Personality Get One!

Personality Get One!Handy Dandy Things to KnowPersonality - Patterns of feelings, motives, & behavior that set people apart from one anotherEach person behaves in a consistent way from one situation to anotherThese behaviors grow from your thoughts, drives, life experiences, and personal goalsEveryone is unique from each other, and is their own special flower!Personality Theorists disagree with on how people come to possess certain traits and not others.

Levels of ConsciousnessConscious Aware and knowing of what is happening in your surroundingsPreconscious Below the present (gut feeling) thoughts or ideas you have had previouslyUnconscious Thoughts, feelings, desires with no direct linkThis contains memories or items from childhood which may hold traumaItems stuck in unconscious may be repressedA denial of a desire or need that causes guilt or anxiety

Sigmund FreudAustrian who lived from 1856-1939 and has a background! Was a doctor at first, but two things changed his professional carrier As he listed to patients he became convinced that the medical problems they were having were coming from psychological forces rather than physical ones He couldnt stand the sight of blood First started using hypnosis to try to get to the root of some bazar behaviors Lady who wasnt drinking water Hysterical Pregnancy

Sigmund Freud He believed that if he talked to someone long enough, he could find out some of the material that was causing the problems called it his talking cure He reached the unconscious by using free association A person says anything that appears in mind even if it is not related and therapist pulls it togetherAll this helped him develop the psychoanalytical approach which believes that:conscious thoughts make up small part of mind, most deep thoughts, & urges are pushed into the unconscious part of the mind and if not released will manifest themselves in undesirable ways Only way to get these thoughts and urges out is to talk about them

Sigmund Freuds Personality Structure Divided the mind into three parts: One is responsible for survival needs Id Rules of behaviorSuperego Deals with the real world and tries to keep the demands of the other two in balance Ego

Sigmund Freuds Personality StructureId Freudian psychological unit containing our basic needs and drivesThe Id wants things now.Represents basic drives such as hunger, thirst, sex.Id wants instant gratification with no concern of rules, laws, etc.Could not survive without it in lifePresent at birthIs unconscious

Sex! Drugs! Rock n Roll! Oh and Drinking too! RIGHT NOW!Sigmund Freuds Personality StructureSuperego Freudian psychological unit that provides standards for judgement (conscience).Develops throughout childhood from rewards and punishments we received from parentsMoral principleActs as a conscience, & floods the ego with shame & guilt Exists only when it wants to If it went unchecked by the id and ego, what would happen?

Sigmund Freuds Personality StructureEgo Freudian psychological unit that mediates among the demands of the Id, Superego, and reality. Controls the ids expressions within the boundaries of the superegoGuided by the reality principleEgo must balance the Id & the Super Ego to provide healthy mental thought.

Sigmund Freuds Personality StructureOur personalities show how good at balancing act we have developed between the id, superego, and the ego If the id is the strongest, we develop personalities that are more and more demanding of animal needs If the ego loses its ability to balance the two, we become whining and pouty individuals who are never satisfied If the superego dominates we become guilt-ridden, shy, fearful, and withdrawn

Sigmund Freuds Defense MechanismsFreud says that anxiety is when the ego fears losing control of the inner war between the id and the superego The ego protects itself with defense mechanisms or tactics that reduce or redirect anxiety by distorting reality Here are nine examples of defense mechanismsRepressionRegressionReaction formationProjectionRationalizationDisplacementDenialSublimationCompensation

Sigmund Freuds Defense MechanismsRepression Removes anxiety causing ideas by pushing them into the unconscious.Keeps the lid on the kettleThis is why Freud says we dont remember our childhood lust for our parents (stay tuned for more on this)Sometimes these repressed urges or thought slip out in dreams (symbols) and slips of the tongue (Freudian slips)Regression Return to a behavior that is a characteristic of an earlier stage of lifeAn adolescent may pout and refuse to speak to her parents when forbidden to go out with friends. An adult may become highly dependent on his parents following the breakup of his own marriage

Sigmund Freuds Defense MechanismsReaction FormationWhen someone acts the opposite of what their true feelings are in order to hide their true feelingsI hate Dad= I love DadBeing mean or picking on someone you actually likeProjection People see their own faults in others He doesnt trust me may be a projection of the actual feeling I dont trust him Think of it this way the thief thinks everyone else is a thief

Sigmund Freuds Defense MechanismsDenialWhen one refuses to accept the reality of anything bad or upsetting or when you lie to yourself Spouses my deny evidence of their partners affairSublimationChanneling basic impulses into socially acceptable behaviorHostile student may channel their aggressive impulses into footballDepressed or sad person my channel their feelings into artwork or music

Sigmund Freuds Defense MechanismsCompensationWhen people overachieve in one area to compensate for failures in another Napoleon Complex A student who is not good in school may try to make up for it by being great in sports

Effects of defense mechanisms?According to Freud, when used in moderation, defense mechanisms may be normal and even useful to protect people from painful feelings such as anxiety, guilt, and shame. They become UNHEALTHY when they lead a person to ignore the underlying issues causing those feelings. Sigmund Freuds Personality DevelopmentFreud says developmental stages are rooted in childhood and when conflict cannot be resolved your libido (biological energy) gets fixated, or become obsessed and develop a problemOral Stage: Birth to One Feeding is main source of concern and pleasureFixations: If you get weaned to early you could spend the rest of your life looking for food or being too dependent on othersIf you get weaned too late you become over dependent on others, reject people and become fearful of othersCould develop eating problems or oral fixations such as smoking, chewing tobacco

Sigmund Freuds Personality DevelopmentAnal Stage: One to Three Activity is bowel and bladder control a.k.a toilet trainingFixations: If parents are too lenient and the child starts too late, the kid will be irresponsible, rebellious or messyIf they are too early and overzealous, the child could end up anal, anxious or uptight

Sigmund Freuds Personality DevelopmentPhallic Stage: Three to Six Oedipus Complex for boysFeelings of wanting to possess the mother and the desire to replace the father which results in rejecting the father and becoming hostile/jealous of fatherHowever, the child also fears that he will be punished by the father for these feelingsThe only way to avoid being punished is by identifying with, or imitating and copying the father to get on their good side You then take on the gender role of the male so you can become like people you fear so you avoid conflict and also so your mother will love the you like she loves the father

Sigmund Freuds Personality DevelopmentPhallic Stage Fixations Failure to resolve this conflict can result in unreasonable anxiety, extreme guilt, phobias, depression, confused sexual identity, reckless and narcissistic Latency Stage: Ages Six to Preadolescence Activity is the repression of urgesWhen the childs earlier conflicts are hidden (latent) or below the surfaceChildren repress all their aggressive urges & channel them into school, athletics, friendsCooties stage Fixations??? NONE!

Sigmund Freuds Personality DevelopmentGenital Stage: Adolescence and onSource of pleasure is interest in the opposite sex When the conflicts of early childhood reappear No new conflicts appear during this stage, but all the old ones resurface, but the way in which they are expressed may have changedExample Oral Stage conflict could resurface and instead of looking for food, substitute food for smoking or drinkingExample Anal Stage conflict could develop into anxiety or rebellion This is the stage where you seek a mate Fixations: NONE

Assessing Unconscious ProcessesHow do psychologists working in the Freudian tradition attempt to assess the unconscious? Use a projective test, which aims to provide a psychological X-ray by asking test-takers to describe an ambiguous stimulus or tell a story about it Have the Thematic Apperception Test or TAT where people view ambiguous pictures and then make up stories about them Most widely used is the Rorschach inkblot test, where you look at images and said what they saw Also free association and dream analysis

Neo- FreudiansNeo Freudians accept Freuds ideas of:The personality structure (id, superego, and ego)The importance of the unconsciousThe shaping of personality in childhoodDynamics of anxiety and the defense mechanismsNeo- Freudians disagree with Freud in two ways: Place more emphasis on the conscious minds role in interpreting experience and in coping with the environment They doubted that sex and aggression were all-consuming motivations

Neo- FreudiansNeo Freudians accept Freuds ideas of:The personality structure (id, superego, and ego)The importance of the unconsciousThe shaping of personality in childhoodDynamics of anxiety and the defense mechanismsNeo- Freudians disagree with Freud in two ways: Place more emphasis on the conscious minds role in interpreting experience and in coping with the environment They doubted that sex and aggression were all-consuming motivations

Neo- Freudians- JungCarl Jung- Freud s disciple turned-dissenter who broke with Freud over what the unconscious held Jung believed that people not only have a PEROSNAL unconsicous that stores repressed thoughts and feelings, but also have an inherited collective unconscious or a store of human concepts (images, beliefs, spiritual ideas) shared by all people across all cultures Examples would be ideas on what a hero is, or supreme beings, the role of the mother as nurturing, wise old men, themes of rebirth these would all be considered archetypes Jungs term for inherited universal human concepts

Neo- Freudians- JungJung is probably most famous for his theories on introverts vs. extroverts Introverts: Enjoy small groups IntrospectiveQuieterExtroverts: Enjoy crowdsUsually louderAssertiveGregariousOver 50% of people fall in the middle The Meyers-Briggs Test which is used in military and business is the largest personality tests in the world, and it is based on his theories

Neo- Freudians- JungJung also was famous for his ideas of the mask people wear to hide what they really are or feel Fake personality is called a persona which comes from Latin and refers to the frowning or smiling masks that were worn in Greek and Roman stage plays Use them to fit what we think we are supposed to be, rather than let ourselves be what we actually are Think about how many times you may have smiled and been pleasant around someone who is irritating you?

Neo- Freudians- AdlerAlfred Adler agreed with Freud that childhood is important, but believed that social not sexual tensions of childhood are crucial for personality formation Coined the term inferiority complex, or feelings of inadequacy and insecurity which Adler believes is what we spend our childhood and adult life trying to conquer Think of the school bully who tries to dominate and control others as a way to avoid their own feelings of inferiority (hides in the unconscious)Adler thought that these feelings can cause us to strive to be better

Neo- Freudians- HorneyKaren Horney (HORN-eye) agreed with Freud that childhood did affect personality but believed that the human feels most helpless, anxious, and lost in life around the issues of getting enough love For children this is particularly true when it comes to getting love from their parents It is so threatening that we build our personalities around fighting rejection and tend to go along with people when we dont want to A person who does not receive love is one who is always anxious and afraid and anxiety gradually builds up in the unconscious because of inadequate social relationships

Neo- Freudians- EriksonErik Erikson- Felt that personality was not set in stone during childhood, but could change and develop throughout life His theory divides life into eight stagesBelieves that social forces are most important as well as the types of relationships one has during each stageStage One- Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy- 2 years old)Stresses the importance of warm relationships with the mother during feeding Depending on the relationship the child either relaxes and feels trusting, or is tense and mistrusting of others these traits continue throughout life

Neo- Freudians- EriksonStage Two- Autonomy vs. Shame (2-3 years old)Child tries to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and tries to become an individualIf parents dont allow this, the ego is injured and the child feels shameIf parents allow some freedom, a feeling of independence occurs, called autonomyStage Three- Initiative vs. Guilt (3- 5 Years old)Children begin to assert control and power over their environment, when it comes to play (building something out of rocks, pretending to be someone in authority)Begin to take initiative in developing the behavior and rules of their pretend work Children who are not allowed to do this begin to feel bad and guilty

Neo- Freudians- EriksonStage Four- Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years old)Child begins to develop all kinds of skills and get rewards for what they do Children are being molded to do more, and better things, or become industriousIf skills and rewards are not forthcoming, the child feels inferior Stage Five- Identity vs. Identity Confusion (13- 18 Years old)Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself Failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self

Neo- Freudians- EriksonStage Six- Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-30 years old)Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other peopleSuccess leads to strong intimate relationships Failure results in loneliness and isolationStage Seven- Generatively vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)Adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment Failure results in shallow involvement in the world and produces nothing

Neo- Freudians- EriksonStage Eight- Ego Integrity vs. Ego Despair(Late Adulthood)Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment and something good was accomplishedSuccess at this stage leads to feelings of wisdomFailure results in regret, bitterness, and despair Erikson believed that personality developed from the ego dealing with society Freud felt it developed through conflict with the Id and SuperegoEriksons theory is most widely accepted by psychologists today

Behaviorists Take on Personality When behaviorists look at personality, unconscious is ignored all together Behaviorists believe that our personalities evolve from a series of rewards or punishments without concern about any deep motives Ex. Those who drop out of school to work will lose a great deal of money in the long run, but for the short term they have more money than their friends They are getting a continued series of rewards that are more important than people telling them to stay in school Psychoanalysts (Freud and Company) would claim that these people have a fear of failing or they feel unimportant and they are making more money than peers to feel superiorBehaviorists Take on Personality John B. Watson (again)- If he has complete control of a persons environment from infancy, he could make that person become absolutely anything at all Little Albert B.F. Skinner best known behaviorist who thought that everything we do is the result of a mechanical (automatic) association of events and their consequences Ex. Plan to go over a friends house in the afternoon, but decide you want to hang out with another friend Skinner says this wasnt a spontaneous decision you picked the friend that you had the most fun with and most positive associations with. Skinner says you only think you had a choice

Behaviorists Take on Personality Albert Bandura- Believed in the Social Learning Theory, or the importance of learning by OBSERVATION and on the role of the cognitive processes that produce individual differencesEx. Children see their parents hug each other and then see the positive consequences of the behavior (smiles or smooches perhaps) children imitate this behaviorSee the action, then the positive (or sometimes negative) reinforcement of the action and choose to replicate or not replicate that behaviorEx. If a child observes someone beating up a doll these children will become aggressive Ex. If someone is afraid of snakes and they see people handling them all the time they may get over their fear

Humanistic Personality People didnt like the idea of us as a bubbling id ready to pour over (Freud & Company) and some didnt like the idea the we are all robots (Behaviorists) so they came up with humanismHumanism Believed that people are truly free to do as they choose with their lives, and are responsible for their choices We have a nature towards health, growth, and creativity and that humans are basically good it the environment, not our inner nature, that cause people to develop violent or destructive tendencies

Humanistic Personality Carl Rogers Was a minister for a while but had a hard time believing that people were sinful and bad thought people were basically good Biggest problem we have is living up to the ideal self the goal of each persons development which is perfection With a little sunshine and water we can all bloom into a perfect flower or with the right environment we can we can grow into a human who can be proud and internally beautiful!When we unite what we should be with what we are Rogers says you get a fully functioning individual Someone who has become what he or she should beHumanistic Personality Abraham Maslow-Believed that each of us has inherited something unique, and if the environment will cooperate we have the opportunity to become great (not famous, but bringing to life our personal skills) The fulfilled person is self-actualized, or has brought to life the full potential of our skills Hierarch of Needs See hand out!

Examining PersonalityTraits are the aspects of personality that is reasonably stablePersonality traits are fixed from an early age & account for consistent behavior in different situations Psychologists continue to disagree about which personality types are the most basic, but nearly all agree in the Big Five Personality dimensions that are important in defining a persons psychological makeupPsychologists believe that these Big Five are established at an early age and remain stable through life

Examining PersonalityFive Basic Personality DimensionsOpenness to Experience/ Close MindednessConscientious/ CarelessnessExtroversion/ IntroversionAgreeableness/ Disagreeableness Neuroticism or Emotional Stability/ Instability

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