Personality
Formal and Informal Approaches to
Personality
Formal Approaches to
Personality
Psychoanalytic Theory
Pioneered by Sigmund Freud,
psychoanalysis = “analyzing the psyche”
Freud’s theory compared to an “iceberg”
Freud felt the sum of all mental activity
was divided into three parts
Id
Ego
Superego
The “id”
An unconscious component of the psyche
Id unconcerned about reality
The id seeks immediate pleasure and
satisfaction of instinctual drives based on
biological needs
libido
aggression
The “superego”
Serves as a person’s conscience
Serves as a person’s moral standards
Operates at various levels of
consciousness within the psyche
Superego unconcerned about reality
Commands that sexual and aggressive
impulses be stifled
Demands that moral goals be favored
The “ego”
Largely conscious part of the psyche,
though also operates at other levels
Operates per the reality principle
Ego tries to:
satisfy the id
avoid guilt or remorse experienced through
the superego
incorporate reality into its decision
Anxiety results when the ego loses its
battle
Behavioral Theory
A person behaves in a certain way based
upon stimuli around him/her
Punishment/negative consequences will
reduce behavior
Reward/positive consequences will increase
behavior
Therefore, behavior is reinforced by the
environment; it is learned
Famous Behaviorists
 Ivan Pavlov
 Classical conditioning on
The Office
 Operant conditioning on
Big Bang Theory
 John Watson
 B.F. Skinner
 Al Bandura
 Current Fan of
Behaviorism
Developmental Theory
Life contains specific developmental
stages
Personality is developed based upon
progression through these stages
Erikson’s eight lifespan stages
Jean Piaget’s cognitive development stages
Conservation
Humanistic Theory
Behavior is motivated by desire for
personal growth/achievement
Stages in such growth and achievement
are not dependent upon age
Emphasizes the whole person and the
importance of each subjective experience
People are basically good
Example of Humanistic Theory
Abraham Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
(SimplyPsychology.com,
original hierarchy)
Informal Approaches to
Personality
Personality Types
Type A, B, C personalities
Each personality type is represented by a
group of behavioral characteristics
The same characteristics occur across many
situations
An individual who demonstrates many “C”
characteristics would be labeled a “Type C
personality”
Type A Personality
Anger
Impatience
Hostility
Aggression
Need for control
Hurried
Unaware of environment and others’ needs
Type A Personality (continued)
Competitive
Increased risk for cardiovascular disease
Especially anger, hostility, aggression
Guilt with Relaxing Activities
Assess Your Type A
Tendencies
Type B Personality
Patience
Much less time urgency
Relaxation without guilt
“Laid back”
Type C Personality
Over years, more than one “Type C”
personality has been described
Most common Type C reference
Introverted, keeps to him- or herself
If wronged, may not stand up for him- or
herself
Conforming
Cancer prone
Personality Traits
Trait theories are quite sophisticated
Trait: characteristic of human behavior or
attitude
Examples: friendliness, sensitivity, trust, delay of
gratification/self-control (the Marshmallow
Experiment)
Cattell, Eysenck, Allport
Personality Temperaments
Temperaments are similar to traits,
though there are generally fewer of them
Example: 16 personality temperaments
Keirsey Temperament Sorter
Other Personality Measures
Optimism vs. Pessimism
Perception of a situation
An optimist will view the situation in a positive
manner
A pessimist will view same situation negatively
Example?
Relationship between pessimism and
mortality for those under 60 years of age
Other Personality Measures
(continued)
External vs. Internal Locus of Control
External: Individual feels he/she has little
control over events
Internal: Individual feels he/she has great
control over events
Examples of each?
Which individual is considered “healthiest?”
Advantages and Limitations of
Informal Approaches to
Personality?