Chapter 8 - Personality

personality

person's reliable pattern of thinking, feeling, and doing

structure

sources (of personality)

function

purpose (of personality and its elements)

origin

source(s) of personality

fundamental assumptions

things that are believed to be true (with regard to personality)

describe

goal 1 of psychology: observing and stating what behaviors are occurring and when

explain

goal 2 of psychology: stating how and why the behaviors are occurring

predict

goal 3 of psychology: stating what is likely to occur and under what conditions

change

goal 4 of psychology: knowing how to control or alter course of behavior

socio-historical perspectives

viewpoint that considers the people and the time during which something occurred

basic elements

minimum core set of characteristics that could be used to describe all personalities

traits

stable attributes of personality

biological evolution

traits evolved in our species over time and exist independent of learning and experience

description

adjectives to quantify personality

evolutionary fitness

each trait involves a trade-off of costs and benefits to the species

levels of consciousness

states of awareness that include the unconscious mind, preconscious mind, and conscious mind

developmental trajectory

one's psyche develops and matures over time, with different focal points and priorities at each level of maturity

levels of consciousness

states of awareness that include the unconscious mind, preconscious mind, and conscious mind

structure of the mind

three parts (id, ego, superego) that correspond to emotional, rational, and ethical aspects respsectively

defense mechanisms

strategies used by the ego to protect the self from the anxiety generated by psychic conflict

psychosexual development

series of distinct stages, with each stage having a bodily focus and developmental theme to be resolved

observe the unseen

assessing the unconscious motivations that determine behavior

innate potential to develop

unless they are somehow thwarted by their environment, people have the inborn capacity to become healthy, productive individuals

actualizing tendency

motivation to preserve and enrich life

metamotivation

"being needs," the desire to grow beyond satisfying basic needs

agentic view of people

perspective that conceptualizes people as being active causal agents

reciprocal determinism

model which suggests that personality is caused by three interacting factors: 1) internal personal factors; 2) behavioral (learning) factors; and 3) environmental factors

usefulness

real, practical value and function in the real world

B = f (P + E + PE)

behavior is best understood as a function of things about the person (inside), things about the environment (outside), and the complex interaction of person and environment

scientific models

representations of reality, not intended to completely replicate reality

determinism

assumption that personality is not freely chosen, but rather is influenced by things beyond our control

free will

assumption that personality is caused by factors within our control and we can choose what our behaviors will be

nature

assumption that personality is hereditary, i.e., influenced by genetic factors

nurture

assumption that personality is learned through experience, i.e. environmetal factors such as culture, family, and neighborhood

dualism

philosophical belief put forth by Plato - humans have not only a physical body but also an immortal soul or mind (psyche)

factor analysis

a mathematical process that identifies how large numbers of individual items (descriptions of behaviors) tend to cluster together in groups

Five Factor Theory

posits that personality is a combination of the five enduring personality characteristics common to everyone

openness

trait of willingness to experience new and different things

conscientiousness

trait of being responsible and disciplined

extraversion

trait of being externally oriented

agreeableness

trait of being cooperative and caring toward other people

neuroticism

trait of experiencing negative emotions, such as anxiety, guilt, sadness, and anger

heritable

traits are transmitted via genes

genetically based

traits are determined by genetic code

behavioral observation

observing the behaviors of people in order to study personality traits

self-report questionnaires

sometimes called surveys or tests, used to measure personality traits

objective tests (NEO-PI)

surveys that require you to choose from a range of responses indicating your agreement with a statement, with a standard way of interpreting responses

psychoanalysis

form of talk therapy where the behaviors of the patient are examined to uncover their personality

conscious

level of consciousness that includes what we experience in our daily lives

preconscious

level of consciousness that contains thoughts we can bring to conscious awareness when we want to

unconscious

store of uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories that are out of our awareness

Eros

life drives

Thanatos

death drives

libido

sexual impulses

id

largest structure of the mind, situated in the unconscious

Pleasure Principle

the id operates under this principle, main motivation is self-gratification

ego

structure of the mind that contains our conscious experience of ourselves and the world, also connected to unconscious

Reality Principle

the ego operates under this principle, main motivation is to navigate reality and keep the self safe from harm

superego

structure of the mind that consists of internalized ideals

Idealistic Principle

the superego operates under this principle, the main motivation is to engage in morally perfect behavior

psychic conflict

occurs when two or more parts of the mind have incompatible urges

denial

refusing to believe that the source of anxiety exists

repression

involuntarily pushing anxiety-inducing cognitions out of awareness

reaction formation

ego instigating behaviors that are the exact opposite of the anxiety-inducing impulse

projection

reduces anxiety by taking uncomfortable impulses off the self and placing them onto others

sublimation

channeling an unacceptable impulse into a socially acceptable and constructive activity

oral stage

birth to 18 months: dependency

anal stage

18 to 36 months: self-control and obedience

phallic stage

3 to 6 years: gender identity

latency stage

age 7 to puberty: no bodily focus or developmental theme

genital stage

puberty to adulthood: creating and enriching life

fixation

act of using too much psychic energy in a particular stage of psychosexual development

psychoanalysis

form of talk therapy where the behaviors of the patient are examined to uncover their personality

free association

where the patient simply says whatever comes to mind, and the analyst interprets the content

dream analysis

unconscious motivations of the id reveal themselves symbolically in dreams that are then interpreted

parapraxis

accidental leakage of the unconscious mind into observable behaviors

Projection Hypothesis

if a person is presented with an ambiguous stimulus to interpret (like an inkblot), the person's personality will be projected onto the stimulus

projective test

tests that rely on the Projective Hypothesis to analyze someone's personality

Jung

student of Freud, disagreed with emphasis on sexuality, expanded on consciousness

collective unconscious

shared, inborn set of ideas and memories specific to each species and inherited at birth

archetypes

universal, shared set of ideas or concepts expressed in a culture's mythology, folklore, art, and literature

self-awareness

ability to understand one's own motivations

free will

assumption that personality is caused by factors within our control and we can choose what our behaviors will be

self-actualization

to become a fully-functioning person who realizes her or his potential

self-concept

perception of the self, includes real self and ideal self

real self

who we would become if unfettered by the demands of the outside world

ideal self

ideal self comes from our environment and those around us, the world's demand of who we "should" be

congruence/incongruence

great deal of overlap between the real self and the ideal self/mismatch between who you are driven to become and what the world is telling you to become

unconditional positive regard

the giving of acceptance and love to a person regardless of her or his behavior

conditions of worth

message that we have to meet certain conditions if we are going to be considered worthy of love and affection from others

hierarchy of needs

arrangement of human motivations from basic to higher order

basic biological processes

food, water

safety, security, comfort

clothing and shelter from the elements

love and social acceptance

cared for, accepted, and included

self-esteem

feeling good about ourselves

self-actualization

to become a fully-functioning person who realizes her or his potential

peak experiences

self-transcendence, where one becomes so focused on a task or activity that s/he loses self-awareness

determinism

assumption that personality is not freely chosen, but rather is influenced by things beyond our control

free will

assumption that personality is caused by factors within our control and we can choose what our behaviors will be

nature and nurture interaction

people are born with certain predispositions that help to shape personality; and people's personalities develop through interactions with their environment