Rathus_PSYCH_7e_PPT_CH10

Chapter 10: Personality: Theory and Measurement

Icebreaker Discussion

• Prompt: Discuss if you agree with Freud that actions and feelings stem from unconscious awareness rooted in childhood.

Chapter Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• 10.01 Describe the psychoanalytical perspective and its contributions to personality studies.

• 10.02 Explain the trait perspective and the "Big Five" trait model.

• 10.03 Identify learning theory contributions to understanding personality.

• 10.04 Describe the humanistic-existential perspective on personality.

• 10.05 Describe the sociocultural perspective on personality.

• 10.06 Identify different types of tests used to measure personality.

The Psychodynamic Perspective

Definition of Personality

• Personality: Stable patterns of emotions, motives, and behaviors that distinguish individuals.

• Approaches to Personality: Includes psychodynamic, trait, learning, humanistic-existential, and sociocultural perspectives.

Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development

Key Concepts

• Personality is marked by conflict, moving from external to internal.

• Behavior results from conflict between opposing inner forces.

• Psychoanalysis: Method to explore the unconscious mind; encourages free expression of thoughts.

Levels of Awareness (Freud)

• Conscious: Awareness of a small part of ideas and impulses.

• Preconscious: Ideas just outside of awareness.

• Unconscious: Holds primitive instincts; urges may be repressed.

Structure of Personality

• Id: Present at birth; unconscious; follows the pleasure principle seeking instant gratification.

• Ego: Develops later; rational; responsible for planning and social considerations.

• Superego: Moral guardian; establishes standards for behavior.

Stages of Psychosexual Development

1. Oral Stage

• Conflict on oral gratification; excessive or insufficient gratification can lead to fixation.

2. Anal Stage

• Focus on waste elimination; issues with control can result in fixations.

3. Phallic Stage

• Shift of libido; can lead to Oedipus or Electra complexes.

4. Latency Stage

• Unconscious sexual feelings.

5. Genital Stage

• Persistent feelings of incest taboo; urges displace onto peers.

Neo-Freudians

Carl Jung

• Developed analytical psychology, belief in:

  • Personal and collective unconscious.

  • Collective unconscious contains archetypes.

Alfred Adler

• Developed individual psychology; motivation driven by inferiority complex.

• Emphasis on self-awareness plays a significant role in personality.

Karen Horney

• Importance of childhood experiences; values social relationships over sexual impulses.

Erik Erikson

• Critiqued Freud's emphasis on sex; emphasized psychosocial development stages.

Knowledge Check Activity

• Alfred Adler’s Motivation Basis: Inferiority complex; leads to a drive for superiority.

The Trait Perspective

Definition

• Traits: Stable personality elements inferred from behavior; allow prediction of consistent behavior across situations.

Historical Theories of Personality

• Hippocrates: Personality linked to bodily humors; imbalance caused disease.

• Contemporary Trait Theories: Traits are heritable; embedded in the nervous system.

  • Charles Spearman: Developed factor analysis for studying intelligence.

  • Gordon Allport: Catalogued 18,000 human traits.

Hans Eysenck’s Trait Theory

• Focused on dimensions of personality:

  • Introversion/Extraversion

  • Emotional Stability/Instability

The “Big Five”: Five-factor Model

• Extroversion: Talkativeness vs. silence.

• Agreeableness: Kindness vs. hostility.

• Conscientiousness: Organization vs. carelessness.

• Neuroticism: Moodiness vs. stability.

• Openness to Experience: Imagination vs. shallowness.

Biological Factors and Traits

• Heritability: Extraversion estimated between 40%-60%.

• Genetic factors influence shyness and behavioral inhibition in children.

Learning-Theory Perspectives

• Behaviorists emphasize learned behaviors over traits.

• John B. Watson: Focus on observable behavior.

• B.F. Skinner: Reinforcement effects on behavior.

Social-Cognitive Theory

• Developed by Albert Bandura focusing on observational learning and cognitive processes.

• Importance of personal variables in behavior prediction.

Observational Learning

• Also known as cognitive learning; involves learning through observing others without direct reinforcement.

The Humanistic-Existential Perspective

Humanism

• Belief in free choice, self-fulfillment, and ethical behavior.

Existentialism

• Freedom and responsibility for one's behavior.

Abraham Maslow and Self-Actualization

• Hierarchy of needs with self-actualization at the peak.

• Threats to personality development include outside control.

Carl Rogers’s Self-Theory

• Self: Ongoing sense of identity.

• Self-Concept: Impressions of oneself and evaluations of adequacy.

Measurement of Personality

Essential Test Criteria

• Validity: Measures what it's supposed to.

• Reliability: Consistent test results.

• Standardization: Process for comparing test results across populations.

Types of Personality Tests

Objective Tests

• Structured questionnaires with forced-choice responses.

Projective Tests

• Ambiguous stimuli allowing projection of personality; examples include Rorschach inkblot test and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).

Summary of Key Learnings

• Psychodynamic theories focus on internal conflicts contributing to personality.

• Trait theories emphasize consistent behaviors resulting from traits.

• Learning theories stress the behavior observable environment.

• Humanistic-existential approaches accentuate personal experiences.

• Sociocultural perspective examines how culture and identity shape personality.