Personality-Psychodynamic+Humanistic Theories

personality

unique attitudes, behaviors, emotions that characterize a person

sigmund freud’s theory

psychoanalytic theory, psychodynamic theory of personality

psychoanalytic theory

people’s behaviors are controlled by unconscious processes, unconscious mind

Id

instincts, propelled by pleasure principle (unconscious mind)

Ego

follows reality principle, negotiate id and superego, partly in conscious and unconscious mind, develops age 2-3

Superego

develops a conscience, develops around age 5, conscious and unconscious mind

part of ego’s job is to

protect conscious mind from bad unconscious thoughts (using defense mechanisms)

defense mechanisms

repression, denial, displacement, projection, reaction formation, regression, rationalization, intellectualization, sublimation

repression defense mechanism

blocking thoughts out from conscious awareness

denial defense mechanism

not accepting the ego threatening truth

displacement defense mechanism

redirecting one’s feelings toward another person or object, less threatening than source of emotion

projection defense mechanism

still believing feelings one has toward someone are requited

reaction formation defense mechanism

expressing opposite of what one feels

regression defense mechanism

returning to an earlier, comforting behavior

rationalization defense mechanism

coming up with beneficial result of an undesirable occurrence

intellectualization defense mechanism

undertaking academic, unemotional study of topic

sublimation defense mechanism

channeling frustration to a diff goal

carl jung

unconscious mind consists of two parts: personal+collective

personal unconsious

painful, threatening memories, complexes (thoughts person does not wish to confront)

collective unconscious

passed down through species and explains similarities we see among cultures

Alfred Adler

focused on the conscious role of ego, believed people are motivated by fear of failure+birth order matters

Inferiority

fear of failure

superiority

desire to achieve

psychodynamic tests

use projective truth-tests asking people to interpret among ambiguous stimuli

rorschach inkblof test

showing people a series of inkblots and asked them to describe what they see

thematic apperception test

several cards, each contain pictures of people in ambiguous situations, thought to project unconscious thoughts

problem with psychodynamic tests

scoring is complicated, unreliable, subjective

humanistic theories of personality

determinism, self concept, self esteem

determinism

belief that what happens is dictated by what has happened in the past

self concept

person’s global feelings about themselves develop through involvement with others, especially parents

self-esteem

sense of self worth, impacted by positive self concept

carl rogers

believed people are motivated to self actualize-reach their full potential

unconditional positive regard

unconditional blanket acceptance