Inner Realities Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach Part 2: Parts of PersonalityChapter 5: Interior Selves… Inner Realities

Part 2: Parts of Personality Chapter 5: Interior Selves…

Inner Realities

Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach

Inner Realities

Theme and Variation on

Topic 5: Interior Selves; Interior Worlds

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Inner Realities


The Lecture and the Book…

• Chapter 5: Interior Selves, Interior Worlds1. What are Mental Models?* 2. What are Our Models of

Ourselves? 3. What are Our Models of

the World? 4. What are Our Models of

Relationships? 5. How Good are Our Mental

Models?

• Lecture 5: Inner Realities1. The importance of mental

models2. The nature of mental

models3. Possible selves4. Perceiving others5. Relating to others

1. Archetypes2. Core Conflicts

6. (If time) Good models


Inner Realities


Mental Models as Crucial Personality Parts

• We operate in the real world yet…

• Personality is Internal– We operate in an imagined world – Mental models = the imagined real world

• Does that seem too psychological?


Inner Realities


Mental Models as Crucial Personality Parts

• Artificial intelligence researchers initially believed computers would understand language by the late 1960’s – Computers would do this by knowing

• word meanings, • parts of speech, • grammar

• It didn’t happen so quickly– Consider: “The cat and mouse played together. Squeak, squeak,

meow, meow, they cried.” – Or, “Gas?”

• They couldn’t understand without mental (computer) models


Inner Realities


Mental Models • Knowledge structures

that represent– Self-understanding – World-understanding – Interpersonally, whether we

feel trusted, attacked, insulted

• Mostly learned – Sometimes genetically-

prepared learning • Often operate

automatically (i.e., are non-conscious)

Tom’s

Mother

Janice’s

Mother

Arlie’s

Mother

Some features overlap; others are unique to the person


Inner Realities


Types of Knowledge Structures

• A schema or prototype – A list of frequent attributes

• A script – a time-ordered sequence of actions

• A life story – the way a person represents the drama of his or her life

• A relationship pattern – the patterns a person uses in interacting with others


Inner Realities


Possible Selves

– Actual: Who (you believe) you are– Ought: Who society believes you should be– Ideal: Who you would like to be.– Feared: Who you are frightened of becoming– Desired: Who you wish to become


Inner Realities


Discrepancies in Possible Selves

• Discrepancies among selves lead to different feelings (Higgins et al. 1990s)

Actual Self(Self Model)

Ought self (Other’s Expectations)

Ideal self (Personal Expectations)

Anxiety

Sadness


Inner Realities


Properties of Possible Selves• Possible selves

distinguish between college students and delinquents in a sensible way, whereas simple self-esteem does not

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CollegeStudents

Delinquents

Comparison Group

Po

siti

vity Self Esteem

PossibleSelves


Inner Realities


Properties of Possible Selves (Cont.)

• Possible selves also distinguish between groups of widows with similar situations but different outcomes (e.g., poor versus good recovery from death of spouse)

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GoodRecovery

Poor Recovery

Widowed Group

Po

siti

vity Present

Moods

PossibleSelves


Inner Realities


Models of Personality Types

• Do we categorize others into personality types?• Where do we these types come from?• What effect do such models have?


Inner Realities


Learning a Personality PrototypePERSONALITY PROTOTYPE:

VJ was a thoughtful child, raised in a close family by caring parents. He was brought up in a poor Midwestern suburb, and is now married. He is clumsy, unimaginative, and frivolous. Those who know him describe him as cold. He believes in gaining other's respect and also in being a leader. Physically, he is thin and good-looking. (Mayer & Bower, 1986).

TEST EXAMPLE:VJ was a thoughtful child,

raised in a large family by divorced parents. She was brought up in a poor Midwestern suburb, and is now married. He is graceful, unimaginative, and frivolous. Those who know him describe him as warm. He believes in gaining other's respect and also in being a leader. Physically, he is thin and dark-haired. (Mayer & Bower, 1986).


Inner Realities


Results (Mayer & Bower, 1986)

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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Features Overlapping With the Prototype

Probability IdentifiedAs Group Member


Inner Realities


Overgeneralization of Models

• The Case of Extraversion (Cantor & Mischel, 1978)

• First descriptors of extraversion identified – Thoughtful (U; Unrelated) – Lively (M; Moderately Related )– Outgoing (H; Highly Related )

• Procedure: Participants learned lists describing four fictional people. – Jane was one…– Instructions: “I would like you to view these slides and

try to remember the personality characteristics…”


Inner Realities


Person Perception (Cantor & Mischel, 1978)

1. Acquisition Stage: (Jane is:)

2. Recognition Stage: (Was Jane?)

energetic (M)impulsive (M)dominating (M)friendly (M)ambitious (M)honorable (U)logical (U)punctual (U)neat (U)

In Acquisition List:

dominating (M)

energetic (M)

neat (U)

punctual (U)

Not in Acquisition List (Distractors):

spirited (H)

exuberant (H)

thrifty (U)


Inner Realities


Results (Cantor & Mischel, 1978)

Trait was In Acquisition List

Trait was Not in

Acquisition List

Trait was Related to Prototype

Moderately endorsed (e.g., energetic) (Accurate when endorsed)

Moderately endorsed these (e.g., spirited)

(Inaccurate when endorsed)

Trait was Unrelated to Prototype

Moderately endorsed these (e.g., neat) (Accurate when endorsed)

Did not endorse these much (e.g., neat) (Inaccurate when endorsed)


Inner Realities


Jungian Archetypes

• Location: The Collective Unconscious: “This transpersonal domain is detached from anything personal and is common to all people, since its contents can be found everywhere…” (Jung 1917, p. 66).

• Evidence: Common phobias: snakes, water, heights; uncommon phobias: bicycles, knives, cars


Inner Realities


Case Study: Archetypes

• Schizoprhenic Patient,1906: If you squint your eyes and stare at the sun you could see the sun’s phallus. You can make the phallus move if you swing your head from side-to-side. The moving phallus makes the wind.

• (Reported in “Beneath the Mask”)

• Greek Tract: For you will see hanging down from the disc of the sun something that looks like a tube. And towards the regions westward it is as though there were an infinite east wind. But if the other wind should prevail towards the regions of the east, you will in like manner see the vision veering in that direction.


Inner Realities


Examples of Archetypes• Mother and father archetypes:

elicited through a real mother, father, mother-in-law, wife, etc. Either positive (kind princess or prince) or negative (witch, harsh ruler)

• Trickster or magician archetype: fondness for sly jokes, malicious pranks, dual nature: half animal, half human

• Hero archetype: hero defeats evil, slays dragon or monster

• Shadow: dark half of personality, demons, devils

• Wise old person: village elder, wise poet, elderly healer


Inner Realities


Significant Other Models

• Models of those we are (or have been) close to

• Examples: Parents, other caretakers, teachers

• Significance: We develop patterns with these individuals that we then generalize to others


Inner Realities


Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT)

• Begin with transcripts from psychotherapy

• Examine them for key themes in relationships

• Identify those relationships theme and watch for their repetition

• Excellent inter-agreement reliability for identifying themes


Inner Realities


Can You Identify the CCRT Theme?

1. He came over to drink beer, and to have this conversation which was a little difficult. I pretended to be enjoying it, enjoying him, you know, in the spirit of good fellowship and shit and stuff, but I really wanted to be -- well, I didn't want to be reading, but you know, I felt that this was the thing that, that was keeping me from reading and that hassled me. I really fucking resented it a lot. You know among my friends, they're respecting and always have really respected my wanting to do my own thing...But you know, with a guy like this (clear throat), he's just in another world totally from that. And, you know, he wouldn't understand if I said that, you know, he would be insulted and that kind of shit. You know it was kind of a hassle.


Inner Realities



2. This morning I, like didn't particularly feel like coming here, you know. Because like, I don't know, I felt some kind of, you know, I felt like I didn't need it. I guess I was just, you know, my spirits were a little raised. If only now I could get out of the bag of feeling that I have to...

.


Inner Realities



3. Well, now I'm getting that same feeling that, you know, I'm sort of talking about worthless shit. Because, and you know, my basis for thinking that is the fact that you haven't said anything. Jeez, we go through this same nonsense every session, it's just amazing to me. I'm sort of ashamed that my mind isn't a little more creative, to think of different hassles. You know, it's sort of boring going through the same hassle four times a week, for what at this point seems like a timeless period.


Inner Realities



4. When I finally got through to her roommate yesterday and found out that she wasn't going to be in, like all the woman obligations just went off me. I knew that there was nothing I could do to find a woman and you know, there was a kind of relief.


Inner Realities


Attachment theory• Harry Harlow

• Orphanage Studies

• Strange situation (Mary Ainsworth)

• Three types:– Securely attached (empathic

mirroring, good contact)

– Anxiously attached (inconsistent; uncertain)

– Anxious-avoidant/conflicted attached (apathetic)


Inner Realities


Social Roles

• Jung’s Persona

• Hogan’s Socioanalytic Theory– Gaining status; popularity– Necessary for reproduction– Example: Crossing campus and seeing

philosopher.


Inner Realities


Morality and Moral Behavior

• What rules do we employ for engaging with others?

• What are our ethical and moral codes?

• These, too, are part of our personality, part of who we are


Inner Realities


Formal Models are Rewarded in Society

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Non-HighSchool

HighSchool

AssociatesDegree

CollegeDegree

Master'sDegree

DoctoralDegree

Income in US Dollars,2002


Inner Realities


Constructive Thinking

Positive AspectsEmotional Coping “I don’t let little things bother

me.”

Behavioral Coping “When I am faced with a difficult task, I think encouraging thoughts that help me do my best.”

Neutral Aspect

Naïve Optimism I believe people can accomplish anything they want if they have enough will power


Inner Realities


Constructive Thinking

Negative Aspects

Categorical Thinking

“I am very judgmental of people”

Personal Superstitious Thinking

I’ve learned not to hope too hard because what I hope for usually doesn’t happen

Esoteric Thinking

I believe in astrology


Inner Realities


Outcomes of Constructive Thinking

• Among business people , predicts superior performance, faster advancement, more satisfaction at home.

• Among students, predicts performance at part time jobs, but less so in class (where IQ is more powerful.

• At low levels, may predict more drug use and problem behavior.

Documents

Inner Realities Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach Part 2: Parts of PersonalityChapter 5: Interior Selves… Inner Realities