Personality

What is Personality?
People differ from
each other in
meaningful ways
People seem to show
some consistency in
behavior
Personality is defined as distinctive
and relatively enduring ways of
thinking, feeling, and acting
Personality
Personality refers to a persons unique and
relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings,
and actions
Personality is an interaction between biology
and environment
Genetic studies suggest heritability of personality
Other studies suggest learned components of
personality
Four Theories of
Personality
1. Trait
2. Psychoanalytic
3. Humanistic
4. Socio-Cognitive
The First Trait Theory
Two Factor Trait
Theory of Personality
UNSTABLE
STABLE
INTROVERTED EXTRAVERTED
Moody
Anxious
Rigid
Sober
Pessimistic
Reserved
Unsociable
Quiet
Sociable
Outgoing
Talkative
Responsive
Easygoing
Lively
Carefree
Leadership
Passive
Careful
Thoughtful
Peaceful
Controlled
Reliable
Even-tempered
Calm
Touchy
Restless
Aggressive
Excitable
Changeable
Impulsive
Optimistic
Active
Personality Traits
Traits are relatively stable and consistent personal
characteristics
Trait personality theories suggest that a person can be
described on the basis of some number of personality
traits
Allport identified some 4,500 traits
Cattel used factor analysis to identify 30-35 basic traits
Eysenck argued there are 3 distinct traits in personality
Extraversion/introversion
Neuroticism
Psychotocism
Allport
Overview of the Big 5
Assessing Traits: An
Example
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of
all personality tests
developed to identify emotional disorders
MMPI: examples
Nothing in the newspaper interests me
except the comics.

I get angry sometimes.

Evaluating Trait Theory
Trait theory, especially the Big 5 model, is able to
describe personality
Cross-cultural human studies find good agreement for the
Big 5 model in many cultures
Appear to be highly correlated not only in adulthood, but
also in childhood and even late preschoolers
Three dimensions (extraversion, neuroticism and
agreeableness) have cross-species generality
Problems with trait theory include:
Lack of explanation as to WHY traits develop
Issue of explaining transient versus long-lasting traits
Psychoanalytic Theory
Psychoanalytic theory, as devised by Freud,
attempts to explain personality on the basis of
unconscious mental forces
Levels of consciousness: We are unaware of some
aspects of our mental states
Freud argued that personality is made up of
multiple structures, some of which are unconscious
Freud argued that as we have impulses that cause us
anxiety; our personality develops defense
mechanisms to protect against anxiety
Freudian Theory
Levels of
consciousness
Conscious
What were aware of
Preconscious
Memories etc. that can
be recalled
Unconscious
Wishes, feelings,
impulses that lies
beyond awareness
Structures of
Personality
Id
Operates according to
the pleasure principle
Ego
Operates according to
the reality principle
Superego
Contains values and
ideals
Superego
Moral
imperatives
Ideals
Ego
Reality principle
Secondary process
thinking
Unconscious
Well below surface
of awareness;
difficult to retrieve
Conscious
Contact with
outside world
Preconscious
Material just
beneath surface
of awareness
Id
Pleasure principle
Primary process
thinking
Freud: Personality has 3 parts
Superego Id Ego
Life
and death
instincts
Sexual,
aggressive
urges
The selfish
beast
Libido
The executive
Pleasure
principle
Primary
process
thinking
Ego Ideal
The conscience
Reality
principle
Freudian Theory
Anxiety occurs when:
Impulses from the id threaten to get out of
control
The ego perceives danger from the environment
The ego deals with the problem through:
coping strategies
defense mechanisms
Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms refer to unconscious mental
processes that protect the conscious person from
developing anxiety
Sublimation: person channels energy from unacceptable
impulses to create socially acceptable accomplishments
Denial: person refuses to recognize reality
Projection: person attributes their own unacceptable
impulses to others
Repression: anxiety-evoking thoughts are pushed into the
unconscious

Defense Mechanisms
Rationalization: Substituting socially acceptable reasons
Intellectualization: Ignoring the emotional aspects of a
painful experience by focusing on abstract thoughts,
words, or ideas
Reaction formation: Refusing to acknowledge
unacceptable urges, thoughts or feelings by exaggerating
the opposite state
Regression: Responding to a threatening situation in a
way appropriate to an earlier age or level of development
Displacement: Substituting a less threatening object for
the original object of impulse
Assessing the Unconscious
Projective Tests
used to assess personality (e.g., Rorschach or
TAT tests)
How? provides ambiguous stimuli and subject
projects his or her motives into the ambiguous
stimuli

Assessing the Unconscious --
Rorschach
Rorschach Inkblot Test
the most widely used
projective test
a set of 10 inkblots designed
by Hermann Rorschach

Rorschach
Assessing the Unconscious--
Rorschach
used to identify
peoples inner
feelings by
analyzing their
interpretations
of the blots
Assessing the
Unconscious--TAT
Thematic
Apperception
Test (TAT)
people express
their inner
motives through
the stories they
make up about
ambiguous
scenes

Psychoanalytic
Neo-Freudian
Alfred Adler
Humans are motivated by social interest
Takes social context into account
First Born
Privileged until Dethroned
Second Born
In shadow of 1
st
Born inferiority, restlessness
Youngest
Pampered, dependent
Only Child
Higher intellect, timid, passive, & withdrawn
Psychoanalytic
Neo-Freudian
Carl Jung
A collective unconscious is represented
by universal archetypes
Two forms of unconscious mind
Personal unconscious: unique for each person
Collective unconscious: consists of primitive
images and ideas that are universal for humans