Guy's Personality Lectures - LMS version
Page 1: Title
PSYC1102 Personality
A/Prof Guy Curtis
Page 2: Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
Define personality
personality is defined by the characteristics and traits that shape how people behave, think, feel and act
Explain various theoretical perspectives on personality
Freud: Id, Ego, Superego. His theories emphasize the unconscious mind and how it influences people’s behaviours and thoughts
Eyesnick: Extroversion vs Introversion. Individuals either have personality traits of extroversion or introversion
Neuroticism-Stability. Neuroticism is a personality trait that measures a person’s emotional stability. Highly neurotic people experience more anxiety, mood swings and emotional instability, whereas people with low neuroticism are more level-minded.
Eyesnick’s theories suggested that genetics play a significant role in personality traits
Discuss the Big 5 personality traits
OCEAN
Openness to Experience
Conscientiousness
Extrovertiveness
Agreeability
Neuroticism
Explain how personality is measured
Self-report questionnaires (people assess their own traits with a series of statements)
Projective tests (blob test, people project their thoughts onto objects)
Outline some research findings about personality
Personality is highly heritable but external factors (40-50%) and life-experiences have a major influence
Page 3: What is Personality?
Personality can be understood as:
What someone is like (characteristics)
Definition of Personality: a trait is a characteristic or quality distinguishing a person.
Page 4: William James (1890) - Principles of Psychology
Introduced the notion of personality relating to the self.
"Personifying" as a concept and personality as aspects continuing through time.
Discusses consistency in personality:
A change in personality may indicate mental illness.
Page 5: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
Concepts in Freud's theory:
Immoral urges, unacceptable desires, and violent motives may be stored under awareness.
Differentiates between immediate awareness and stored memories.
Page 6: (Repeated Content)
Summary of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory:
Focus on unconscious urges and their impact on personality.
Page 7: Influences on Personality
Key factors affecting personality include:
Genes and hereditary factors
Environmental variables:
Physical appearance
Childhood experiences
Social relationships
Surrounding culture
Page 8: Eysenck’s Theory
Explains different personality dimensions:
Introversion vs. Extraversion (linked with ARS)
Neuroticism vs. Stability (linked with ANS)
Genetic estimation:
H. Eysenck estimated 60-80% of personality variation is genetic.
Twin studies propose this may be around 40%.
Page 9: Twin Studies Outcomes
Comparison of identical (MZ) vs. fraternal (DZ) twins:
Various personality traits and well-being assessments.
Page 10: Contribution of Environmental Factors
Genetics account for 40-50% of personality:
Environmental effects account for remainder.
Unique effects (sibling and peer interactions) are more significant than shared effects (family dynamics).
Page 11: How Many Personality Traits Are There?
Allport and Odbert (1936) study:
Lexical hypothesis involving Webster’s Dictionary with 17,953 terms.
Major categories of traits:
Evaluative judgments
Temporary states
Personality traits
Page 12: The Concentration of Traits
With 4,504 traits identified, factor analysis was conducted to reduce this number.
Example traits included: imaginative, organized, talkative, sympathetic, etc.
Page 13: The Big 5 Personality Traits: OCEAN
Overview of the Big 5:
Openness to Experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Page 14: Alternate Models
HEXACO model of personality traits:
Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotionality, Honesty-Humility.
Page 15: Cultural Differences in Personality Assessments
Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory:
Openness factor absent; introduces tradition elements.
Comparison of Filipino and other cultures leads to addition of traits.
Page 16: New Personality Factors
Introduced six personality factors in the Swahili language:
Including virtue, imprudence, and attentive conversation.
Page 17: Determining Personality from Behavior
Challenges in identifying personality traits based on behavior.
Page 18: Cross-Situational Consistency
Study assessing self-consistency across various cultures and situations:
Younger individuals with low consistency in behavior.
Page 19: Measurement of Personality
Personality measurement techniques:
Projective tests (e.g., Rorschach)
Self-report tests (e.g., NEO)
Page 20: Projective Tests
Example:
Rorschach involves interpretation of inkblots.
Generally low validity and reliability.
Page 21: NEO-3 Assessment
Measures the Big 5:
Comprising 243 items with various validity checks.
Five-point rating scale used.
Page 22: Personality Traits and Facets
Discusses the relationship between traits, facets, and normative levels.
Page 23: Practical Applications of Personality Traits
Identifying predictors of job performance using personality traits.
Page 24: Clinical Findings and the Big 5
Neuroticism linked to mood/anxiety disorders.
Implications of low Conscientiousness on ADHD and dementia risk.
Page 25: Well-Being Styles
Discusses emotional styles and their influence on well-being based on neuroticism and extraversion.
Page 26: Accuracy of Judging Character
Studies show that classmates can rate each other’s personality traits accurately, particularly extraversion and conscientiousness.
First impressions hold validity even among strangers.
Page 27: Thin Slices Study
Ambady & Rosenthal (1993) study on judging character based on brief observations of teaching styles.
Strong correlation indicates quick judgments can reflect long-term assessments.
Page 28: Summary
Recap of principal themes:
Definition and implications of personality.
Theoretical explorations from Freud to Eysenck.
Importance of measurement and practical uses in understanding personality.