What is Personality?
 An individual’s typical
patterns of thinking,
feeling, and acting
 Theories:
 Psychoanalytic
 Humanistic
 Social-Cognitive
 Trait
Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis
 childhood sexual development, and unconscious
motivations (Id), influence adult personality
 Unconscious mind – sex and aggression
 Core tendency: maximize instinctual gratification,
while minimizing punishment and guilt
Personality Structure




Structure of the mind
Id, Ego, Superego
Levels of awareness
Conscious, preconscious, unconscious
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Defense mechanisms
Repression
Projection
Displacement
Reaction formation
Regression
Denial
Sublimation
Carl Jung 1875-1961
Analytical Psychology
personal and collective unconscious (archetypes)
snake symbolism in Australian aboriginal bark painting,
Egyptian tomb painting, 15th century European painting
Jung: Archetypes: innate universal psychic dispositions from which the basic themes of
human life emerge – a set of keys we all inherit to understand life and create
culture
mother, father, man, woman, etc
Joseph Campbell, mythologist, identified Jung’s archetypes in all of the myths and
religions of the world
George Lucas read Campbell’s books and
translated the archetypal characters into his
Star Wars films.
Luke (hero) – must sacrifice to save tribe, culture
Leia (princess) – must be rescued by hero; reward
Darth Vadar (evil) – dark side of human nature
tries to lure hero
Wookie (threatening animal) – danger of nature
Hans Solo (joker) – humor soothes us
poking fun at ourselves keeps us honest
Obi-wan Kenobi (wise sage) – wisdom of elders
R2D2, C3PO (technology can turn on us)
Jung - Other instincts are just as important as
sex, aggression
Anima (feminine side of males)
Animus (masculine side of females)
Similar to Asian concept of Yin/Yang
Personal and Collective Unconscious
Personal – your own “dark side”; repressed
emotions and ideas (like Freud)
Collective – the dark side of humanity; deeper
unconscious, where archetypes live;
ingrained in human nature
Easily explains why “7 deadly sins” (pride,
greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth) are
common ideas in all cultures (these sins
were not Jung’s idea)
Behavioral & Social-Cognitive Theories
Personality traits are learned habits, shaped by an
interaction between the individual’s actions, cognitive
expectations for responses, and actual feedback from
others
Julian Rotter: Internal vs External Locus of Control –
master of my fate, or not? Related to achievement and
learned helplessness
Humanistic Perspective
Abraham Maslow
(1908-1970)
studied selfactualization
processes of
productive and
healthy people
(e.g., Lincoln)
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
self-actualization
congruence between real and ideal self
unconditional vs conditional positive regard
genuineness
acceptance
empathy
self-concept
The Trait Perspective
Much more "observable" and
rational approach to personality
Grounded in empirical research
Goal is to describe more than
explain personality
Supports notion that characteristics
are strongly influenced by genes
Raymond Cattell – Source vs Surface
traits - p. 399
Moody
Anxious
Rigid
Sober
Pessimistic
Reserved
Unsociable
Quiet
UNSTABLE
Touchy
Restless
Aggressive
Excitable
Changeable
Impulsive
Optimistic
Active
melancholic choleric
INTROVERTED
EXTRAVERTED
phlegmatic sanguine
Passive
Careful
Thoughtful
Peaceful
Controlled
Reliable
Even-tempered
Calm
Sociable
Outgoing
Talkative
Responsive
Easygoing
Lively
Carefree
Leadership
STABLE
Trait
a disposition to think,
feel, and act a certain
way
Personality Inventory
Hans and Sybil Eysenck
use two primary
personality factors as
axes for describing
personality variation
• The BIG 5
Theory of
Personality
• Traits are
independent
of one
another
Big Five – Domains (5) and Facets (6 each domain)
Openness to experience
Fantasy
Aesthetics
Feelings
Actions
Ideas
Values
Conscientiousness
Competence
Order
Dutifulness
Achievement Striving
Self-Discipline
Deliberation
Extraversion
Warmth
Gregariousness
Assertiveness
Activity
Excitement Seeking
Positive Emotion
Agreeableness
Trust
Straightforwardness
Altruism
Compliance
Modesty
Tendermindedness
Neuroticism
Anxiety
Hostility
Depression
Self-Consciousness
Impulsiveness
Vulnerability to Stress
Recent research shows that some species of animals demonstrate
reliable personality traits similar to the Big
5 factors
Traits not reliably measured until 8 yrs
Traits very stable from age 30 +
Degree of traits very similar across cultures
N,E,O decline. A,C increase
Assessment
Interviews
Halo effect
Projective Tests
Rorschach Inkblot Test
Thematic Apperception
Test
Reliability, Validity
Behavioral Assessment
Personality Inventories
NEO FFI
Myers-Briggs
MMPI
Geert Hofstede – Cultural Traits
• Individualism – Collectivism (Western vs
Asian)
• Power Distance (Middle East vs Western)
• Masculinity – Femininity (Ireland, U.S. vs
Sweden, Chile)
• Uncertainty Avoidance (South American vs
Asian, U.S.)
• Long-term – Short-term orientation (China,
Hindu vs U.S.)