Personality Development

Dr Ros Weston
Psychology
Definition:

Child (1968)

More or less stable, internal factors that make one persons behaviour consistent
from one time to another, and different from the behaviour other people would
manifest in comparable situations

Stable
Internal
Consistent
Different

Personality is INTERNAL

Freuds theories on Personality Development

Change and development are the key words : internal process + past experiences
The dynamics of behaviour which is what distinguishes this theory from the cognitive
(Glassman, 1995)
 Innate drives + early experiences

id ego super ego pleasure principle defence mechanisms

Anna Freud
defence against instinct
The child learns
defensive behaviours to
control id
Defence Mechanisms Psycho - sexual Development
1 Repression
2 Displacement Energy - libido
&
3 Projection Eros & Thanatos
4 Denial Oral
5 Intellectualisation Anal
Phallic (Oedipus & Electra complexes)
Latency
Genital
Other Defence Mechanisms
Fixation
Affective strategies in personality development
Regression

Case studies: Anna O

Little Hans
Myers & Brewin (1994) Childhood Memories
Williams (1994) Sexual Abuse
McGunnies (1949) Perception defence
things are likely to be ignored if they are unpleasant or
emotionally threatening
Levinger & Clarke (1961) supported this using emotionally
provoking words. (they recalled the words that had neutral
associations)

(Evaluatory comment on each of these and on Freuds theory of personality

development)
 Neo - Freudians
Erikson (1959)

Conflict

WAR
Parents
friends

natural processes expectations of teachers

of maturation society employers

norms &
values
 Chart of Eight Stages
Evaluatory Comments
Used clinical evidence (therapist case studies using Freuds clinical method)
theory imprecise & anecdotal
experimental research provides indirect support for Erikson
(Ainsworth & Bell: 1970) (Bowlby, 1952)
Stage 4 has been supported by work of Damon & Hart (1988)
(older children used more internal psychological terms. Younger children
focused on concrete & tangible )
Strengths : - focuses on social process & ego development
- the facing of developmental tension / conflicts
- most of the conflicts lie with the family (Freud also said : When
you are looking at a sick (mentally) or disturbed person you often
dont have to look far for a cause. (that does not mean the parents
are to blame. It is the conflict that is problematic)
Does not give detail of how you move from one stage to another
Dwaretzky (1996) feels there is little convincing evidence for E theory
Hard to test this theory
The evidence is correlational
It gives a very tidy account of development
 Social Learning Theory
Key term : Significant others
Social Modelling
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation Classical
Conditioning
Operant

Vicarious
Observation &
reinforcement internalisation

This is exact Banduras work Reciprocal determination

opposite of learned
Self efficacy (self -
helplessness
image & belief in self

What would help a child learn self - efficacy?

-? -? -? -?
Continue
 Evidence - Bobo doll
- Harter & Monsour (1992)
- Bandura & Cervone (1983)

Evaluatory Comment

- More than one self? (Baars, 1997)

- Not a development theory
 Situationalism

Bandura suggested that personality is not a stable trait of an individual

Mischel & Peakes theory (1982) suggest a consistency paradox. Research
failed to show consistency
Behavioural specificity (M & P, 1982)
We think it is a stable trait because we see people in similar situations
Individual differences (M & P, 1993)
Person variables
Cognitive & behavioural
Encoding & personal constructs
Expectancy
Subjective stimulus value
self - regulatory systems & plans

Evidence
Context - dependent learning research (Abernety, 1940)
Generalising learning
Lack of fragmentation
 What is gender?
(as part of personality)

Sex Gender Sexual identity

Behaviour Gender identity

Situation (upbrining &

social context) Gender role
Gender stereo types

See : - Debates and all the work we did on real and perceived differences
- Psychoanalytical theory
- Social learning
- Cognitive (Kohlberg)
- Behaviourist
- Humanistic (Carl Rogers : Erikson)
 Kohlbergs (1966) Cognitive - developmental theory (1966)
The child actively constructs his own experiences and they are not products of
social
training
Basic - gender identity (2-3)
Gender stability (3 - 4)
Gender consistency (4 - 7yrs)
(fits with Piagets notion of conservation)
Evidence
Munroe, Shimmin & Munroe (1984)
These stages are cross - cultural.
Slaby & Frey (1975) - attending to some sex models.
Ruble, Balabon & Cooper (1981) Adverts & gender consistency.
Evaluatory Comments
Cross cultural
interactivity
gender identity - increases gender role
How they interact in the world requires gender identity
Criticism : gender role behaviour - depends on gender consistency
Contradictions
Individualistic (not social context)
 Gender Schema Theory
An organised set of beliefs about the sexes (Martin et al, 1987)
in group, out group schema
our gender schema
children are not passive
gender - schemas help them pay attention to & interpret the world &
what they remember
gender schemas structure experience
Evidence : (Martin et al, 1987)
(Bradbard et al, 1986)
(Masters et al, (1979)
Evaluatory Comment
seems to explain & fit with other theories of child development specially
cognitive
individualistic
schemas are overaggerated
should be able to change schemas. As Durkin (1995) found: it is easier to
change concepts
Continued...
Now :

Compare social learning theory yourself using biological; social

biological theory by explaining

Theory (giving)
evidence (including)
evaluatory comment
 Theories of Adolescent Development

The Isle of Wight Study Relationship with parents What evidence

(1976) Rutters large scale Relationship with peers Cultural is there that
study. differences these are
important

Marcias theory (1966-1980)

What factors cause
disturbance in young people? -Alternatives to choose from
Delinquency -Have fun commitment been made

What is the problem of Four possible identity statuses

retrospective data? -Identity diffusion
-Foreclosure
-Moratorium
Eriksons theory (1902, 1994) -Identity achievement
Intimacy
-Identity diffusion Diffusion
Evidence to support : Meilman
Gender & (1979)
Diffusion individual
-Identity crisis of differences
Evidence against : (Munroe &
industry alpha & beta
Negative bias Adams (1977)
identity
-Counter evidence Colemans focal theory
-Support evidence (1974)
Storm & Stress