Adetola Abdulkadir Chapter 15: Personality I. Personality A. Personality is ones unique pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting 1.

Creates individuality

Period 4B

II. The Psychoanalytic Perspective A. Sigmund Freud created the psychoanalytic theory, which was the first theory of personality 1. Freuds theory had ideas about psychosexual stages, defense mechanisms to anxiety, and the unconscious regions of the mind III. Exploring the Unconscious A. Freud wondered if some neurological disorders were actually caused by psychological problems 1. Freud tried hypnosis to peer into the unconscious, but that didnt work well 2. Freud used free association, which is when one just babbles about whatever comes to mind, to analyze his patients/test subjects 3. Freuds theory of personality and how psychological problems can be treated is called psychoanalysis. B. Freud believed that below the surface was a very large unconscious region that had wishes, thoughts, feeling, and memories that humans are unaware about. C. Freud believed some of our thought was stored in a preconscious area, where we end up retrieving into conscious awareness 1. Freud also believed that we repress some thoughts we feel are too unsettling or unacceptable, though they still greatly influence us. IV. Personality Structure A. Freud believed that personality was the product of a conflict between human aggressive, pleasure seeking impulses and internal social restraints against them 1. Our personality is our way of resolving this conflict B. Id is the unconscious psychic energy that tries to satisfy the basic human needs; like survival, reproduction, and aggression 1. The id seeks immediate gratification C. Ego is the conscious part of ones personality that judges the needs of id. 1. Ego contains thoughts, judgments, and memories 2. As ego develops, one becomes better at coping with the world D. Superego is the force that pushes the ego to consider the ideal as well as the realistic. It strives for perfection

E. The superego and id at often have opposing demands, so the ego tries to reconcile between the two V. Personality Development A. Freud believed that children go through a series of psychosexual stages when the id focuses on certain pleasure-sensitive areas of the body called the erogenous zones B. The Oedipus complex was Frueds theory that during the phallic stage (3-6 years) males have unconscious sexual desires for their mother, and the father is unconsciously seen as a rival 1. This causes the male to feel guilt and fear of punishment 2. Some believe females go through a similar Electra complex C. Freud believed children go through an identification process where they adopt the behaviors of the rival parent to cope with the threatening feelings D. Freud thought that some conflicts that were left unresolved during the psychosexual stage can affect humans as adults 1. If a strong feeling fixates, or locks, a persons id energies in that stage, it will affect them later on VI. Defense Mechanisms A. Anxiety is caused by the egos fear of losing control of the conflict between superego and id B. Freud believed that the ego protects itself with certain defense mechanisms y Repression is the minds banishment of certain thoughts and feelings that stir anxiety Regression is when humans retreat to a more infantile stage action (like sucking your thumb). This is done when one is anxious/nervous Reaction formation is when the ego makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites to lessen anxiety Projection is when threatening thoughts are unconsciously attributed to others. (He doesnt trust me becomes I dont trust him) Rationalization is when we try to rationalize our actions with explanations. Like drinking to just be sociable Displacement is diverting certain intense emotions to something more psychologically acceptable than the thing that actually roused the feelings

VII. The Neo-Freudian and Psychodynamic Theorists A. Freuds ideas eventually found followers, but some of these followers developed their own theories that veered away from the levity of sex/aggression and towards social interaction B. Alfred Adler believed that much of our behavior comes from a need to conquer childhood feelings of inferiority. Karen Horney said childhood anxiety triggers the human need for love and security 1. Horney also countered Freuds idea that females are weak and envious of male power C. Carl Jung believed humans have a collective unconscious, which is a pool of experiences form human beings universal experiences VIII. Assessing Unconscious Processes A. Projective tests are tests in which the subject is asked to describe a certain stimulus they are presented with. The stimulus is meant to not have much significance so that the subjects response shows internal feelings/thinking 1. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a test that shows the subject an ambiguous picture and asks the subject to make up a story about it 2. The Rorschach Inkblot test involves showing the subject 10 inkblots on paper and asking them what they see to analyze their feelings a.) The Rorschach inkblot test is not very accurate and cannot be easily analyzed IX. Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Perspective X. Is Repression a Myth? A. Repression, whenever it ever occurs, is rarely due to severe trauma 1. When people have severe trauma, they usually remember the experience all too well XI. The Modern Unconscious Mind A. Freud was correct about the vast and sophisticated unconscious part of the mind that humans possess 1. The mind has a great capacity for remembering things unconsciously, like complex patterns B. Freuds theory that we attempt to protect ourselves from anxiety is still supported today 1. Terror-management theory theory stating that belief in ones world view and the pursuit of self-esteem protects against fear of death XII. Freuds Ideas as Scientific Theory A. Critics say Freuds ideas cannot be taken as a theory, for they cannot predict behavior, but supporters of Freud say that is not what his ideas were meant for.

XIII. The Humanistic Perspective XIV. Abraham Maslows Self-Actualizing Person A. Abraham Maslow believed we all seek self-actualization, which is the need that comes forth after basic needs are met, and self-esteem is achieved; it is ones motivation to fulfill ones potential. XV. Carl Rogers Person-Centered Perspective A. Rogers believed that we are all born basically good, and our growth is nurtured by genuine people (those who are open with feelings and drop facades) B. Rogers believed by offering unconditional positive regard, or total acceptance, people can help nurture human growth C. People also nurture human growth by being empathic D. Marlow and Rogers felts that self-concept, which is all our thoughts/feeling about ourselves, is a central feature of personality XVI. Assessing the Self A. Some humanistic psychologists had patients answer questionnaires to evaluate their self-concept 1. A questionnaire that Carl Rogers created asked the subject to describe how they would like to be and how they actually are, and if both these were nearly alike, then the selfconcept was positive XV. Evaluating the Humanistic Perspective A. The humanistic psychologists had quite an effect on people with its theory that people are basically good, for the amount of people in the US who believed that increased from the 30s to the mid 80s. B. Some critics complain that the humanistic perspective is much to vague, for it speaks of descriptions like loving and self-accepting. They also believe the idea of Carl Rogers that The only question which matter is, Am I living in a way which is deeply satisfying to me, and which truly expresses me? creates selfishness and an erosion of moral restraints. C. Critics also mention the powerful flaw in the humanistic perspective, and that is its inability to speak of human beings capacity of evil XVI. The Trait Perspective A. Gordon Allport found that one should describe personality based on basic traits, or patterns of behavior. 1. Theorists use traits to describe personalities by describing people based on broad personality types that signify ones most significant trait and characteristics associated with it.

XVII. Exploring Traits A. Classifying people as one certain personality type fails at capturing the entire individuality of that person. Hence, one must use traits simultaneously to better describe a person. XVIII. Factor Analysis A. Factor analysis is a procedure that identifies cluster of test items that hit basic parts of intelligence. 1. Hans Eysenck and Sybil Eysenck believe that normal individual variations can be reduced to two or three dimensions (like extraversion-introversion or emotional stabilityinstability) XIX. Biology and Personality A. The human biology can affect our personality as well 1. Genes can greatly affect temperament and the behavioral style that helps define personality XX. Assessing Traits A. Personality inventories are questionnaires designed to cover a large range of feelings and behaviors to assess personality traits. B. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely researched personality inventory and assesses personality tendencies that are abnormal 1. The MMPI is empirically derived, meaning it tests a big pool of items and from that pool it selects that on which certain diagnostic groups differed XXI. The Big Five Factors A. Recent psychologists believe that though past trait dimensions are important, a recent and more expanded set of factors called the Big Five is better. 1. The five dimensions of the Big Five are Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Extraversion. XXII. Evaluating the Trait Perspective XXIII. The Person-Situation Controversy A. Humans have behavior that is influenced by interaction with the environment. 1. To identify genuine personality, one must show personality traits that persist over time and in different situations B. Walter Mischel has found that when concerning the consistency of certain behaviors, humans do not have a predictable consistency at all. XXIV. Consistency of Expression Style A. Simply glimpsing anothers behavior can reveal much about their personality. B. Those that are more expressive will reveal more of their personality when watched.

XXV. The Social-Cognitive Perspective A. The biologically influenced psychological traits of people affect their situations. 1. Albert Banduras proposed social-cognitive perspective highlights how people and their situations interact XXVI. Reciprocal Influences A. Reciprocal determinism is the interaction between personality and environmental factors 1. We end up as the products and creators of our environment XXVI. Personal Control A. Personal control is how much we feel we can control our environment. XXVII. Internal Versus External Locus of Control A. Julian Rotter believes that there are two sides to how much personal control people feel they have. 1. Those who have external locus of control feel that outside forces and the randomness of chance decide their fate 2. Those who have internal locus of control believe they control their own destiny and fate XXVIII. Learned Helplessness versus Personal Control A. Learned helplessness is when people have been faced with traumatic events over and over and get to the point where they feel helpless even when they have opportunities. XXIX. Optimism versus Pessimism A. Optimistic people end up benefitting more from such behavior compared to pessimistic people. B. Being excessively optimistic can cause people to become blind to real risks, and not realize their mistake until its too late. XXX. Assessing Behavior in Situations A. In order to predict the behavior of people, one must first observe them.