Personality Culture Psych (4 Midterm)

What is personality?

It’s an internal state, largely determined by your temperament. It can change over long periods of time. Personality is relatively stable. Your responses to different social situations are not your personality. Not a direct reflection.

They’re aspects of an individual’s unique characteristics.

Your personality is unique to you

Common to your particular culture group.

There are three major perspectives

to inform our understanding of personality across cultures

1. Psychological Anthropology (1st half of century)

Based on the ethnographic fieldwork by anthropologists who developed theories about culture and personality

• Forms the basis for “National Character”

Perception that each culture has a modal personality type, and people in that culture share aspects of it

2. Cross-cultural perspectives (dominant)

View personality as discrete and separate from culture

• View personality as an universal phenomenon that is equivalently relevant and meaningful in the cultures being compared

As human beings we all have similar traits (basis)

3. Cultural indigenous perspective

• Views culture and personality as combined entities that are interdependent on each other

• Indigenous personalities: Constellations of personality traits and characteristics found only in a specific culture

Adler’s Family Constellations

Birth Order:

Only Child- Center of attention, dominant, often spoiled

First born- Driven to success, independent, high need for achievement, high levels of anxiety, protective towards others

Second born- Actively struggling to surpass others, often competitive

Last born : The most spoiled, dependent on others, may excel by being different

The confluence theory

The benefit the older child receives from the prime environment. Being in the same class but being older by 9 months have psychical advantages and cognitive. (ex. taller, bigger, wiser, etc)

The dilution theory

The reduction of parental resources for the latter born children

The isolation hypothesis

Children who are isolated from other children during early development have an advantage towards higher achievement.

The interlocutor hypothesis

Older siblings serve as a role model of younger siblings, a mediator between parents and younger siblings.

Five Factor Model

Model based on five distinct and basic personality dimensions that appear to be universal for all humans

OCEAN

Neuroticism

Anxiety, Depression, Impulsiveness, Angry hostility

Extraversion

Warmth, Activity, Positive emotions, Assertiveness

Openness to new experiences

Fantasy, Feelings, Actions, Values

Agreeableness

Trust, Altruism, Modesty, Tender-mindedness

Conscientiousness

Order, Dutifulness, Self-discipline, Competence

Biological Bases

Basic Tendencies • Neuroticism • Extraversion • Conscientiousness • Agreeableness • Openness to experience

Cultural Bases

Characteristic Adaptations • Personal strivings • Attitudes • Skills • Roles • Relationships

Self-Concept

Self-schemas • Specific beliefs • Specific behaviours

• Filipino personality structure

Two more factors: Temperamentalness ( excessive sensitivity/ impulsive mood changes) and self-assurance

Few evidence that five model is not universal.

Denmark and the Netherlands study

One more factor: Dominance (Authoritarianism)