4.4 - Psychodynamic and Humanistic Theories of Personality

Personality

individuals unique and relatively stable patterns of behavior

Psychodynamic theory of persona

assumes unconscious forces determine behavior and influence personality

Consciousness

refers to the small portion of our mental processes that we are actively aware of

Preconscious

where we can bring thoughts to conscious awareness with minimal effort

Unconscious

stores all the thoughts, memories, and feelings that are disturbing or traumatic

Id

exists at birth and contains all the instincts and energy

Pleasure principle

the instinctive seeking of pleasure and avoiding of pain

Ego

mediates between the conscious and unconscious, and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity

Reality principle

the segment of personality based on logical decisions to preserve the safety of an individual

Superego

ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates

Morality principle

internalized need to comply with parental and other authority

Repression

reducing anxiety by blocking impulses or memories from consciousness

Regression

when the ego seeks to reduce anxiety by reverting to an earlier period of psychological development

Displacement

when aggressive urges are shifted toward a recipient other than the one who caused the feelings

Projection

when anxiety-producing feeling are repressed and then placed onto another person

Denial

refusal of the ego to accept the reality of a situation, because doing so would produce unbearable anxiety.

Reaction-formation

defends against anxiety-producing thoughts or impulses by transforming the unacceptable urge into its opposite

Rationalization

when excuses are created to justify or excuse an unacceptable impulse or behavior

Sublimation

when a person channels an unacceptable urge into something with social value

Criticisms of Psychoanalytic Theory

Projective test

a personality test in which subjects are shown ambiguous images or given situations and asked to interpret them

Inkblot test

Participants are shown a series of inkblots, usually 10 in total, and asked to describe what they see in each one.

Thematic Appreception Test (TAT)

where individuals are shown ambiguous pictures and asked to create stories about them, which are then analyzed by a psychologist to reveal underlying motives, concerns, and personality traits based on the story

Unconditional regard

accepting and respecting others as they are without judgment or evaluation

Carl Rogers

approach within humanistic psychology, where he believed that individuals have an inherent drive towards self-actualization and can reach their full potential with the support of a therapist who provides unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness in the therapeutic relationship.

Abraham Maslow

known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" theory, which proposes that humans are motivated to fulfill a hierarchy of needs starting with basic physiological needs like food and water, progressing to higher needs like safety, love, esteem, and finally self-actualization, where one reaches their full potential; essentially, lower needs must be met before moving on to higher ones

Self-Actualizing tendency

the drive to fulfill one's full potential, reach personal growth, and become the best version of oneself