1
Q
Psychodynamic Personality
A
- Our personality is influenced by theconscious + unconscious
- We are motivated by instincts & drive
- Id, ego, & superego
- Our personality as adults are rootedin childhood experiences
- Psychic determinism:All thoughts, feelings, & behaviours have a cause
2
Q
Psychodynamic Consciousness | Topographic Model
A
- Conscious: contact with outside world(e.g. thoughts, feelings, perceptions)
- Preconscious: material just beneath the surface of awareness(e.g. memories, stored knowledge)
- Unconscious: difficult to retrieve material;well below the surface of awareness(e.g. fears, violent motives, immoral urges, irrational wishes, shameful experiences, unacceptable sexual desires)
3
Q
Psychodynamic Drive/ Instinct Model
A
- Two basic drives motivate all thoughts, emotions, & behaviours:
Sex or libido (life) desire for pleasure, sensuality, love, sexual intercourse, procreation - Aggression (death) elimination of enemies, prevention of harm
4
Q
Psychodynamic Structural Model
A
- ID
- Ego
- Superego
5
Q
Structural Model ID
A
- Reservoir of sexual & aggressive energy
- Primitive, instinctive component
- Primary process thinking (e.g. wishful, illogical)
- “Pleasure principle” – wants immediate gratification, no regard for consequences
- Unconscious
6
Q
Structural Model Ego
A
- Executor (“boss” of personality)
- Decision-making component (mediates id, superego, & reality)
- Secondary process thinking (e.g. rational, logical)
- “Reality principle” – recognises real-world consequences & delays action until practical/appropriate
- Conscious + unconscious
7
Q
Structural Model Superego
A
- Conscience & source of ideals
- Moral component
- “Morality principle” – motivates us to behave in socially responsible & acceptable manner
- Conscious + unconscious
8
Q
Psychodynamic Defence Mechanisms
A
- Unconscious mental processes aimed at protecting person from unpleasant emotions / bolstering pleasurable emotions
- People regulate emotions & deal with conflicts by employing defence mechanisms
- Some negative emotions can be produced by intrapsychic conflict between id, ego, & superego (e.g. anxiety)
9
Q
Defence Types Psychodynamic
A
Repression Denial Regression Reaction-formation Projection Displacement Rationalisation Intellectualisation Identification with aggressor Sublimation
10
Q
Repression
A
The motivated failure to acknowledge distressing internal experiences
- Women forget the pain of childbirth
- An abused child cannot remember the abuse but has trouble forming relationships
11
Q
Sublimation
A
Transforming a socially unacceptable impulse into an admired goal
- Somebody with anger issues begins to use that energy to workout
12
Q
Identification with Aggressor
A
Adopting the characteristics of individuals whom we find threatening
13
Q
Intellectualism
A
Avoidance of emotions by focusing on abstract impersonal thoughts
- Using logical thought processes instead of emotional
14
Q
Rationalism
A
Thinking of a reasonable-sounding explanation for unreasonable behaviour
15
Q
Displacement
A
Directing an impulse from a socially unacceptable target onto a safer target
- Yelling at your partner after you’ve had a bad day at work
16
Q
Projection
A
The unconscious attribution of our negative characteristics to others
17
Q
Reaction Formation
A
Transformation of an anxiety-producing emotion into its opposite
- A homosexual being heterosexually promiscuous
18
Q
Regression
A
Psychologically returning to a younger age
- A person suffering a mental breakdown assumes the fatal position, rocking and crying
19
Q
Denial
A
The motivated failure to acknowledge distressing external experiences
- Not accepting and believing a death of a loved one
20
Q
Psychosexual Theory of Personality Development
A
- Personality development involves passing through several psychosexual stages in childhood
- At each stage, libido focuses on different erogenous zone
- Difficulties during any of these stages => fixations, conflicts, concerns that persist into adulthood
21
Q
Psychosexual Scale
A
0-1 Oral 2-3 Anal 4-6 Phallic 7-11 Latency 12 onwards Genital
22
Q
Oral Personality Development
A
- Erogenous zone: mouth, lips, tongue
- Pleasure from: feeding, biting, sucking, etc.
- Fixation characteristics in adulthood:dependency issues, oral behaviour(e.g. smoking, overeating, nail-biting)
23
Q
Anal Personality Development
A
- Erogenous zone: anus
- Pleasure from: bowel movements
- Fixation characteristics in adulthood: overly orderly/messy, stubborn
24
Q
Phallic Personality Development
A
- Erogenous zone: genitals
- Pleasure from: genitals
- Oedipus complex
- Fixation characteristics in adulthood: extreme masculinity/femininity, vanity, recklessness
25
Latency Personality Development
- Erogenous zone: N/A (repressed sexuality)
- Pleasure from: N/A
- Develop defence mechanisms
- Fixation characteristics in adulthood: usually no fixation, asexuality
26
Genital Personality Development
- Erogenous zone: genitals
- Pleasure from: genitals
- Mature sexual intimacy formed
- Fixation characteristics in adulthood: insincere interest in others, immature sexuality
27
Limitations of Psychodynamic Approach
- Inadequate empirical base – over reliance on case studies with unrepresentative samples
- Unfalsifiable – many aspects of theory are untestable
- Over-emphasis on sex
- Over-emphasis on childhood experiences
- Sexist (e.g. penis envy)
28
Lasting Contributions of Psychodynamic Approach
- Unconscious processes
- Dynamics of ambivalence, conflict, anxiety, & compromise
- Importance of childhood experiencesin shaping adult interpersonal patterns
- Impulse regulation
29
Behavioural Personality
- Mind is a “black box” that can’t be studied
- Personality is a set of response tendencies
- People learn to behave in particular ways incertain situations due to differing contingencies past rewards/punishments)
- Environmental determinism: All our actions are products of causal influences in the environment
30
Limitations of Behavioural Approach
- Evidence base dependent on animal studies
- Dehumanising – people as passive/mechanical
- Ignores internal processes (e.g. thought, motivation)
31
Lasting Contributions of Behavioural Approach
- Objective/scientific measurement
- Learning, conditioning (classical, operant)
- Environmental contingencies
32
Cognitive-Social Personality Approach
```
- Thinking & reasoning important
Cognitive factors
► personal values
► outcome expectancies
► self-efficacy expectancies
► competencies
Social factors
► vicarious learning
► modelling / observational learning
- Reciprocal determinism
```
33
Limitations of Cognitive-Social Approach
- Focus on rationality, underestimate emotion
- Fragmented view of personality – explains discrete responses, but not integrated whole
- Assumes conscious thought processes
34
Lasting Contributions of Cognitive-Social Approach
- Social learning & modelling
- Reciprocal influences on environment
- Cognitive dimensions of personality
35
Humanistic Personality Approach
- Stresses the dignity, uniqueness, & integrity ofhuman beings
- Optimistic view of human nature
- Emphasises positive aspects of people(e.g. capacity for personal growth)
- Central concept: the self
36
Humanistic Theory of Self Development
1. We have a “true self” that is inherently good and untainted
2. We seek approval, affection, positive regard
3. Others withhold regard, give it “conditionally”
4. We incorporate these conditions of worth and adjust behaviour to meet others’ expectations
5. Incongruence may develop between our “true self” and how we are forced to behave (“false self”)
37
Congruencies of Humanistic Approach
```
Incongruence
► Distress, anxiety
► People become defensive, mean-spirited, selfish, trapped by convention
Congruence
► fully-functioning
► confident, realistic, undefensive
```
Congruence brought about by unconditional love+ positive regard (no conditions of worth)
38
Limitations of Humanistic Approach
- Vague – concepts difficult to test empirically
- Limited research support
- Lacks comprehensive theory of personality
- Overly optimistic & idealistic
39
Lasting Contributions of Humanistic Approach
- Focus on ways humans strive to find meaning / grow in life
| - Positive psychology
40
Trait Approach to Personality
Implies:
- Personality can be described in terms of dispositions (traits)
- Traits are stable over time & consistent across situations
- Strength of trait can be inferred by frequency of “index” behaviours
41
Humoral Theory (Galen 2nd century AD)
```
A trait theory
People classified according to the predominance of one of four types of fluids (humours):
Choleric
Melancholic
Phlegmatic
Sanguine
```
42
Choleric
excess of yellow bile, bad tempered and irritable
43
Melancholic
excess of black bile, gloomy and pessimistic
44
Phlegmatic
excess of phlegm, sluggish, calm, and unexcitable
45
Sanguine
excess of blood (sanguis), cheerful and passionate
46
Physiognomy (Sheldon 1952)
```
A trait theory
People classified according to three basic body physiques
ENDOMORPH
ECTOMORPH
MESOMORPH
```
47
Catell's 16 PF (1990)
1. Warmth | 2. Reasoning | 3. Emotional stability
4. Dominance | 5. Liveliness | 6. Rule-consciousness
7. Social boldness | 8. Sensitivity | 9. Vigilance
10. Abstractedness | 11. Privateness | 12. Apprehension
13. Openness to change | 14. Self-reliance
15. Perfectionism | 16. Tension
48
Eyesenck's Big 3 Listed
Extraversion and Introversion
Neuroticism and Emotional stability
Psychoticism and Self-control
49
Eyesenck's Big 3 Biology
- 3 dimensions have substantial genetic basis that is expressed in terms of functional differences in the brain
- Extraversion example: the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) regulates cortical arousal/wakefulness
People have different levelsof resting cortical arousal
► highly extraverted people have lower resting cortical arousal therefore need more stimulation for optimum arousal
► highly introverted people have higher resting cortical arousal therefore need less stimulation for optimum arousal
50
The Big 5 Personality Traits McCrae and Costa Listed
5 “robust” dimensions of personality:
1. Openness to experience (intellectually curious, unconventional, creative)
2. Conscientiousness (responsible, organised, dependable)
3. Extraversion (social, lively, outgoing, talkative)
4. Agreeableness (friendly, supportive, cooperative, kind)
5. Neuroticism (tense, anxious, nervous, unstable)
51
Big 5 Support
Big 5 found to be common to nearly all other personality tests
Most cross-cultural research supports universality of at least three of the five factors – conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness
52
Heritability
Personality results from an interaction of nature (genes) and nurture (environment)
Trait theorists argue genetic history has strong influence on personality
How can we tell?
► Twin studies
► Adoption studies
53
Twins vary by
```
Genetic similarity
1. Identical twins
2. Non-identical twins
Environment
1. Reared together
2. Reared apart
```
54
Big 5 Predictions
Clinical, organisational-industrial, health, social and institutional settings
▲ neuroticism predicts common mental disorders (e.g. depressive, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders)
▲ conscientiousness predicts health, mortality, job performance
▲ extraversion associated with happiness, leadership behaviour
▲ agreeableness predicts relationship satisfaction
▲ openness to experience predicts creativity, progressive attitudes (e.g. low conservatism, ethnocentrism, low prejudice, more liberal sexual attitudes)
55
The Dark Triad (Paulus & Williams, 2002)
3 “evil” dimensions of personality:
Narcissism (grandiosity, pride, egotistical)
Machiavellianism (manipulative, exploitative, deceptive) Psychopathy (antisocial, impulsive, callous, remorseless)
Research on dark triad used in law enforcement, organisations; clinical psychology
Predicts aggression, violence, corruption, preference for short-term relationships
56
Endomorph
- relaxed
- sociable
- thicc
57
Ectomorph
- intelligent
- introverted
- thin
58
Mesomorph
- energetic
- physical
- ripped
59
Eyesenck's Extra and Intraversion
Extraversion
- Outgoing nature, high level of activity
Introversion
- Shuns crowds, prefers solitary activity
60
Eyesenck's Neuroticism and Emotional Stability
Neuroticism
- Full of anxiety, worries and guilt
Emotional stability
- Relaxed and at peace
61
Eyesenck's Psychoticism and Self-control
Psychoticism
- Aggressive, egocentric and antisocial
Self-control
- Kind and considerate, obedient of rules and laws
