Personality, 9e
Jerry M. Burger
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
What is Personality?
Chapter 1
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter Outline
 The person and the situation
 Defining personality
 Six approaches to personality
 Personality and culture
 The study of personality: Theory,
application, assessment, and research
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-3
The Person and the Situation
 Both the situation and the person influence
behavior
 Individual's personality determines:
 How different he/she is from others
 How he/she behaves in the different situations
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-4
Personality
 Consistent behavior patterns and
intrapersonal processes originating within
the individual
 Consistent patterns of behavior
 To an extent, individual behavior is consistent across
time and situations
 Intrapersonal processes
 Emotional, motivational, and cognitive processes
that influence individual's feelings and actions
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-5
Approaches to Personality
Psychoanalytic
• Unconscious mind is responsible for important
differences in behavior styles
Trait
• An individual lies along a continuum of various
personality characteristics
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-6
Approaches to Personality
Biological
• Inherited predispositions and physiological processes
contribute to differences in personality
Humanistic
• Personal responsibility and feelings of self-acceptance
cause differences in personality
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-7
Approaches to Personality
Behavioral/social learning
• Consistent behavior patterns are the result of
conditioning and expectations
Cognitive
• People process information to explain differences
in behavior
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-8
Aggression
 Psychoanalytic approach’s explanation
 People possess an unconscious desire to selfdestruct
 Self-destructive impulses are expressed against
others in the form of aggression
 Aggression occurs when people are blocked
from reaching their goals
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1-9
Aggression
 Trait approach’s explanation
 Focusses on individual differences and the
stability of aggressive behavior
 Aggressive children are most likely to become
aggressive adults
 Biological approach’s explanation
 Genetic predisposition towards aggression
 Evolutionary theory
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 10
Aggression
 Humanistic approach’s explanation
 People are basically good
 Aggression arises when something interferes
with natural growth process
 Inadequate basic needs, poor self-image
 Behavioral/social approach’s explanation
 People learn to be aggressive
 Aggressive behavior that is rewarded will be
repeated
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 11
Aggression
 Cognitive explanation
 Certain cues in the environment trigger a
network of aggressive thoughts and emotions
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 12
Depression
 Psychoanalytic approach’s explanation
 Depression is a result of holding unconscious
feelings of anger and hostility
 Trait approach’s explanation
 Focuses on identifying depression-prone
individuals
 Person’s general emotional level at present can
indicate that person’s emotions in the future
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 13
Depression
 Biological approach’s explanation
 Certain people inherit a genetic susceptibility
to depression
 Humanistic approach’s explanation
 People frequently suffering from depression are
those who have low self-worth
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 14
Depression
 Behavioral/social approach’s explanation
 Depression results from a lack of positive
reinforcers in a person’s life
 Cognitive approach’s explanation
 Depression depends on how people interpret
their inability to control events
 Certain individuals use a depressive filter to
interpret and process information
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 15
Personality and Culture
 Cultural context influences an individual’s
personality
 Individualistic cultures: Emphasize on
individual needs and accomplishments
 Individuals perceive themselves as independent
and unique
 Includes Northern European countries and the
United States
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 16
Personality and Culture
 Collectivist cultures: Emphasize on
belonging to a larger group
 Family, tribe, or nation
 Includes Asian, African, Central American, and
South American countries
 Cultural context influences interpretation
of an individual's behavior
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 17
Study of Personality: Theory
 Genetic versus environmental influences
 Biological and trait theorists argue that
psychologists fail to recognize the significance
of inherited predispositions
 Psychoanalytic theorists emphasize innate needs
and unconscious behavior patterns
 Humanistic, behavioral/social learning, and
cognitive theorists rarely emphasize inherited
influences on personality
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 18
Figure 1.1 - Position of the Six Approaches
to Personality on Three Theory Issues
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 19
Study of Personality: Theory
 Conscious versus unconscious determinants
of behavior
 Psychoanalyst view asserts that much of what
people do is without awareness
 Behavior perspective asserts that people assume
they understand the reasons for their actions
but in reality they do not
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 20
Study of Personality: Theory
 Trait and cognitive theorists assume people can
identify and report their level of social anxiety
 Humanistic theorists argue that people do not
understand why they act the way they do
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 21
Study of Personality: Theory
 Free will versus determinism
 Behaviorists argue that behavior is not freely
chosen but it is the result of environmental
forces and accumulated history of experiences
 Psychoanalytic theorists emphasize innate needs
and unconscious mechanisms
 Humanistic theorists identify personal choice
and responsibility as the basis of mental health
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 22
Study of Personality: Theory
 Trait theorists and biological theorists
emphasize genetic predispositions
 Cognitive psychotherapists encourage their
clients to recognize the cause of their problems
and help them to develop strategies to avoid
future difficulties
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 23
Study of Personality:
Application
 Psychoanalytic therapists attend to
unconscious causes of the problem behavior
 Humanistic therapists provide the
atmosphere for clients to explore their
feelings
 Cognitive therapists try to change the way
their clients process information
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 24
Study of Personality:
Application
 Behaviorists structure the environment to
increase the frequency of desired behaviors
and decrease undesired behaviors
 Personality theory and research is used by
psychologists in educational, organizational,
and counseling settings
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 25
Study of Personality:
Assessment
 Researchers use self-report inventories to
measure personality
 Psychoanalytic psychologists focus on
learning unconscious thoughts
 Require test takers to respond to ambiguous
stimuli
 Behavioral psychologists observe behavior
to determine consistent behavior patterns
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 26
Study of Personality:
Research
 Test principles and assumptions of certain
researches are central to the theory
 Few researches are focused on the concepts
introduced by personality theory
 Psychology researchers employ several
methods to uncover information about
personality
© 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
1 - 27