Introduction to Personality

Personality Psychology

Personality Defined

Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that is organized and relatively

enduring and that influences his or her interactions

with, and adaptations to, the environment.

Personality Defined

Personality is a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person's characteristic patterns of

behavior, thoughts and feelings

Personality Defined

This definition makes several points: Personality has organization is active, it has processes of some sort is a psychological concept, but is tied to the

physical body is a causal force…it helps determine how the

person relates to the world shows up in patterns…it has consistency is displayed in many ways

(Carver, Scheier, Allport)

What is a Theory?

Theory Defined

A theory is a model of reality that helps us to understand, explain, predict, and control that reality.

A theory is a set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses.

A Good Theory

A useful theory must Generate Research - both descriptive research and

hypothesis testing, Be Falsifiable; that is, research findings should be able

to either support or refute the theory, Organize Data into an intelligible framework and

integrate new information into its structure; Guide Action, or provide the practitioner with a road

map for making day-to-day decisions; Be Internally Consistent and have a set of operational

definitions; and Be Parsimonious, or as simple as possible.

Why Different Theories?

Psychologists and other scientists generate a variety of theories because they have different life experiences and different ways of looking at the same data.

Different theories may useful in different situations.

Major Questions a Personality Theory Attempts to Answer

Developmental-Historical Question How did the person come to behave as he or she

does now? What were the causes or the beginnings of the person?

Predictions-Consistency Question Will this person behave similarly in similar

situations at a later time? Uniqueness-Generality Question

When are we unique and when are we the same?

Content/Process "Personality is something that does something"

Allport.

Pitfall of Theories

Ethnocentrism Egocentrism Dogmatism Misunderstandings Evidence (Lack of)

Basic Assumptions Concerning Human Nature

Heredity … Environment (?) Free Will … Determinism (?) Optimistic (Changeability) … Pessimistic (Unchangeability) (?) Uniqueness …Universality Physiological … Purposive Motivation

(Homeostasis … Heterostasis) Unconsciousness … Conscious Proactivity (Personal) … Reactivity (Situation) Stage (Discontinuous) … Non Stage Theory (Continuous) Early … Late Experience Holism … Elementalism (Reductionism) Cultural Determinism … Cultural Transcendence

Summary

Theories serve as a guide for researchers Theories organize known findings Theories allow us to make predictions Theories are more than just beliefs Theory and research are bound together