Chapter 1
Introduction to
Personality
Psychology
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Defining personality
What is your definition of personality?
•Write
down your definition.
•No names!
•Fold sheet in half and hand-in.
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
What is something you did during
break that demonstrates one of
your personality traits?
 What
is the activity?
 What is the personality trait?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Chapter 1 Outline
 Define
3
Personality
Levels of Analysis
 Personality
Science and Domains of
Knowledge
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Defining personality
 “Differences
among individuals in a typical
tendency to behave, think, or feel in some
conceptually related ways, across a variety of
relevant situations, and across some fairly long
period of time.”
 Your
text provides a more convoluted definition
within an evolutionary framework…
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
(Ashton, 2013, p.27)
Let’s consider this definition within
the context of sensation seeking
(i.e., risk-taking)
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Swimming with stingray?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Differences among individuals in
a typical tendency to behave,
think, or feel in some
conceptually related ways…
I am up
for that!
Behavior?
Thoughts?
Feelings?
Heck No!
Behavior?
Thoughts?
Feelings?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Across a variety of relevant
situations…
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Over some fairly long period of
time…
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Over some fairly long period of
time…
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
What’s this course really about?
 Personality


Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness
Big Five v. HEXACO (models are huge in personality!)
 Personality

traits that you might be familiar with….
traits you may not be familiar with….
Honesty-Humility, Type D Personality, Religiosity
 Causes
(biological, social) and applications of
these traits (relationships, health)
 You! You will learn about your own personality
and how personality influences your life!
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
What’s this course really about?
 Personality
psychologists focus on personalities of
individuals (i.e., individual differences)
 Social psychologists consider the influence of the
situation
 Both agree that behavior is an interaction b/w
personality and the situation! (more on this later)
I
am a social psychologist, but I find personality
fascinating!
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Let’s Talk about the Syllabus….and
Chapter 2 Reflection Post Due
Friday!
1.
Complete the TIPI Self-Report Survey.
2.
After completing your self-report TIPI, ask an
observer to complete the TIPI survey to assess
your personality (see download below). Then,
use the instructions to score your self
and observer reports.
3.
Paste your assignment reflection in the
appropriate Angel drop-box.
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Defining personality
 “Differences
among individuals in a typical
tendency to behave, think, or feel in some
conceptually related ways, across a variety of
relevant situations, and across some fairly long
period of time.”
 Your
text provides a more convoluted definition
within an evolutionary framework…
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
(Ashton, 2013, p.27)
Personality Goals: 4 Research
Questions
 How
many traits exist (universal traits)?
 How
are traits organized? (describe)
 What
are the origins of the traits? (explain)
 What
are the correlations and
consequences of traits? (predict)
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
3 Levels of Analysis
1.
Human Nature
2.
Individual and Group Differences
3.
Individual Uniqueness
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Human Nature
 How
we are “like all others”
 Traits and mechanisms of personality that
are typical of our species and possessed
by nearly everyone
 Ex:
Freud’s universal theory of
psychosexual development; Maslow’s
universal theory of human needs/motives
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Terms that describe
you…
Terms that describe
a close friend…
Similarities? Differences?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Individual and Group
Differences
 How
we are “like some others” and
“different from others”
 Individual differences refer to ways in
which each person is like some other
people
 Group differences refer to ways in which
the people of one group differ from
people in another group
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Individual Uniqueness
 How
we are “like no others”
 Every individual has personal and unique
qualities not shared by any other person
in the world
 No 2 people have the exact same
personality!
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Grand Theories vs.
Contemporary Research
 Grand
Theories = THE PAST!
 Contemporary
Research = TODAY!
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Grand Theories of Personality


Attempt to provide universal account of the
fundamental psychological processes and
characteristics of our species
Statements about the universal core of
human nature lie at the center of grand
theories of personality,



Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What could be some problems with grand
theories of personality?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Contemporary Research in
Personality
 Addresses
ways in which individuals and
groups differ, not human universals
 Personality psychologists specialize in a
particular domain/perspective


Cultural impacts
Biological influences
 Ex:
Is extraversion correlated with dopamine
levels?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Relationship to levels of
analysis
 Grand
Theories of Personality → Human
Nature Level
 Contemporary
Research in Personality →
Individual/Group Differences
 Hard
to account for individual uniqueness
-one way is twin studies
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Combining Grand and
Contemporary Views

Grand theories of personality




Human nature level of analysis (universal theories)
Idiographic
Mostly comprised of theories, but not replicated
findings
Contemporary research in personality




Individual and group differences level of analysis
(“like all others” or “different from others”)
Nomothetic
Comprised of statistical studies on individual or group
differences
Personality Science!
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Domains of Knowledge
 Def’n:
a specialty area of science and
scholarship, where psychologists have
focused on learning about specific and
limited aspects of human nature
 Criticism:
personality psychologists do not
“talk” across domains

(or to social psychologists!)
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Six Domains of Knowledge
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dispositional
Biological
Intrapsychic
Cognitive-Experiential
Social and Cultural
Adjustment
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Dispositional Domain


Deals with ways in which individuals differ from one
another and, therefore, cuts across all other domains
Focus on number and nature of fundamental dispositions


Goal of those working in this domain is to identify and
measure the most important ways in which individuals
differ from one another


5? 6? 16?
How do psychology majors differ from engineering
majors?
Also interested in the origin of individual differences and
how these develop over time

Does our level of extraversion come from the brain, our
parents, our environment?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Biological Domain

Behavioral genetics of personality

Twin studies, family studies.


Psychophysiology of personality


Do twins raised apart show a high level of heredity for
extraversion?
What brain structures/neurotransmitters are associated
with extraversion?
Evolutionary personality psychology

How (or when) did extraversion help our ancestors to
survive?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Intrapsychic Domain
 Deals
with mental mechanisms of personality,
many of which operate outside conscious
awareness

repression, denial, projection, and motives for
power, achievement, and affiliation (Freud, Jung)
**Because our focus will be on personality science,
we will not cover these historical theories in this
course.
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Cognitive-Experiential Domain



Focuses on cognition and subjective experience, such as
conscious thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires about
oneself and others
Self and self-concept

Do people have varying levels of self-esteem?

Do men or women have higher self-esteem?
Goals we set and strive to meet


Do people seek different goals within their relationships?
Emotional experiences, in general and over time

Do some people experience disgust more often than
others?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Social and Cultural Domain
 Assumption
that personality affects, and is
affected by, cultural and social contexts


Do individualistic or collectivist individuals
exhibit higher self-esteem?
How does sexual promiscuity vary across
cultures?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Adjustment Domain

Personality plays key role in how we cope, adapt,
and adjust to events in daily life


Personality linked with important health outcomes
and problems in coping and adjustment


Do people use different coping strategies?
Which coping strategies are associated with wellbeing?
Personality Disorders (DSM-V)
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
NAME THAT DOMAIN!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dispositional
Biological
Intrapsychic
Cognitive-Experiential
Social and Cultural
Adjustment
People high in
Neuroticism experience
greater activation of the
sympathetic nervous
system.
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
NAME THAT DOMAIN!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dispositional
Biological
Intrapsychic
Cognitive-Experiential
Social and Cultural
Adjustment
People who score high
on Type A and Type D
Personality measures
tend to die earlier (than
those who score lower).
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
NAME THAT DOMAIN!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dispositional
Biological
Intrapsychic
Cognitive-Experiential
Social and Cultural
Adjustment
Individuals from
collectivist cultures
report high levels of
implicit self-esteem,
whereas individuals from
individualist cultures
report high levels of
explicit self-esteem.
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dispositional
Biological
Intrapsychic
Cognitive-Experiential
Social and Cultural
Adjustment
 Which
domain/s do
you think are most
important to
personality
psychologists?
 Least
 Is
important?
anything missing?
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
For More Information…
 Association
for Research in Personality
 Society
for Personality and Social
Psychology (APA Div. 8)
 Social
Psychology Network
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Summary of Chapter 1
 We
defined personality – stable over time and
across situations
3
Levels of Analysis – We will focus on
individual/group differences
 Domains
Science
of Knowledge and Personality
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood
Coming up!
 Chapter
2: Personality Assessment,
Measurement, and Research Design
 Assignments

Due Mon. 8/31 at 9:05 AM: Required Chapter 2
Reflection

Due Wed. 9/9 at 9:05 AM:
 Required
 Student
Chapter 3 Reflection
Background Survey
© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood