CP PSY: Ch. 14
PERSONALITY
1
CH 13: Types of Psych. Assessments (aka “tests”):
Measuring …
Personality Traits, Intelligence, Abilities,
& Career Preferences
Common types of Assessments/Inventories :
Personality Achievement Aptitude Intelligence
Psy. prefer “inventory” or “assessment” to refer to these
evaluations … b/c What does the term “test” hints at
what…?
• Personality inventories: Since certain traits are common
in certain disorders, these can sometimes look both at
personality AND tendencies to certain disorders
EX: OCD + trait of “conscientiousness” are
closely related
We will look MORE at Personality Inventories AFTER we
study PERSONALITY THEORIES & TRAITS…
2
4 Major types of assessments:
1. Intelligence assessment:
( IQ Tests)
Measuring a person’s ability to function at certain levels
as compared with what is considered “normal” within
that person’s culture
Ex’s: Stanford-Binet
Weschler Scales CAT
2. Personality Inventory:
Looking at tendencies of a person (omit “has”) to
respond or behave in certain ways, as compared to
others
EX: Extrovert (outgoing) vs. Introvert (shy, reserved)
3
3. Achievement test (or assessment)
How well you have mastered something, …a skill or a set of
information
EX’s: A math test, a driving test, a keyboarding test
An “Achievement test”IS more of a “test” b/c it does indicate
pass/fail….whether you have mastered something or not…
-----------------------------------------------
4. Aptitude inventory (assessment):
Indication of how well you might do well you might do at
something and how well you might enjoy that activity or
work,
EX: ASVAB: Are you good with ppl….or are you good with
your hands, like fixing things…
4
Assessing (“Testing”!!) Intelligence
 Aptitude Test: designed to predict a person’s
future performance
 looks at abilities…what you should be able to
do
 aptitude is the capacity to learn
 Achievement Test
 test designed to assess what person has
learned
5
College entrance tests:
ACT = Is more achievement:
It goes thru calculus in math and various
science, etc., as well as Engl. & reading
SAT = more aptitude, how well you can reason
things out…but it also includes learned
knowledge of vocab. + math
6
The First
Intelligence “test”
 Alfred Binet
(1905 +-)
Developed the first
standardized way to
assess an person’s mental
aptitudes & compare them
to other ppl’s , using
numerical scores
 He tested Paris school kids
to ID those who were low &
needed help
7
Lewis Terman:
Later Binet’s test was altered by Terman &
others at Stanford University (California)
and it is now known as the Stanford-Binet
Intelligence Quotient Assessment
Stanford-Binet IQ Assessment was just
“verbal” (MATH is considered in “verbal”—
because you have to SPEAK or WRITE a
correct answer)
8
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Most widely used intelligence test (developed
for WWI)
 2 subtests 1) verbal 2) performance (nonverbal)
 WAIS-R = revised adult test;
 WISC-R = revised kids’ test
(Rewrite this NEXT section to get this info into your notes…..)
NORMS: What is generally considered
“normal” …or about what 50% + of kids at
an specific age is capable of
9
What is meant by IQ?
 Mental Age
 measure of intelligence test performance devised by
Alfred Binet, Paris, late 1800’s
 Why? to ID slower kids in Paris school system to help
them do better
 chronological age: actual age
 mental age: if a child does as well as the average 8year-old is said to have a of 8
 Stanford-Binet Intelligence Assessment: A widely
used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence
test (1914-15 )
 The Stanford-Binet added the intelligence quotient (IQ)
10
 Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
 Originally, ratio of mental age (ma)
to chronological age (ca)
multiplied by 100
 IQ = ma ÷ ca x 100 (ma/ca x 100)
 On contemporary tests, the avg performance for a
specific age is assigned a score of 100
 Most intelligence tests (including the Stanford-Binet)
no longer compute an “IQ” score because it
attempts to give a “concrete value” to an “abstract
concept” (This is called reification)
 EX: Height is a CONCRETE value…is a specific
measure….IQ is not
 See next slide..
11
 What IS Intelligence?
 The ability to learn from experience, solve
problems, & use knowledge to adapt to new
situations
 Intelligence is determined by a social
definition & varies from culture to culture, era
to era
12
Assessing Intelligence:
American David Weschler added Performance Component in
1939 b/c of problems assessing those w/ some verbal
disadvantages (like native German or Russian speakers)
Sample Items from the WAIS
VERBAL
PERFORMANCE
response
Picture Completion
Picture Arrangement
Block Design
Object Assembly
Digit-Symbol
Substitution
General Info
Similarities
Arithmetic
Reasoning
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Digit Span
From Thorndike and Hagen, 1977
13
WAIS-R EX’s: Visual Analogies…..block design…..
pic sequencing…..WAIS-R performance assessment kit
14
Genetic Influences: Psychologists look at both twin
studies
TWINS: BOTH identical + Fraternal AND reared together
or apart
Plus they look at adopted kids…to see if adopted kids are
more like their biological parents OR their adoptive
parents
 Intelligence has a very high “heritability rate”
 ntelligence heritability is about 50%
 The most genetically similar people have the most similar
scores
15
Ch. 14: (See p. 5 of Notes)*Personality: the
consistent, enduring (long-lasting), &
unique characteristics of behavior in
people
What’s the purpose of “personality
theories”?
a) Organize & understand characteristics of ppl
b) Explain how & why folks are different
c) Look at how personality affects our lives &
behaviors
d) Look at how we can improve life in spite of
the tendencies of personality
16
The 5 Major personality Theories:
1) Psychoanalytic (Freud);
now = “psychodynamic” or “psychosocial”
2) Humanistic (Rogers + Maslow)
3) Behavioral (aka “Learning”:
Skinner & Bandura)
4) Trait (Allport)
5) Humanistic-Cognitive
(Rogers, Maslow, May, & Beck)
17
1) Psychoanalytical theory (psychoanalysis):
 Sigmund Freud’s ideas
Austrian doctor; wrote/worked 1890’s – 1930’s…
-his influence lasted into 1960’s
-Many of his ideas are no longer accepted by most
psychologists b/c they didn’t “test out”
…were not “valid” scientifically
But did have great influence on
psychology & our culture
1) he began clinical psych
(psychotherapy: talk therapy)
2) BEST & BIGGEST contribution:
acceptance of the unconscious
& subconscious (hidden parts
of the human mind)
18
Ego
Conscious mind
 Freud’s idea of the
mind’s structure:
His Iceberg
analogy (p. 379)
Conscious: what
we’re aware of
Preconscious (aka
Super-ego
Id
Unconscious
mind
subconscious):
just at or below the
surface
Unconscious:
below the
surface…what we
hide from
ourselves 
19
20
Freud’s 3 personality parts: Id, ego, & super-ego
1) id: These are our basic drives, our wants &
desires; “I want what I want when I want it…”
not really “evil”, just selfish, self-centered
2) superego: tells you to follow society’s rules &
moral teachings; “Listen to your mother!!” It’s
your “conscience.” Makes you feel guilty
3) ego: has to negotiate between these 2 & make
decisions about how to behave…
21
Freud said conflicts between 3 personality parts
cause mental disorders & stresses
We use “defense mechanisms” to “hide” these
conflicts from ourselves, in our preconscious
& unconscious
Freud said these keep the disorders going, &
we have to face them to “clear the air &
cleanse our minds”
-therapist job is to guide you to this
…& therapist is in charge of the process
22
8 Common Defense Mechanisms (from Freud)
1. Rationalization: when we make up acceptable
excuses for our behaviors that might upset us
if we admit it. EX:
2. Repression: blocking a threatening idea,
memory, or emotion from consciousness EX:
3. Projection: Attributing our own unacceptable
feelings & impulses to someone else… EX:?
4. Displacement: Directing your emotions,
especially anger, toward things, animals, or
others that you’re not really angry at
instead of what really made you upset EX: ?
23
5. Sublimation: special displacement where your
emotions are used in acceptable ways, like art or
literature to “get out your anger”, etc.
6. Reaction formation: changing upsetting
thoughts or feelings into their opposites
7. Regression: moving backwards to earlier
“baby-ish” or childish behaviors
8. Denial: refusing to admit something unpleasant
is happening or that a forbidden emotion is being
felt;
-denial blocks or distorts perceptions
-repression blocks or distorts memory…
24
Freud’s Ways to access (get to) the unconscious &
subconscious:
1) free association: Opening mind by “tricking” it or just
letting it “flow”…
“I say a word--& you tell me what 1st pops into your
mind”
“Just lie there & say 1st thing you think of….”
Freudian slip: When you’re talking & unconscious
thought slips out that you would like hide: “This is the
breast…I mean best..party…”
2) dream analysis/symbolism in dreams; psychoanalyst
“interprets & explains dreams to help you face & get
rid of what’s bothering you
3) info you give to the analyst RE: your childhood,
thoughts, etc.; she interprets & “figures you out”
4) hypnosis: opened paths to preconscious & unconscious
25
Psychosexual Development:
(Did this b4!!)
Freud: said all human personality development is
tied to childhood sexual stages & childhood
events
Stages: controlled by certain “erogenous zones” at
different childhood ages
Freud: we work out or “solve” a certain task at
each stages in order to move on to the next stage
If we DON’T go thru it right, we get “stuck”
(“fixated”) in a stage & have problems from that
…like mental disorders, extreme stress, anger…..
….& avoid facing by using defense mechanisms
26
1) oral stage: birth--about 18 months; main task =
weaning…& if we don’t do properly, can be
sarcastic (“biting”) or obsessed w/ things in their
mouth EX’s: chewing fingernails or pencils,
smoking, over-eating, etc.
2) anal stage: about 1 ½ yrs. – 3 yrs.: main task =
toilet training
-conflict/problems w/ this can cause either….
anal retentiveness (extremely neat, orderly,
concerned with details)…… Now called OCD!
-or anal expulsiveness (extremely messy,
disorderly)
27
3) phallic stage: about 3 yrs. – 6 yrs.: task =
identify sexually w/ same sex parent
PROBLEMS if phallic stage isn’t work thru properly:
--Oedipus complex: boys love Mom & want to
replace/kill father
--Electra complex: girls love Daddy & want to
replace/kill mother
-- girls can develop “penis envy” at this stage b/c
see themselves as missing “something”
--homosexuality develops if boys identify w/ mom
instead of dad (…or girls w/ dad)
BUT… There is NO evidence for any of this….
Freud saw homosexuality as a disorder BUT….
It is no longer viewed as disorder by psychologists
28
4) latent stage: 6 yrs. – 11 yrs.; no real task
to work out
-experience gender segregation: separate
themselves by gender…boys hang out
only w/ boys, girls w/ girls
5) genital stage: 11 yrs. thru adolescence:
Identify romantic feeling for opposite sex;
develop into “normal” relationships
-libido: to Freud, the drive & the energy that
pushes & motivates us to do and/or get
things;
--now mainly refers to our “sex drives”
29
WHY we still study Freud: 1. Influenced our culture
2. His “talk therapy” or “psychoanalysis” was the FIRST
psychotherapy…psychology was “behaviorism “b4 that
Other Freudians:
Carl Jung: worked w/ Freud had disagreement w/ Fr. & Fr. threw
him out…his 3 major ideas:
Main idea he came up w/ that is still considered a lot is introverts
(shy) & extraverts (out-going)
Alfred Adler: developed “inferiority” & “superiority”
complexes: we try to be what we can’t & so we feel badly
about ourselves… & often act aggressively (bullies)
Birth order” theory: Adler said it determined part of your
personality…but has NOT been shown to be true
30
More Freudians…
There are few—if any—true “Freudians
today….Now = “psychosocial” or
psychodynamic…not psychosexual…
These now say the urge to make social
connections to others is the main drive in
humans…
…1st w/ family, then w/ friends, then lovers, etc
Karen Horney: psycho-dynamic or psycho-social:
rejected Freud’s psycho-sexual theories & said
it was a need to belong, to socialize
-also rejected “penis envy” & said it was the
power women envied, not the sexual organ
31
Carl Jung
Other Freudians:
Karen Horney
Alfred Adler
32
Who’s Who in the
Photo:
Clark University, Worchester, Mass.
1909 Freud/Jung Lecture Series
Bottom Row:
Only time Freud ever lectured
*Sigmund Freud,
in the USA
*G. Stanley Hall
(1st APA Pres.),
*Carl Jung
Top Row:
*A.A. Brill (trans.
Freud to Engl.)
*Ernest Jones
(Freud Biogra.)
*Sandor
Ferenczi
(early work in
child sexual
abuse)
33
2) Behavioral (aka “Learning”) Personality
Theory: RE: behaviors
Rewards & punishments thru life make us the way we
are… we learn to respond a certain way.
B.F. Skinner: said personality is shaped by how we
learn thru rewards & punishments…& these
consequences shape our behavior
A.Bandura: said we learn to behave & respond
certain ways by watching & learning from others
(social learning theory) & by thinking about
previous information we learn (cognitive learning)
Walter Mischel: said personality is not really
enduring, so there really is no such thing as
“personality”….it is ALL just situational, meaning
it all depends on each situation.
34
Other personality theorists:
B.F.Skinner
Albert Bandura
we learn thru
We learn by
rewards/punishments watching others
Walter Mischel
It’s ALL the
situation …
35
3) Humanistic + cognitive: C. Rogers & A. Maslow
Carl Rogers (Humanistic psy): Rogers’ ideas:
His Ideas:
We all have great potential & our personality is
based on our ideas about ourselves…. how we see
ourselves as “good…bad…stupid, smart”etc.
If we change how we think about ourselves, we
change our outlook & happiness
--parents should show kids unconditional positive
regard….which is “I still care about you even if I
am not crazy about your behaviors, because I
know you are good.”
--how we think & feel about ourselves affects our
personality & behavior
36
Humanist Personality Theorists:
Carl Rogers
Unconditional positive
regard… I like YOU!
Abraham Maslow
Hierarchy of needs
& self-actualization
37
Abraham Maslow:
Developed self-actualization theory which said we
all want to “be the best we can be”
Maslow also developed the hierarchy of needs:
We have to meet basic needs 1st, then move higher
& higher up:
1st = physical..
then safety …then belongingness
…then self-esteem …
Then …self-actualization, the highest level.&
reached by few.
(GO TO Notes p. 10 & complete using next slide,
OR p. 327 in book))
38
39
4) Traits Theories & Genetics: Esysenck & Allport
Inborn (is it heredity?)
Esysenk looked at genetics in personality traits & said
traits are heritable (can be inherited)
Some, especially the 6 later slide), do tend to show this
Note: A common theory is “the Big Five” but many add a 6th
Studies w/ identical twins raised apart do support this
“genetic PERSONALITY traits” idea
40
4) Traits Theories & Genetics (continues…)
Do our traits change a
LOT as we age or do
they stay somewhat the
same?
(stability vs. change)
Gordon Allport:
1st to lay out idea of trait
theory & said traits are
“stable”: that is, they tend
to stay the same, though
they can vary with
situations & with
experience.
 Introverts & Extroverts
41
Genetics & Evolutionary Psy. Questions:
SOCIAL DARWINISM
Social Darwinism: Did certain traits that help us to
survive & become successful get passed on to the
later generations?
How 19th century (1800’s) “capitalists” argued for no
restrictions on businesses:
Since they are the strongest (or NOW those
who make money and are smarter…) should not
have any (or few) “rules” to go by b/c they have
in-born traits that make them better & move
society forward.
“Laissez Faire” economics & the robber barons of
the late 1800’s like…WHO???? EX’s?
Carnegie
Rockefeller
42
Social Darwinism:
Strong traits in ppl lead to
“survival of fittest” and
grow a better country!
Late
1800’s &
early
1900’s:
“Robber
Barons”
were
allowed to
“grow
industry”
unchecked:
The
laissez
faire
policy
43
HOW MANY TRAITS??
There are various theories about how many
actual stable (?) traits there are…
Is it 5, 6, 10, 16, even 24…?
A common theory is “BIG FIVE”…
….but many add 1 more.. & these are … 
44
1) Introversion or
Extraversion:

Shy…or outgoing?
Which would this be?
2. Openness
to experience
(aka “risk-taking”):
Do you take chances & try
new stuff…..or are you
cautious & resist change
& trying new things? 
(New ppl? New foods?
Travel?
NOT just danger!
45
3) Agreeableness:
Hi or Lo?? 
How well we get along
w/ others:
Do we tend to be friendly &
work well with others?
OR somewhat ornery, hard to
get along with?
4) Conscientiousness:
Responsible & take care of
details, etc. ..
Hi or lo?? 
…or somewhat slack…
46
5) Emotional stability
(aka neuroticism):
Confident, relaxed, & not
easily upset…
OR get upset easily, &
freak out a lot…?
47
6) Traditional:
**(this is the
“extra” one)
Follow rules
most of
time…
…OR
rebellious?
48
Types of Psych. Tests/Assessments:
Inventories, Assessments, test:
To measure Personality, Achievement, Aptitude
• What does the term “test” hint at?
• Psy. prefer “inventory” or “assessment” to refer to
these evaluations
• Personality inventories: Since certain traits
are common in certain disorders, these can
sometimes look both at personality AND
tendencies to certain disorders
EX: OCD + trait of “conscientiousness” are
closely related
49
Aptitude “tests” vs. Achievement “tests”:
• Aptitude inventory measures how you might do
well in a certain area, like business or
research…how you might enjoy it
EX: ASVAB …What might you be good at &
enjoy?
• Achievement test or assessment: how well you
have mastered something, like a math test =
achievement EX: Driving test, keyboarding test
ACT = Is more achiev.: it goes thru calculus in math
and various science, etc., as well as Engl. &
reading
SAT = more aptitude, how well you can reason
things out…but it also includes learned knowledge
of vocab. + math
50
Personality Inventories
(use terms inventory OR assessment…not “test”):
Can use to help diagnose mental disorders—OR
help assess how well a person would do at a job
The 3 BIG Persn. Inventories are MMPI-2, 16 PF, &
NEO plus M-B
MMPI-2: very long…567 ?’s; helps w/ diagnosing
mental disorders like paranoia, depression, etc.;
can be very good at this but is very expensive
16 PF looks at 16 traits
NEO looks at the Big 5 (the list I gave you minus
the “traditional” )
Myers-Briggs: most commonly used for simple
personality inventory
51
Things/terms, to remember RE: personality traits
1. You should also consider the “situation” & how
this can affect how we behave…. EX:
Shy ppl can become outgoing w/ friends, out-going
ppl can become more shy in new situations
2. Stable or stability: Does personality stay the
same? ….or doesn’t change a lot over time?
3. Openness to experience includes “risktaking”…but is more. It’s trying new foods, new
interest, etc.
4. Neuroticism vs.emotional stability: folks high in
neuroticism are not emotionally stable: they get
upset, over-react, may even cry easily or lash
out quickly in anger
-some trait charts will show “neuroticism” some
show “emotional stability”…these 2 are the
opposites of each other
52
Graphing Traits & Possible Mental
Disorders From MMPI-2 Results
53
Wann’a do one online??
bigfivepersonalitytest.com/big-five
54
Scoring the “BIG 5” Personality Inventory Scoring:
NOTE: Reverse means if you put …
1 change it to 5 2 becomes 4 3 = 3
Ex:
4=2
5=1
Extroversion: If for #7 I had put 4, I would
change to a 2 & put that into the space beside #7,
& If I’d put 2 for #19, it would = 4, & if 5 for # 33, it
would = 1. Reverse 7___ 19___ 33___
AFTER you reverse those, put the others from
answer your sheet as they are, THEN add all.
1_______
7__2____
13______
19__4____
33__1____
39________
46________
49________
53_______
Add these
9 together
For the 1st 4 traits, the MID-POINT is 27, ; for the
last one, it’s 54
So if you scored 12, U R NOT extroverted…if 33, U R
more extroverted.
IF it’s 27, you’re in between, so
you show aspects of both at times.
55
What’s high or low on this inventory??
1. Extraversion: lowest you can get is 9
Mid-point is 27 Highest = 45
2. Agreeableness: SAME as above
3. Conscientiousness:
4. Emotional Stability:
Same
Same
5. Openness: Lowest can get = 18
Mid-point = 54
Highest = 90
56