An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Each dwarf has a distinct personality.

Freud’s clinical experience led him to develop the first

comprehensive theory of

personality, which included the

unconscious mind, psychosexual stages,

and defense mechanisms. Sigmund Freud

(1856-1939)

Culver Pictures

Conscious mind - level of the mind that is aware of immediate surroundings and perceptions.

Preconscious mind - level of the mind in which information is available but not currently conscious.

Unconscious mind - level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other information are kept that are not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness.◦ Can be revealed in dreams and Freudian slips of the

tongue.

A reservoir (unconscious mind) of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings,

and memories. Freud asked patients to say whatever came to their minds (free

association) in order to tap the unconscious.

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The process of free association (chain of thoughts) leads to

painful, embarrassing unconscious

memories. Once these memories are

retrieved and released (treatment:

psychoanalysis) the patient feels better.

The ego functions as the “executive” and mediates the demands of the id and superego. (rational and logical)

◦Reality principle - principle by which the ego functions; the satisfaction of the demands of the id only when negative consequences will not result.

The superego provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations; moral center

◦Ego ideal - part of the superego that contains the standards for moral behavior.◦Conscience - part of the superego that produces pride or guilt, depending on how well behavior matches or does not match the ego ideal.

The Id- unconsciously strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operating on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

◦ Libido - the instinctual energy that may come into conflict with the demands of a society’s standards for behavior.

◦ Pleasure principle - principle by which the id functions; the immediate satisfaction of needs without regard for the consequences.

Fig. 12-2, p. 473

Neo-Freudians - followers of Freud who developed their own competing theories of psychoanalysis.

Alfred Adler Karen Horney Carl Jung

Like Freud, Adler believed in childhood tensions. However, these tensions were social in nature and not sexual. A child struggles with an

inferiority complex during growth and

strives for superiority and power.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

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Birth Order Theory- first born child more goal oriented than the next

Like Adler, Horney believed in the social aspects of childhood growth and

development. She countered Freud’s

assumption that women have weak superegos and suffer from “penis envy” instead men suffer from

“womb envy.”

Basic anxiety - anxiety created when a child is born

into the bigger and more powerful world of older

children and adults.Karen Horney (1885-1952)

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Jung believed in the collective unconscious, which contained a common reservoir of images derived from our species’ past.

◦This is why many cultures share certain myths and images such as the mother being a symbol of nurturance.◦Personal unconscious - Jung’s name for the unconscious mind as described by Freud.◦Collective unconscious – Jung’s name for the memories shared by all members of the human species.◦Archetypes - Jung’s collective, universal human memories.

Carl Jung (1875-1961)

The scientific merits of Freud’s theory have been criticized.

He is too male-centered.

Psychoanalysis is meagerly testable.

Most of its concepts arise out of clinical practice, which are the after-the-fact

explanations.

By the 1960s, psychologists became discontent with Freud’s negativity and the mechanistic

psychology of the behaviorists.

Person-centered and positive about human potential

Abraham Maslow(1908-1970)

Carl Rogers(1902-1987)

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Maslow proposed that we as individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. Beginning with physiological needs, we

try to reach the state of self-actualization—fulfilling our potential.

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Self-concept - the image of oneself that develops from interactions with important, significant people in one’s life. ◦ Who am I? (How do I think of myself?)

Self - archetype that works with the ego to manage other archetypes and balance the personality.◦ Real self - one’s perception of actual

characteristics, traits, and abilities.◦ Ideal self - one’s perception of whom one should

be or would like to be.

Positive regard – warmth, affection, love, and respect that come from significant others in one’s life.

Unconditional positive regard - positive regard that is given without conditions or strings attached.

Conditional positive regard- positive regard that is given only when the person is doing what the providers of positive regard wish.

Fully functioning person – a person who is in touch with and trusting of the deepest, innermost urges and feelings.

Humanistic psychology has a pervasive impact on counseling, education, child-rearing, and management with its emphasis on a positive self-concept, empathy, and the thought that people are basically good and can improve.

Opponents view it as unrealistically positive and hard to measure empirically

An individual’s unique constellation of durable dispositions and consistent ways of behaving

(traits) constitutes his or her personality.

Examples of Traits

HonestDependable

MoodyImpulsive

Each personality is uniquely made up of multiple traits.

•Gordon Allport first developed a list of about 171 traits and believed that these traits were part of the nervous system.• Cardinal Trait- single most dominant• Central Traits- 5-10 significant

tendencies• Secondary Traits- often present but

not as defining

•Raymond Cattell reduced the number of traits to between 16 and 23 with a computer method called Factor Analysis.• 16 Personality Factors (16 PF)

Factor analysis, a statistical approach used to describe and relate personality traits.

Surface traits - aspects of personality that can easily be seen by other people in the outward actions of a person.

Source traits - the more basic traits that underlie the surface traits, forming the core of personality.◦ Example: Introversion - dimension of personality in

which people tend to withdraw from excessive stimulation

Hans and Sybil Eysenck suggested that personality could be reduced down to two polar dimensions, extraversion-

introversion and emotional stability-instability.PEN- Psychoticism- emotional caring

Extroversion- outgoingNeuroticism- emotional stability

Personality inventories are questionnaires (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors

assessing several traits at once.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. It was

originally developed to identify emotional disorders. 500 True or False Questions

Today’s trait researchers believe that earlier trait dimensions, such as Eysencks’ personality

dimensions, fail to tell the whole story. So, an expanded range (five factors) of traits does a better

job of assessment.

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

Openness

Extraversion

• Conscientiousness - thoughtfulness of others; responsibility or dependability; reliable

Agreeableness – the range from easygoing, friendly, and likeable to grumpy, crabby, and unpleasant; honest, considerate, likable

Neuroticism - degree of emotional instability or stability; anxious, self conscious

• Openness - willingness to try new things and be open to new experiences.

Extraversion - referring to one’s need to be with other people; outgoing, expressive

Extraverts - people who are outgoing and sociable. Introverts - people who prefer solitude and dislike being the

center of attention.

These traits are common across cultures.3. How about other

cultures?

Fifty percent or so for each trait.2. How heritable are they?

Quite stable in adulthood. However, they change over development.

1. How stable are these traits?

The Person-Situation Controversy

Walter Mischel (situationist) (1968, 1984, 2004) points out that traits may be

enduring, but the resulting behavior in various situations is different. Therefore, traits are not good predictors of behavior.

Average behavior remains the same