea, a group or ideas, a part of the body, an object, a person, etc.

1. impetus (pressure) - the force/intensity of instinctual demands of the drive (the amount of force being exerted)

2. source - physiological origin of that instinct (part of the body that is excited/tense/etc.)

3. aim - altus the same for either drive, to achieve a release of tension or gratification

4. object - person/thing/idea that serves as a target for the drive to find satisfaction

Parts of Libido

1. Narcissism - has two forms: primary (seen in infants with self-absorption to have own needs met) and secondary (in adolescence, puberty redirected to self love, appearance, etc.)

2. Love - investing libido energy into something/someone else (aim inhibited when original aim is transformed)

3. Sadism - pleasure by hurting other people

4. Masochism - pleasure from pain and hurting ourselves

Aggression

the outward manifestation of the death instinct

• death and destruction

Anxiety +

a felt, affective, unpleasant state accompanies by the physical sensation of uneasiness

1. Neurotic anxiety - unknown danger but we aren’t in a potentially dangerous situation, connected early on to unconscious feelings towards authority figures, a warning bell and persistent unease that we don’t acknowledge, stemming from the Id

2. Moral anxiety - conflict between the superego and the ego, experiences when not living up to our morals/acting in an immoral way (slippage of who we are)

3. Realistic anxiety - non-specific but involves a possible danger, what the ego produces pertaining to the real world

Defence Mechanisms

techniques whereby the ego defends itself against the pain or anxiety

1. repression

2. reaction formation

3. displacement

4. regression

5. projection

6. introjection

7. sublimation

repression

the forcing of unwanted, anxiety laden experiences into the unconscious

reaction formation

a person represses one impulse and adopts the exact opposite form of behaviour (usually exaggerated)

• EX/ being homosexual but expressing homophobic behaviours

displacement (defence mechanism)

unwanted urges are redirected into other objects or people in order to disguise the original impulse

• EX/ their boss always yells at them so the lash out at family members instead

regression

a person returns to an earlier stage of development in order to protect the ego against anxiety

• EX/ reversion in toilet training if they have a younger sibling (earlier way of being cared for)

projection

the ego reduces anxiety by attributing an unwanted impulse to another person

• EX/ someone who feels self-hatred instead believes everyone else doesn’t like them

introjection

people incorporate (usually positive) qualities of another person into their ego

• EX/ reflected glory of another (a fan saying “we won that game”)

sublimation

the repression on the genital aim of Eros and its substitution by a cultural/social aim

• EX/ substituting libido with art/writing/reading/sports

Infantile period

the first 4-5 years of life, characterized by autoerotic or pleasure-seeking behaviours and consist of the oral, anal, and phallic substages

Oral Phase

the earliest stage of the infantile period characterized by attempts to gain pleasure through the activities of the mouth (sucking, eating, biting)

1. Oral-receptive phase - young infant wants to take in objects that provide them pleasure (how they obtain gratification by satisfying their needs)

2. Oral-sadistic phase - still respond through their mouth but respond with more aggression towards context since they develop teeth (can bite, smile, boo, and communicate with mouth gestures)

Anal Phase

the second stage of the infantile period characterized by a Childs attempts ti gain pleasure from excretory function and by such related behaviours as destroying, intentionally losing objects, stubbornness, neatness, and miserliness

1. Early anal period - “terrible 2s”, child is out of control, aggressive drive comes out more stronger than libido drive, aggression directed towards parents

2. Late anal period - child has success in toilet training (and control of their body), start to control that aggression and their behaviour, first moment in life where child can meet expectations of their parents

Phallic Phase

the last stage of the infantile period, occurring from ages 3-6, where a child’s sexual energy centres on their genitalia

Male:

1. oedipus complex - sexual desires for the mother and hostility towards the father

2. castration complex in the form of castration anxiety, shattering the oedipus complex

3. identification with the father

4. strong superego replaces the nearly completely dissolved oedipus complex

Female

1. castration complex in the form of penis envy

2. oedipus complex - sexual desires for the father and hostility towards the mother

3. gradual realization that the oedipal desires are self-defeating

4. identification with the mother

5. weak superego replaces the partially dissolved oedipus complex

Fixations

are NOT a defence mechanism but where we see personality developments and quirks

Oral Fixations

1. Oral Receptive - rooted in under-stimulation in receptive period or inconsistent caregiving/being weened to early; leads to need to be cared for and sustained/fed, clinginess, dependency, and an excessive need for reassurance; behaviourally overeating, smoking, nail biting, taking someones opinion as their own; connected to introjection

2. Oral Sadistic - rooted in frustration in teething moments (ambivalent caregiving/delayed feeding); shows p in biting behaviour and need for control, leading to verbal aggression, sarcasm, cynicism, and exploitative dependancy; behaviourally chewing objects, nail biting, and having an argumentative style; connected to projection or displacement

Anal Fixations

1. Anal Retentive - strict toilet training (parent isn’t warm but critical and punitive), leading child to start withholding or resisting for control by refusing; less to obsessiveness, stinginess, and perfectionism; behaviourally express obsessive orderliness, hoarding, and emotional “constipation”; connected to reaction formation

2. Anal Explosive - overly permissive toilet training/letting the child do whatever they want/not setting enough structure; leads to asserting oneself through causing a mess and disruption; behaviourally disorganized, impulsive, cruel, messiness, and self-sabotaging; connected to displacement

Phallic Fixations

1. Active - rooted in unresolved oedipal complex, creating unbalanced parental relationships that get Brough into other relationships; narcissism, conquering, hyper competitiveness, power through assertion, displayed somewhat differently in gender

2. Passive - excessive repression of health relational interaction from lingering castration anxiety; creating need to be desired/seen/chosen/admired; behaviourally vain, being caught up with ones appearance, hyper sensitivity to rejection, hyper seductiveness, dependancy on validation from others, constant flirting, and gaining power by being wanted/desired

latency period

all libido energy is repressed, the superego has emerged, and young children learn how to sublimate by redirecting libidinal energy towards socially acceptable activities

• learning (school), social relationships, skills

Genital Period

libidinal energy is reawakened by puberty, Turing into mature adult sexual energy that is directed towards other people

• sexual and genital aim have become one (overlap)

Pressure Technique

patient talks about their symptoms and what they’re going through, and then there is a block/resistance, he would put his hands on their forehead and push, saying “he feels more coming to the surface”

Free Association

the therapist instructs the patient to verbalize every though that comes to mind, no matter how irrelevant it may appear

transference

strong thoughts/feelings develop for the therapist (often positive and out of proportion), that don’t get in the way of treatment unless it’s a sexual desire; aren’t actually for the therapist so trying to liberate those feelings

• Negative Transference - negative thoughts/feelings in moments of resistance that aren’t always a bad thing as long as they’re caught (can be addressed and working into the therapy itself)

counter-transference

therapist develops positive or negative feelings towards their client, more often negative

• allowing oneself to be available for the client instead of being caught up in their own feelings

dream analysis

the therapeutic procedure designed to uncover unconscious material by having a patient freely associate to dream images

1. manifest content - surface meaning or conscious description of the dream

2. Latent content - the underlying, unconscious material (what’s really sought after)

wish fulfillment

dreams are always an expression of an unconscious wish

condensation

unconscious content is condensed/abbreviated into a single image

displacement (dream analysis)

idea is disguised by being connected to an unrelated image (something else is standing in for it)

parapraxes

freudian slips such as slips of the tongue, misreading, incorrect hearing, temporary forgetting of names/intentions, and the misplacing of objects, all of which are caused by unconscious wishes