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Home , Reality principle, Unconscious mind

Exam 3 Results

• Top Score: 50 (by two students) Personality • Mean: 42.3 • Median: 43 Chapter 13 • Mode: 44 PSY 12000.003 • SD = 9.5 • N = 46 • Top Cumulative Score = 143

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Personality Personality An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, Personalities seep out in almost everything we do. feeling, and acting, across time and situations.

Each dwarf has a distinct and dominant personality Philippe Halsan – Jump Book 3 4 trait.

Theories of Personality Personality Theories: History

• View of the causes and motives underlying • Grand Theories (, Jung, Adler) personality and personality development – Attempted to explain all behavior • Most theories at this time contained a: 1. The Psychodynamic Approach – Core (what we have in common) 2. The Humanistic Approach – Periphery (what makes us different, and what sorts of differences are important) 3. The Trait Approach • Often, grand theories are highly influential, 4. The Social-Cognitive Approach yet difficult to test.

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1 Psychodynamic Perspective Psychodynamic Perspective In his clinical practice, • “A man should not strive to eliminate his Freud encountered complexes but to get into accord with them: patients suffering from they are legitimately what directs his nervous disorders. Their conduct in the world.” complaints could not be explained in terms of - purely physical causes. Culver Pictures

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) 7 8

Psychodynamic Perspective

Freud’s clinical • Freud’s theory of experience led him to personality that attributes develop the first and actions to comprehensive theory of unconscious motives and personality, which conflicts; the techniques used in treating disorders included the unconscious by exposing and , psychosexual Culver Pictures interpreting unconscious stages, and defense tensions. mechanisms. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) 9 10

Model of Mind Exploring the Unconscious The mind is like an iceberg. It is mostly hidden, and below the surface lies the . The A reservoir (unconscious mind) of mostly stores temporary . unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. Freud asked patients to say whatever came to their (free association) in order to tap the unconscious. http://www.english.upenn.edu

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2 Analysis Dream Analysis Another method to analyze the unconscious mind is through interpreting manifest (what we remember) and latent (what it • “Learn to communicate means, symbolically) contents of . with your mind which speaks to you in symbols through your dreams while providing practical insight into our emotional and by analyzing hidden meanings.”

The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli (1791) 13 14

Personality Structure ID Personality develops as a result of our efforts to resolve conflicts between our biological impulses (id) • The Id unconsciously and social restraints (superego). strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operating on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification (Pleasure Principle)

United States of Tara: “Gimme”

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Ego Superego

• The ego functions as • The superego provides the “executive” and standards for judgment mediates the demands (the ) and of the id and superego for future aspirations. (). • Moral compass • Seeks to gratify the id’s impulses in • Focuses on how we ought to behave realistic ways

17 18 “Where id was, there ego shall be.” -Freud

3 Id, Ego and Superego Personality Development The Id unconsciously strives to satisfy basic sexual and Freud believed that personality formed during the aggressive drives, operating on first few years of life divided into psychosexual the pleasure principle, demanding stages. During these stages the id’s pleasure-seeking immediate gratification (Pleasure energies focus on pleasure sensitive body areas Principle). called erogenous zones. The ego functions as the “executive” and mediates the demands of the id and superego (Reality Principle). The superego provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations. 19 20

Psychosexual Stages Oedipus

Freud divided the development of personality into A boy’s sexual desire for his mother and feelings of five psychosexual stages. jealousy and hatred for the rival father. A girl’s desire for her father is called the .

Males: Fear of castration Females:

These fears/ result in identification of same sex parent (but is stronger for males because they have something to lose).

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Identification Defense Mechanisms

Children cope with The ego’s protective methods of reducing by threatening feelings by unconsciously distorting reality. repressing them and by From the K. Vandervelde private collection identifying with the rival 1. banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, parent. Through this feelings, and memories from . process of identification, their superego gains strength that incorporates 2. Regression leads an individual faced with their parents’ values. anxiety to retreat to a more infantile psychosexual stage.

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4 Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms

3. Reaction Formation causes the ego 5. Rationalization offers self- to unconsciously switch unacceptable impulses into their justifying explanations in opposites. People may express place of the real, more feelings of purity when they may be suffering anxiety from threatening, unconscious unconscious feelings about sex. reasons for one’s actions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqc1_v2Nj70

4. Projection leads people to 6. Displacement shifts sexual or aggressive disguise their own threatening impulses toward a more acceptable or less impulses by attributing them to others. threatening object or person, redirecting anger toward a safer outlet.

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The Neo-Freudians The Neo-Freudians Like Freud, Adler believed • Although Freud was controversial, he attracted in childhood tensions. many followers However, these tensions were social in nature and • Many of them accepted Freud’s basic ideas (id, not sexual. A child ego, superego; unconscious; defense mechanisms)

struggles with an inferiority National Library of Medicine • But, they differed in two ways: complex during growth and – More emphasis on the conscious mind’s role in strives for superiority and interpreting experience and coping with the power. Emphasized the environment importance of belonging. – Doubted that sex and aggression were all-consuming (1870-1937) 27 28

The Neo-Freudians The Neo-Freudians

Like Adler, Horney Jung believed in the collective Archive of the History of American / University of Akron (pronounced Horn – Eye) unconscious, which contained a believed in the social common reservoir of images aspects of childhood derived from our species’ past. growth and development. This is why many cultures share certain myths and images She countered Freud’s The Bettmann Archive/ Corbis assumption that women () such as the mother have weak superegos and being a symbol of nurturance. suffer from “penis envy.” Types: Introvert/Extravert; Feeler/Thinker

Karen Horney (1885-1952) (1875-1961)

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5 Assessing Unconscious Processes Projective Personality Tests Evaluating personality from an unconscious mind’s perspective would require a psychological • Measures aspects of personality by asking individuals to respond to ambiguous stimuli instrument (projective tests) that would reveal the hidden unconscious mind. • Assumes that the meaning the person projects onto the ambiguous stimuli reflects unconscious core aspects of personality

• Examples: – Thematic Apperception Test (Constructive) – Rorschach Test – Rotter Incomplete Sentence Test (Completion)

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Thematic Apperception Test Rorschach Inkblot Test (TAT) Developed by Henry Murray, the TAT is a projective The most widely used projective test uses a set of 10 test in which people express their inner feelings and inkblots and was designed by Hermann Rorschach. It seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing interests through the stories they make up about their interpretations of the blots. ambiguous scenes. Lew Merrim/ Photo Researcher, Inc. Lew Merrim/ Photo Researcher, Inc.

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Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Projective Tests: Criticisms Perspective Critics argue that projective tests lack both reliability Modern Research (consistency of results) and validity (predicting what it is supposed to). . Personality develops throughout life and is not fixed in childhood. . When evaluating the same patient, even trained . Freud underemphasized peer influence on the raters come up with different interpretations individual, which may be as powerful as (reliability). parental influence. . Projective tests may misdiagnose a normal . Gender identity may develop before 5-6 years of individual as pathological (validity). age.

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6 Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective Perspective Modern Research Freud's rests on the repression . There may be reasons for dreams besides of painful experiences into the unconscious mind. wish fulfillment. . Verbal slips can be explained on the basis of cognitive processing of verbal choices. The majority of children, death camp survivors, and . According to Freud, suppressed sexuality leads battle-scarred veterans are unable to repress painful to psychological disorders. But, while sexual experiences into their unconscious mind. inhibition has decreased, psychological disorders have not. 37 38

Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective Perspective

Freud was right about the unconscious mind. The scientific merits of Freud’s theory have been Modern research shows the existence of criticized. Psychoanalysis is difficult to test. Most of nonconscious information processing. its concepts arise out of clinical practice, which are . Schemas that automatically control perceptions and the after-the-fact explanation. When one tenet interpretations appears to be falsified, another one comes to the . Parallel processing during vision and thinking rescue. . Implicit memories Still, what it is an ingenious and clever theory, and a . Implicit attitudes comprehensive template for others to attempt with . Emotions that activate instantly without consciousness different premises. 39 40

Humanistic Perspective Humanistic Approach By the 1960s, psychologists became discontented with Freud’s negativity and the mechanistic • Focuses on people’s unique capacity for choice, responsibility, psychology of the behaviorists. and growth • Stresses the positive, healthy aspect of personality and the uniqueness of the individual

• Emphasis on the conscious mental process (responsibility)

http://www.ship.edu • Humanistic Psychologists:

1. Abraham Maslow

2. Carl Rogers

Abraham Maslow Carl Rogers (1908-1970) (1902-1987) 41

7 Self-Actualizing Person Growth and Fulfillment Maslow proposed that we as individuals are motivated by a of needs. Beginning with Carl Rogers also believed in an individual's self- physiological needs, we try to reach the state of self- actualization tendencies. He said that Unconditional actualization—fulfilling our potential. Positive Regard is an of acceptance of others despite their failings. Michael Rougier/ Ted Polumbaum/ Time Pix/ Getty Images http://www.ship.edu Life Magazine © Time Warner, Inc.

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Assessing the Self Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective

In an effort to assess personality, Rogers asked people to . Humanistic psychology has a pervasive impact describe themselves as they would like to be (ideal) and on counseling, education, child-rearing, and as they actually are (real). If the two descriptions were management. close the individual had a positive self-concept. . Concepts in humanistic psychology are vague and subjective and lack scientific basis. . Very difficult to even figure out what to test, let alone, how to test. All of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an answer to the question, “Who am I?” refers to Self-Concept.

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The Trait Perspective Lexical Hypothesis As an outgrowth and more complex version of earlier TYPE theories. An individual’s unique constellation of durable dispositions and • 1936: Gordon Allport & H.S. Odbert consistent ways of behaving (traits) constitutes his or her personality. • Individual differences that are most noticeable and socially relevant in people’s lives eventually Examples of Traits become encoded into their language; the more Honest important the difference, the more likely it is to be Dependable expressed as a single word. Moody Impulsive • Extracted 18,000 personality-describing words; narrowed to 4500 that described observable and permanent traits

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8 Exploring Traits Exploring Traits

Factor analysis is a Cattell used factor analysis statistical approach used to develop a 16 Personality to describe and relate Factor (16PF) inventory. personality traits. More recent researches have identified 5 global Identifies clusters of personality traits; items that tap basic The Big Five components of (Costa & McCrae, 2006; personality. John & Srivastava, 1999) Raymond Cattell Raymond Cattell

(1905-1998) 49 (1905-1998) 50

Personality Dimensions The Big Five Factors

Hans and Sybil Eysenck suggested that personality Today’s trait researchers believe that Eysencks’ personality could be reduced down to two polar dimensions, dimensions are too narrow and Cattell’s 16PF too large. So, a extraversion-introversion and emotional stability- middle range (five factors) of traits does a better job of assessment. First mention of the Big 5 was by L. L. Thurstone in instability. his presidential address to the APA, published in 1934 in Psychological Bulletin.

Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism Openness Extraversion 51 52

Five-Factor Model (The “Big Five”) Openness • Openness to experience • Most widely accepted trait theory of • Distinguishes imaginative people from personality down-to-earth, conventional people • Based on lexical hypothesis; derived from • High level of openness: factor analysis – Intellectually curious • Strong evidence which documents the – Nonconforming presence of the “Big Five” personality traits – Daring – Stability across time – Appreciative of art – Found cross-culturally – Aware of feelings

9 Conscientiousness Extraversion

• Tendency to show a preference for planned • Characterized by positive emotions and the behavior; influences control, regulation, and tendency to seek out stimulation and the direction of impulses company of others • High levels of conscientiousness: • High levels of extraversion: – Dependable – Talkative – Productive – Sociable – Purposeful – Affectionate – High achievement – High energy/activity levels – Persistent

Agreeableness Neuroticism

• Tendency to be compassionate and cooperative; desire to • Tendency to experience negative emotions; maintain positive interpersonal relationships emotional instability • High levels of agreeableness: • High levels of neuroticism: – Sympathetic – Emotionally reactive – Warm – Trusting – Vulnerable to stress – Cooperative – Interpret ordinary situations as threatening – Generous – Anxious – Helpful – Insecure – Optimistic view of human nature – Self-conscious

Endpoints Questions about the Big Five

1. How stable are these traits? Quite stable in adulthood. However, they change over development. 2. How heritable are they? Fifty percent or so for each trait.

3. How about other cultures? These traits are common across cultures.

4. Can they predict other personal Yes. Conscientious people are attributes? morning type and extraverted are evening type. 59 60

10 Assessing Traits MMPI

Personality inventories are questionnaires (often with The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory true-false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge (MMPI) is the most widely researched and clinically a wide range of feelings and behaviors assessing used of all personality tests. It was originally several traits at once. developed to identify emotional disorders. 567 true-false items!!

The MMPI was developed by empirically testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminated between diagnostic groups.

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MMPI Test Profile Evaluating the Trait Perspective

The Person-Situation Controversy

Walter Mischel (1968, 1984, 2004) points out that traits may be enduring, but the resulting behavior in various situations is different. Therefore, traits, by themselves, are insufficient predictors of behavior.

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The Person-Situation Controversy The Person-Situation Controversy

Trait theorists argue that behaviors from a situation Traits are socially significant and influence our health, may be different, but average behavior remains the thinking, and performance (Gosling et al., 2000). same. Therefore, traits matter. John LangfordJohn Photography

With age, personality traits become more stable, as reflected in the correlation of trait scores with follow-up scores seven years later (Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000).

Samuel Gosling 65 66 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1g8C-r0Mhsa

11 Sam Gosling – What your FB profile says about you • http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=tVuoNAeTpUU

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