Personal Development

Theories of Personality
Psychoanalytic
★ Sigmund Freud - stressed the importance of early childhood events
- influence of the unconscious and sexual instincts
★ Erik Erikson - emphasized the social elements of personality development, the identity crisis,
and how personality is shaped of the entire lifespan
★ Carl Jung - collective, unconscious, archetypes, and psychological types
★ Alfred Adler - involve striving for superiority and move closer toward self-realization
- universal
★ Karen Horney - need to overcome basic anxiety, sense of being isolated
- societal and cultural factors also play a role in personality
- importance of the parent-child relationship
Humanistic
★ Carl Rogers - inherent goodness of people
- free will and psychological growth
- the actualizing tendency is the driving force
★ Abraham Maslow - hierarchy of needs
- centered on the necessary things of life become centered on things such as esteem and
self-actualization
Trait Perspective
★ Hans Eysenck - dimensions of personality: extraversion-introversion, emotional
stability-neuroticism, psychoticism
★ Raymond Cattell - 16 personality traits that could be utilized to understand and measure
personalities
★ Robert McCrae and Paul Costa - key dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism,
openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness
Social
★ Albert Bandura - the importance of learning
- role of conscious thoughts including self-efficacy

Big Five Personality

Low score Trait High score

Practical, conventional, prefers Openness (imagination, feelings, Curious, wide range of interests,
routine actions, ideas) independent

Impulsive, careless, Conscientiousness Hardworking, dependable,

disorganized (competence, self-discipline, organized
thoughtfulness, goal-driven)

Quiet, reserved, withdrawn Extroversion (sociability, Outgoing, warm, seek adventure

assertiveness, emotional
expression)
 Critical, uncooperative, Agreeableness (cooperative, Helpful, trusting, empathetic
suspicious trustworthy, good-natured)

Calm, even-tempered, secure Neuroticism (tendency toward Anxious, unhappy, prone to

unstable emotions) negative emotions

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Enneagram
1.) Reformer (Perfectionist and Judge) - rational and idealistic type: principled, purposeful,
self-controlled, and perfectionist
2.) Helper (Giver and Pleaser) - caring and interpersonal type: demonstrative, generous,
people-pleasing, and possessive
3.) Achiever (Performer and Succeeder) - success-oriented and pragmatic type: adaptive, excelling,
driven, and image-conscious
4.) Individualist (Romantic and Aesthetee) sensitive and withdrawn type: expressive, dramatic,
self-absorbed, and temperamental
5.) Investigator (Observer and Thinker) - intense and cerebral type: perceptive, innovative,
secretive, and isolated
6.) Questioner (Loyal skeptic and Troubleshooter) - committed and security-oriented type:
engaging, responsible, anxious, and suspicious
7.) Enthusiast (Generalist, Epicure, and Adventurer) - busy and fun-loving type: spontaneous,
versatile, distractible, and scattered
 8.) Challenger (Protector, Boss, and Top Dog) - powerful and dominating type: self-confident,
decisive, willful, and confrontational
9.) Peacemaker (Mediator and Negotiator) easygoing and self-effacing type: receptive, reassuring,
agreeable, and complacent

The Johari Window

Areas of Personal Development

1. Physiological - physical changes in the body, senses, and skills related to movement
2. Social - inborn capacity to relate, connect, and feel
3. Emotional - feelings that you experience
Emotion - physiological experience (state of awareness)
Feeling - conscious awareness
Emotions - generate biochemical reactions
Feelings - reactions to emotions; subjective in nature
Basic Emotions - happy, sad, afraid or surprised, angry or disgusted
4. Cognitive - person’s intellectual abilities
Attitude - enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies
3 Components: Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive
5. Spiritual - discovering oneself; known as the soul that is often taken for granted
Beliefs - how people react to life
Values - subjective judgments; what one considers as essential to self
Virtues - qualities
Values and virtues - guiding principles

Albert Bandura’s Theory of Human Agency

- the capacity of humans to exercise control over their own lives
- “People are self-regulating, proactive, self-reflective, and self-organizing.”
- self-efficacy: one can succeed in what one wants to do
Bandura’s Theory of Reciprocal Causation (1989)

Behaviorism: B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory

➔ Person - the sum of total behaviors that were rewarded by his/her environment; developed
through repetition and reinforcement
➔ Modeling: The people that one looks to can influence his/her identity, beliefs, and values.

Physical and Mental Development

- Puberty - Growth Hormones
- Adolescence - Metacognitive Thinking

The Self: Holistic Growth

Adolescence - the transition period between being a child and adult
- period of being “caught in the middle”

Karen Horney’s Socio-Cultural View of Knowing Oneself

- largely responsible for the formation of one’s personality
- key factor: relationship of a child and parents
- early childhood experiences and relationships shape one’s personality

★ Erik Erikson
- personality develops and stretches from infancy to old age
- must progress through each stage of life which is crucial in the development of personality
Stages of Psychosocial Development

Infancy trust vs. mistrust

Early Childhood autonomy vs. shame & doubt

Preschool initiative vs. guilt

School Age industry vs. inferiority

Adolescence identity vs. role confusion

Young Adulthood intimacy vs. isolation

Middle Adulthood generativity vs. stagnation

Maturity ego integrity vs. despair

Cognitive Development: Jean Piaget’s Theory

1. Sensorimotor Stage - birth to 2 years old
2. Pre-Operational Stage - 2 to 7 years old
3. Concrete Operational Stage - 7 to 11 years old
4. Formal Operational Stage - 12 and up
When the last stage was reached, teens increased mental capacity in terms of hypothesizing, logical,
and abstract thinking

Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning and Propositional Thought

Imaginary Audience: self-consciousness; feelings though everyone is watching
Personal Fable: belief that he/she is unique with unique abilities and unique problems

Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory
6 Stages grouped into 3 Levels
1. Pre-Conventional
2. Conventional
3. Post-Conventional
Starts from being centered on the needs and wants to considering and negotiating, to a concern for the
common good and universal principles, sometimes at the cost of being self-beneficial.
Spiritual Development
- People develop and mature in holiness, as they grow deeper in knowledge and love for their
Creator
- Those who practice faith actively are resilient in the face of adversities
- Those who believe in a higher being have a deeper sense of hope and purpose

3 Ways to of the Interior Life or 3 Stages of the Spiritual Life

1. Purgative Stage
2. Illuminative Stage
3. Unitive Stage

Developmental Tasks of Adolescents

- conflict in relationships
- self-concept
- engagement with others
- overwhelming feelings and emotions
- hormonal changes

Major Challenges: - sexuality

- self-esteem - academic concerns
- physical appearance - choosing the right course and career
- group belongings path
- relationships - socio-economic challenges
Meeting life’s challenges through self-awareness
What is self-awareness?
- Gives us more secure inner self-knowledge
- Helps us communicate clearly and effectively
- Allows us to express feelings confidently
- Lessens confusion and helps straighten out misunderstandings and misinterpretations
- Can lead to honest, real, and respectful relationships with others
- Gives us an opportunity to grow and to become a more positive presence

Theories to Approaching Self-Awareness

Sigmund Freud - psychoanalytic theory
- 3 levels of awareness: conscious, subconscious, or preconscious, and unconscious
- 3 provinces of the mind: id (instinct), ego (reality), and superego (morality)
- Slip of the tongue: Freudian Slip
Alfred Adler - Inferiority complex
- Striving for superiority or striving for success
- Social interest: oneness with humanity
- Maladjustments
- Safeguarding tendencies
Carl Jung - psychospiritual dimension of self
- Personal unconscious and the collective unconscious
- Individuation or self-realization
- Archetypes: *persona, *shadow, *anima, *animus, great mother, wise old man, hero, and *self
- *Major Jungian Archetypes

Common Defense Mechanisms

- Displacement
- Repression
- Sublimation
- Regression

Reaction formation - when a person feels an urge to do or say something then says something that is the
opposite of what they really want
- appears as a defense against a feared social punishment
Projection - to get rid of attributes of other people with which we are uncomfortable

Differences: reaction formation is transferring your feelings into the opposite behaviors
While projection is more accusing other of your faults

Three Components of “Self-Concept”

- Self-image
- Self-esteem
- Ideal self

“Self-Confidence is more secure when it rests on knowing we are God’s beloved children and not on the
certitude of attaining a success that often eludes us. This conviction enables us to accept the risk
involved in any decision, to overcome the paralysis of insecurity and to be open to new situations.” - A
Healthy Self-Esteem, Opus Dei