PSYCH 105 CHAPTER 12 PT 1 + 2

What is Personality?

What is Personality?

An enduring set of internally based characteristics that create uniqueness and consistency in a person’s thoughts and behaviors.

Personality Trait

Internally based characteristics that make up one’s personality; a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in various situations.

Three Distinct Elements of Personality

Uniqueness, Consistency, Explanation of behavior expression.

Uniqueness in Personality

Personality traits specific to each person.

Consistency in Personality

Looking at an individual’s behavior across time in similar situations, revealing patterns.

Psychodynamic Perspective

The view that behavior is the result of inner forces that conflict with one another.

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

A theory focusing on early childhood experiences, unconscious conflicts, and the influence of sexual and aggressive urges.

Physical symptoms without physical cause

Conversion hysteria

Psychic Energy

Internal forces generated by instinctual drives that are discharged through behavior.

Conscious Mental Events

Things we are aware of.

Preconscious Mental Events

Things we are not currently aware of but can easily recall.

Unconscious Mental Events

Things we are not aware of at all.

Structure of Personality - Iceberg Model

Conscious at the top, pre-conscious in the middle, and unconscious at the bottom.

The Id

The innermost core of personality that exists in the unconscious mind, governed by the Pleasure Principle.

Pleasure Principle

The principle that the Id operates on, seeking immediate gratification.

The Ego

The decision-making component of personality that functions at a conscious level, controlled by the Reality Principle.

Reality Principle

The principle that tests reality to determine when the Id can satisfy its needs.

The Super Ego

The moral aspect of personality that develops last and controls the impulses of the Id.

Stages of Psychosexual Development

Stages where adult personality is shaped based on progression through specific pleasure-sensitive areas.

Fixation

Arrested development where instincts focus on a particular stage, affecting adult personality.

Neo Freudian Perspectives

Theories following Freud that expanded on his ideas and introduced new concepts.

Jung’s Collective Unconsciousness

A set of shared memories and archetypes inherited from past generations.

Archetypes

Universal thought patterns and behaviors triggered by specific situations.

Adler’s Striving for Superiority

A universal drive to adapt, improve oneself, and overcome feelings of inferiority.

Inferiority Complex

Extreme feelings of inferiority that lead to behavioral consequences.

Horney’s Basic Anxiety

Feelings of anxiety due to lack of love and security in relationships.

Pros of Neo-Freudian Perspective

Increased focus on conscious processes and societal influences on personality.

Cons of Neo-Freudian Perspective

Vague concepts that are difficult to measure and based on biased clinical samples.

Behaviorism

The perspective that focuses solely on overt behavior and external environmental influences.

Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

A process of learning where behavior is influenced by its consequences.

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory

Theory emphasizing learning through observation and the cognitive processes involved.

Reciprocal Determinism

The concept that internal mental events, external environments, and overt behavior influence each other.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs by observing the behavior of others and the consequences of their actions.

Self-efficacy

Belief in one’s ability to successfully perform a behavior.

Internal vs External Locus of Control

Internal locus suggests control over outcomes, while external locus attributes control to external forces.

Evaluating Behavioral Perspectives

An understanding of how internal and external factors influence personality, integrating insights from various perspectives.

The Person - Situation Controversy

Debate on how much behavior is dictated by the situation compared to learned personal responses.

Mischel’s Consistency Paradox

Observation that individuals do not behave as consistently as predicted due to situational influences.

Basic Hostility

Feelings of anger that arise from insecurity in relationships.

Compensation in Adler's Theory

Efforts to overcome real or imagined inferiorities by developing abilities.

Environmental Impact on Personality

A person's home environment influences their personality development based on birth order.

Defence Mechanisms

Unconscious distortions of reality that the Ego uses to manage conflicts between Id and Super Ego.

Childhood Sexuality in Freud's Theory

An idea that was later rejected, questioning the importance of early experiences.

Conversion Hysteria

Physical symptoms that appear without any physical cause, linked to the unconscious mind.

Mental Events Categories

Conscious, preconscious, and unconscious, representing different levels of awareness.