Chapter 10 Personality

Personality

The unique, core set of characteristics that influence the way one thinks, acts, and feels, and that are relatively consistent and enduring throughout the life span.

Freud's Theory

Psychoanalysis:

-Conscious: What we are thinking about right now

-Preconscious: easy to get from your long term memory

-Unconscious: not aware of it, deep below the surface, really hard to become aware of it

-not subconscious

3 Levels:

1. ID

d

2. Ego

3. Superego

Conscious

What we are thinking about right now

Preconscious

easy to get from your long term memory

Unconscious

not aware of it, deep below the surface, really hard to become aware of it

Id

According to Freud, the most primitive structure of the mind, the activities of which occur at the unconscious level and are guided by the pleasure principle.

level 1- unconscious (below awareness)

Operates: pleasure, impulsive, illogical

-Job: to motivate us to our needs and other

Ego

According to Freud, the structure of the mind that uses the reality principle to manipulate situations, plan for the future, solve problems, and make decisions.

Level 2- mostly conscious (can interact with Id)

Operates- Reality Limits, partly pleasure

Job: decision making, monitored between your superego and id

Superego

According to Freud, the structure of the mind that guides behavior to follow the rules of society, parents, or other authority figures.

Level 3- internalized preconscious

Operates: Morality

Job: yes or no for impulses

pleasure principle

Collection of rules that guide the id, resulting in behavior to achieve instant gratification without thought to consequences.

reality principle

Collection of rules that guide the ego as it negotiates between the id and the environment.

ego defense mechanisms

Distortions of perceptions and memories of the real world, without one's awareness, to reduce the anxiety created by the conflict among the id, ego, and superego.

repression

The way the ego moves uncomfortable thoughts, memories, or feelings from the conscious level to the unconscious.

-anxiety-producing information is pushed into the unconscious.

psychosexual stages

According to Freud, the stages of development, from birth to adulthood, each of which has an erogenous zone as well as a conflict that must be dealt with.

Sublimation

Redirecting unacceptable impulses into acceptable outlets EX. going to gym to blow off steam and cooking to overcome loneliness

Identification

Unconsciously modeling our feelings or actions on the behaviors of someone we admire.

Displacement

Shifting negative feelings and impulses to an acceptable target.

Rationalization

Creating an acceptable excuse for an uncomfortable situation

Projection

Attributing your own anxiety- provoking thoughts and impulses to someone else.

Denial

Refusing to recognize a distressing reality.

Oral stage

age: birth to 1 and a half

Erogenous zone: Mouth

Focus: Sucking, chewing, and gumming

Conflict: Weaning

Result of fixation: Smoking, drinking, nail biting, talking more than usual

Anal Stage

age: 1 and a half- 3 years

Erogenous zone: Anus

Focus: Eliminating bodily waste and controlling bodily functions responsible for this process

Conflict: Toilet training

Result of fixation: Rule-bound, stingy, chaotic, destructive

Phallic Stage

age: 3 - 6 years

Erogenous zone: Genitals

Focus: Sexual feelings and awareness of self

Conflict: Autoeroticism

Result of fixation: Promiscuity, flirtation, vanity, or over dependence, and a focus on masturbation

Latency Stage

age: 6 - puberty

Period during which children develop mentally, socially, and physically

Genital Stage

age: puberty and beyond

Erogenous zone: Genitals

Focus: Reawakening of sexuality, with focus on relationships

Conflict: Sexuality and aggression

Result of fixation: Inability to thrive in adult activities such as work and love

fixation

Being stuck in a particular psychosexual stage of development as a result of unsuccessfully dealing with the conflict of that stage.

Oedipus complex

According to Freud, the attraction a child feels toward the opposite-sex parent, along with the resentment or envy directed toward the same-sex parent.

Neo-Freudians

People who did not completely agree with Freud but took some input

Alfred Adler

a person who thought that Individual psychology focuses on each person's unique struggle with feelings of inferiority. Unfortunately, not everyone is successful in overcoming feelings of helplessness and dependence, but instead may develop what is known as an inferiority complex

Carl Fung

His focus was on growth and self-understanding. Although he agreed with Freud about the importance of the unconscious, in his analytic psychology he placed less emphasis on biological urges (sex and aggression), proposing more positive and spiritual aspects of human nature

(archetypes)

collective unconscious

According to Jung, the universal experiences of humankind passed from generation to generation, including memories.

archetypes

Primal images, patterns of thoughts, and storylines stored in the collective unconscious, with themes that may be found in art, literature, music, dreams, and religions.

Karen Horney

a neo-Freudian who emphasized the role of relationships between children and their caregivers, not erogenous zones and psychosexual stages. She believed individuals respond to feelings of helplessness and isolation created by inadequate parenting, which she referred to as basic anxiety

3 strategies:

1. moving toward people (looking for affection and acceptance)

2. moving away from people (looking for isolation and self-sufficiency)

3.moving against people (looking to control others).

Humanist

not only are we innately good, we are also in control of our destinies, and these positive aspects of human nature drive the development of personality.

Abraham Maslow

is probably best-known for his theory of motivation. Human behaviors are motivated by biological and psychological needs. When a need is not being met, a state of tension motivates us to meet it, and this causes the tension to diminish.

- hierarchy of needs

-self-actualizers

hierarchy of needs

(Maslow)explains the organization of human needs, which are universal and ordered in terms of their strength (from basic physiological needs to self-actualization and self-transcendence).

self-actualizers

people who are continually seeking to reach their fullest potential, one of the guiding principles of the humanistic perspective.

Carl Rogers

humanist who had great faith in the essential goodness of people and their ability to make sound choices .

-we all have an innate urge to move toward situations and people that will help us grow and to avoid those with the potential to inhibit growth. He believed we should trust our ability to find happiness and mental balance, that is, to be fully functioning, and strive to really experience life, not just be passive participants.

self-concept

The knowledge an individual has about his strengths, abilities, behavior patterns, and temperament.

ideal self

The self-concept a person strives for and fervently wishes to achieve.

unconditional positive regard

According to Rogers, the total acceptance or valuing of a person, regardless of behavior.

Learning Theories

-Operant conditioning

-Behaviorist

-Shaping

-Reinforcement + Punishment

-observational learning

-Social learning theories

Julian Rotter

is one of the early social learning theorists who countered these weaknesses, suggesting that not all aspects of behavior and personality can be directly observed. He proposed several important cognitive aspects of personality, including locus of control and expectancy.

-Internal Locus of Control

-External Locus of Control

Internal Locus of Control

I am in charge

-up to me

External Locus of Control

Up to someone else

-"up to god"

-"chance"

-"others"

Albert Bandura

rejected the notion that psychologists should only focus on observable behavior, and recognized the importance of cognition, reinforcers, and environmental factors. This social-cognitive perspective suggests that personality results from patterns of thinking (cognitive) as well as relationships and other factors in the environment (social).

expectancy

A person's predictions about the consequences or outcomes of behavior.

social-cognitive perspective

Suggests that personality results from patterns of thinking (cognitive) as well as relationships and other environmental factors (social).

self-efficacy

Beliefs one has regarding how effective one will be in reaching a goal.

traits

The relatively stable properties that describe elements of personality.

trait theories

Theories that focus on personality dimensions and their influence on behavior; can be used to predict behaviors.

surface traits

Easily observable characteristics that derive from source traits.EX. extraversian is a surface trait but it brings up “warm” which is a source trait. There are more source than surface traits

source traits

Basic underlying or foundational characteristics of personality.

The Big Five(five-factor model of personality)

1. Openness

2. Conscientiousness

3. Extraversion

4.Agreeableness

5. Neuroticism

Openness

Conforming------------------------ Uncomforming

Uncreative -------------------------Creative

Practical----------------------------Imaginative

Conscientiousness

Unreliable----------------------------Reliable

Lazy----------------------------------Ambitious

Spontaneous-------------------------Punctual

Extraversion

Loner------------------------sociable

Quiet-------------------------Talkative

Reversed---------------------Affectionate

Agreeableness

Rude-------------------------Good-natured

uncooperative---------------Trusting

Critical------------------------Helpful

Neuroticism

Calm-----------------------Emotional

Even-tempered------------Temperamental

Secure-----------------------Worried

projective personality tests

Assessments that present stimuli without a specified meaning to test takers, whose responses can then be interpreted to uncover underlying personality characteristics.

objective personality tests

assessments made up of a standard set of questions with answer choices (true/false, multiple choice, circle the number)

-these tests are called objective because the results are assessed in a standardized way, free of personal bias.

Projective Test

Psychoanalytic theory

-assumption- accurate results

-person talks about an ambiguous stimulus

- examiner interprets responses

conditions of worth

only showing love when something good has happned

self efficacy

those with high efficacy are more flexible and open to new ideas. they will be more successful.

reciprocal determinism

Beliefs, behaviors and environment form a complex pattern that becomes our personality