Orientation to Personality

Personality

Characteristics of the person that describe and explain consistent patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving

• Person

  • Intraindividual (internal) vs situational (external) causes

  • Power of the situation

    • Crying at a funeral

    • Killing in self-defense

    • Success on a very easy exam

• Describe: classify, measure the “what”

• Explain: account for the “how” and the “why”

• Consistent patterns: recurring regularities vs one-shot feelings, thoughts or behaviors

  • Consistency in responses to different but functionally similar events and situations

    • Ex: John gets aloof every time someone tries to get close to him emotionally

• Feeling: affect, emotions, motivations

• Thinking: cognition, beliefs, expectations

• Behaving: action, doing 

Stable, Coherent Individual Differences

Coherence in the pattern of change in behavior may be another key component of personality

• If a person’s behavior changes frequently, it may not be indicative of personality

• But sometime the change in the person’s behavior can also be meaningful

Predicting and Understanding

Observed differences may indicate individual differences in the personality

Identifying consistent, stable individual differences is an important goal

• It makes it possible both to describe people + try to predict their future behavior

Defining Personality

To capture the richness of human behavior, “personality” should:

• Show continuity, stability, and coherence

• Be expressed in many ways

• Be organized (disorganization is a sign of disturbance)

• Influence how the individual relates to the social world

• Link with physical and biological characteristics

Theory and Levels of Analysis in Personality Psychology

• Early “Big Picture” Theory

• Trait-Dispositional Level

• Biological Level

• Psychodynamic-Motivational Level

• Behavioral-Conditioning level

• Phenomenological-Humanistic Level

• Social-Cognitive Level

Early “Big Picture” Level

• 400 B.C. - Hippocrates philosophized about the basic human temperaments

• Aristotle postulated the brain to be the seat of the rational mind

• Early 1900s - Freud founded a controversial, comprehensive theory of personality

From Grand Theories → Levels of Analysis

Broad theories → different approaches with which to assess personality

• Historically: many grand theories contradicted and were critical of each other

• Currently: many encouraging signs of theory integration by researchers working at different levels of analysis, addressing different aspects of personality

Trait-dispositional level

Tries to identify consistencies in the basic expressions of personality, conceptualized as stable personality characteristics

• What am I like as a person? How do I differ from others?

• When and how is my behavior influenced by the situation? How does my personality influence the effects that different situations have on me?

Biological Level

Explores the biological bases of personality, including the role of heredity, the brain and evolution

• What in my personality comes from nature vs nurture?

• Can my experiences change my biology? Why is my personality so different/similar to my siblings?

Psychodynamic-motivational level

Probes the motivations, conflicts, and defenses (often unconscious) that may underlie diverse aspects of personality

• Does what I do sometimes puzzle me? How and why?

• How can I explain irrational fears and anxieties?

• How much of what I do is unconscious or done without awareness?

Behavioral-conditioning level

Analyzes specific behavior patterns that characterize individuals, and identifies the conditions that regulate their occurrence

• How is what a person does linked to what happens to him or her when he does it?

• How are important behavior patterns learned?

Phenomenological-humanistic level

Focuses on the inner experiences of the person and their way of seeing and interpreting the world

• Who am I really? Who do I want to become?

• How do I see my parents? What do I feel about myself when I don’t meet my parents’ expectations?

Social Cognitive Level

Focuses on the distinctive patterns of thoughts, expectations, beliefs, goals, values, emotional reactions, and self-regulatory efforts characterizing the person

• How does what I know, think, and feel about myself influence what I do and become?

• How much of who and what I am and do is “automatic”? How much is open to “willpower” and self-regulation?

Integration of Levels: The Person as a Whole

Each level provides concepts and strategies for seeking info about people and for constructively changing maladaptive behavior

• An increasingly comprehensive view of the person is emerging that incorporates each level of analysis

• Boundaries are being crossed between personality psychology and other related fields

Practical Applications: Coping and Personal Adaptation

• Personality theories are often applied to address diverse human problems, such as depression, anxiety, impulse control, and poor health

• Practical research has helped to develop psychotherapy, drugs, physical treatments, and various special learning programs permitting people to develop to their full potential