Chapter 11 Instructor Self and Personality

Definition of Personality

• Personality: A pattern of enduring characteristics that differentiate people.

• Unique behaviors that define each individual.

Psychoanalytic theory

Developed by Freud, suggests that behavior is triggered by unconscious forces.

Unconscious

A part of personality a person is not aware of, influencing behavior.

Id

• Represents the raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality.

Libido

the psychic energy that fuels basic drives such as hunger and reproduction.

Pleasure principle

• Drives the id to seek immediate satisfaction and reduction of tension.

Ego

• Balances the desires of the id with the realities of the external world.

Reality principle

Restrains instinctual energy to ensure safety and societal integration.

Superego

• The final structure to develop, representing societal rights and wrongs as learned from adults.

Conscience

Prevents morally improper behavior through guilt.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, genital stage.

Oral Stage

(Birth to 12-18 months): Focuses on oral gratification.

Anal Stage

• (12-18 months to 3 years): Concerns with expelling and withholding feces, and toilet training.

Phallic Stage

• (3 to 5-6 years): Centers on genital interest, includes the Oedipal conflict leading to identification.

Latency Stage

• (5-6 years to adolescence): Sexual concerns are largely unimportant.

Genital Stage

(Adolescence to adulthood): Reemergence of sexual interests and mature relationships.

Oedipal conflict

• A child's sexual interest in the opposite sex parent leading to identification with the same-sex parent.

Identification

• Imitating behaviors and adopting values of another person.

Fixation

• Conflicts that persist beyond the developmental period.

Defense Mechanisms

•  Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety by concealing sources.

Freud’s Defense Mechanisms

repression, regression, sublimation, reaction formation, projection

Repression

• Pushing unacceptable impulses into the unconscious (e.g., trauma).

Regression

• Acting as if one were at an earlier stage of development (e.g., tantrums).

Sublimation

Diverting unwanted impulses into socially acceptable behaviors (e.g., aggression into military service).

Reaction Formation

• Expressing unconscious impulses as their opposite (e.g., overly loving someone you resent).

Projection

Attributing one's unwanted feelings to another (e.g., blaming others for one’s own feelings).

Trait Theory

• Assumes everyone has certain traits.

Traits

• Enduring dimensions of personality characteristics along which people differ.

The Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN)

openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Openness to experience

• Willingness to engage with new ideas.

Conscientiousness

Level of organization and dependability.

Extraversion

• Sociability and assertiveness compared to introversion.

Agreeableness

• Compassionate and cooperative vs. antagonistic.

Neuroticism

Emotional instability and sensitivity to stress.

Biological and Evolutionary Approaches

These approaches suggest components of personality are inherited.

Temperament

 Innate disposition evident early in life.

Humanistic Approaches

• Focus on people's inherent goodness and growth tendencies.

Unconditional positive regard

• Acceptance from another regardless of behavior.

Self-actualization

•  Realizing one's highest potential.

Self-Esteem

Examines the effects of enhancing children's self-esteem through praise on their performance.

Psychological tests

• Standardized measures for assessing behavior objectively.

Projective personality test

• Participants interpret ambiguous stimuli, e.g., the Rorschach Inkblot test.