Theories of Personality

Personality

The characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique.

Personality Theories

Theories that aim to explain how personality develops and influences behavior.

Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Behavioristic, Trait

The four major approaches to personality.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Developed by Freud, emphasizes unconscious motives, conflicts, and childhood experiences.

Id (instincts), Ego (reality), Superego (morals)

The three structures of personality according to Freud.

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital

Freud’s five psychosexual stages of development.

Iceberg Theory

What concept describes how the unconscious mind drives many behaviors outside of awareness?

Carl Jung

Developed the Analytical Psychology, emphasizing the collective unconscious, archetypes, and individuation.

Alfred Adler

Developed the Individual Psychology, focusing on striving for superiority, an inferiority complex, and birth order.

Karen Horney

Proposed the Psychoanalytic Social Theory, rejecting Freud’s “penis envy” and emphasizing cultural and social factors in personality.

Erik Erikson

Extended Freud’s ideas into the Psychosocial Theory, outlining 8 stages of development across the lifespan.

Anna Freud

Advance the Ego Psychology, focusing on defense mechanisms and child psychoanalysis.

Infancy – Trust vs. Mistrust

Stage 1 (0–1 year): If caregivers provide consistent care, warmth, and love → child develops trust. If neglected → mistrust, insecurity, and fear.

Early Childhood – Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Stage 2 (1–3 years): Success in toilet training, feeding, and dressing fosters independence; over-criticism leads to shame and doubt.

Preschool – Initiative vs. Guilt

Stage 3 (3–6 years): Encouragement in exploration/play → initiative; criticism/control → guilt for being assertive.

School Age – Industry vs. Inferiority

Stage 4 (6–12 years): Success in school/social life builds competence (industry); repeated failure → inferiority.

Adolescence – Identity vs. Role Confusion

Stage 5 (12–18 years): Exploration of values, careers, beliefs → strong identity; lack of direction → role confusion.

Young Adulthood – Intimacy vs. Isolation

Stage 6 (18–40 years): Success leads to intimacy (love, commitment); failure → isolation and loneliness.

Middle Adulthood – Generativity vs. Stagnation

Stage 7 (40–65 years): Success → generativity (raising children, community, productivity); failure → stagnation (lack of purpose).

Late Adulthood – Integrity vs. Despair

Stage 8 (65+ years): Positive reflection → integrity and wisdom; regret or dissatisfaction → despair.

Humanistic Theory

The belief that people are inherently good and motivated to reach their full potential.

Abraham Maslow

The theorist who proposed the Hierarchy of Needs.

Self-transcendence

Maslow’s ultimate stage of growth beyond self-actualization.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Carl Rogers’ concept of acceptance without judgment.

Behaviorism

Focuses on learned behaviors shaped by environment and conditioning.

John Watson

Theorist known as the “Father of Behaviorism.”

Little Albert Experiment

The experiment where Watson conditioned fear in a child.

B.F. Skinner

Theorist who studied operant conditioning and reinforcement schedules.

Classical Conditioning (Ivan Pavlov)

Learning through association between stimuli, as shown in “Pavlov’s Dogs.”

Reciprocal Determinism (Albert Bandura – Social Learning Theory)

Bandura’s concept that behavior, environment, and personal factors influence each other.

Trait Theory

Traits are consistent, stable patterns of thought, behavior, and emotion.

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism

The Big Five personality traits.

Cardinal, Central, Secondary Traits

Allport’s three levels of traits.

16 Personality Factor Model

Cattell’s model identifying 16 source traits.