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Personality
Chapter 12
…like all others Human nature level
…like some others Individual/Group Differences
…like no others Individual Uniqueness Level
Personality
Every human being is…
Worriers Risk takersHappy
PersonalityPerson's general style of interaction with the worldPeople differ from one another in their style of behavior, in ways that are relatively consistent across time and situationsThe study of personality focuses on differences between peopleAnd consistencies within people
Personality questionnaires
Why take personality tests?Preferences with regard to personality
Learn about yourself
Be able to predict future behaviorsBased on belief that basic differences in behavior are related to how person perceives, judges, makes decisions, etc.
There is no “good” or “bad”– just different stylesFind out about yourself:
Keirsey: full test at www.keirsey.com
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Answer the following…
Describe your perfect weekend. What would you do?Describe a bowl of M&Ms.You are in charge of a group, but you can only take ½ of them to finals. How do you resolve the situation?Describe a plan for a two week trip. You can go anywhere, do anything, spend as much money as you want!
Myers-Briggs DichotomiesE/I: Extroversion/Introversion
How you get energy and where you focus your attentionExtroversion: energy from outside-world, actionIntroversion: energy from inside-world, reflection
S/N: Sensing/IntuitionHow do you take in information and find out about thingsSensing: precise and exact manner, trust concreteIntuition: novel or abstract manner, trust abstract
T/F: Thinking/FeelingHow you make decisionsThinking: general truths and objectivity, logicalFeeling: seek interpersonal harmony, empathetic
J/P: Judging/PerceivingHow you live your life (lifestyle)Judging: like closure and planningPerceiving: open-ended and adapt to novelty
Temperament preferenceDescribe your perfect weekend. What would you do?
Extroversion: more people involvedIntroversion: quieter activities
Describe a bowl of M&Ms.Sensing: technical descriptionIntuitive: more creative description
You are in charge of a group, but you can only take ½ of them to finals. How do you resolve the situation?
Thinking: more logical approach (merit)Feeling: harder to come to decision, multiple sides
Describe a plan for a two week trip. You can go anywhere, do anything, spend as much money as you want!
Judging: list of activities/itineraryPerceiving: rough plan, nothing detailed
Personality testshttp://www.2h.com/personality-tests.html
Self-report structured testsStandardized questionnairesExamples
Myers-BriggsMMPI
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MMPIPersonality testshttp://www.2h.com/personality-tests.html
Self-report structured testsStandardized questionnairesExamples
Myers-BriggsMMPI
Projective personality testsInterpretation of ambiguous informationExamples
Rorschach inkblot techniqueThematic Apperception Test
Thematic Apperception Test
Provide a story for this picture.
Why study personality psychology?
Why the person is the way he/she is?To predict behaviorTo summarize a person
PsychopathologyCareer choiceOther uses?
Find romantic partner: eharmony.comSports (draft picks)Understand learning style/improve study skillsUnderstand clients / employees
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Corporate personality test
Select the statement you most agree with and least agree with from options below.
Spend money to get power and control, or else save it.If you think so, you can make things work out well.Details frustrate me, I’d rather do other things.Don’t speak unnecessarily, let others do the talking, but think as you like.
American Express trainingWhat kind of job would each “type” have?
Personal relationships important
Personal relationships not important
Important to complete job
Not important to complete job
Amiable Expressive
DriverAnalytic
Pro/Con: Personality tests
Support for personality testsPreference – not absolutesUnderstand strengths/weaknessesSelf-report tests predict behavior (r=.30)
Problems/issues with personality testsTypes of questionsPersonality dimensionsPast behavior predicts future behavior best!Stability of traitsBarnum effect (selection bias)
Personality theories
Chapter 12
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Perspectives on personality
Trait theories
Psychodynamic theory
Humanistic approach
Social-cognitive approach
Trait theories
Describe differences among individuals using a standard set of attributes
Traits: relatively stable predisposition to behave in a certain way
Factor-analytic approachGrouping of questionsHow many personality dimensions are there?
Cattell (1957): 16 traitsNorman (1963): 5 traitsEysenck (1952): 3 traits
Thought paper
Write 5-10 terms to describe your own personality.Write 5-10 terms to describe a friend’s personality.
What are the primary traits or fundamental dimensions of personality?How would you measure these traits? Examples?
Cattell’s source traits
Reserved
Trusting
Relaxed
Less intelligent
Stable
Assertive
Happy-go-lucky
Conscientious
Venturesome
Tender-minded
Imaginative
Shrewd
Apprehensive
Experimenting
Self-sufficient
Controlled
Outgoing
Suspicious
Tense
More intelligent
Emotional
Humble
Sober
Expedient
Shy
Tough-minded
Practical
Forthright
Placid
Conservative
Group-tied
Casual
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Eysenck’s superfactorsExtroversion: How outgoing and social Neuroticism: How emotional (stable/unstable)Psychoticism: How sensitive toward others
Norman’s Big Five
ExtroversionSociable/reclusive
NeuroticismCalm/anxious
AgreeablenessGood-natured/irritable
ConscientiousnessResponsible/undependable
Openness to experienceRefined/crude
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Sort the following adjectives and label the group with a “factor” name
OrganizedCuriousActiveGenerousOutgoingTenseAnxiousAssertiveOriginalForgivingEfficient
UnstableTalkativeAppreciativeResponsibleArtisticEnthusiasticSympatheticDeliberateSelf-defeatingVulnerableImaginative
Adjectives sorted…
OrganizedCuriousActiveGenerousOutgoingTenseAnxiousAssertiveOriginalForgivingEfficient
UnstableTalkativeAppreciativeResponsibleArtisticEnthusiasticSympatheticDeliberateSelf-defeatingVulnerableImaginative
ExtraversionNeuroticismAgreeablenessConscientious-nessOpenness
Allport’s trait theory
Focus on individualHow we are all unique
Cardinal traitsDominating passion in life (rare)
Central traits5-10 descriptive terms
Secondary traitsOther terms (less important, situation specific)
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The genetics of personality Schaie, Willis, & Caskie (2004)The Seattle Longitudinal Study (NEO)
How personality develops
Psychodynamic theoryCaused by forces originating in unconscious, struggling for control
Humanistic approachCaused by the unique way we grow and understand self
Social-cognitive approachCaused by experiences and interpretation of those experiences
Freud’s Psychodynamic TheoryUnconscious irrational forces competing to control behavior3 layers of consciousness
ConsciousPreconsciousUnconscious
3 personality structures: shaped by childhood
Id = pleasure principleEgo = reality principleSuperego = idealistic principle
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Ego’s Defense mechanismsUnconscious processes used by ego to ward off anxiety due to confrontations with id:
e.g.: You missed an examDenial (I didn’t miss it, honestly)Displacement (Get mad at roommate)Projection (It’s the teacher’s fault)Rationalization (I would have failed anyway)Reaction formation (I love exams)Repression (I don’t remember)Regression (Please, pretty please)Sublimation (Play a violent video game)
Freud’s Psychosexual Development
Born with unconscious urges and drivesMove through stages (or get fixated)
Oral stage: 0-1yrAnal stage: 1-3yrPhallic stage: 3-5yr
Oedipus complex or Electra complexLatency period: 5-12yrGenital stage: 12+
Personality reflects interactions with adultsPsychological problems reflect when specific experiences occurred
Humanistic approachPositive view of human capacity
Focus on growth and potentialDrive toward self-actualization
Develop one’s unique potentialRogers: Develop self-concept
Develop through social interactionsNeed unconditional positive regardConditions of worth tends to come from approvalIncongruence: self-concept vs. experiences
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needsNeed to satisfy physical to emotional needsPersonality reflects position in hierarchy
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Peak experiences
Self-actualization
Aesthetic needs: symmetry, order, beauty
Cognitive needs: knowledge, understanding
Esteem needs: recognition, approval
Belongingness and love needs: acceptance
Safety needs: comfort, security, freedom from fear
Physiological needs: food, water, oxygen
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Maslow: “Toward a Psychology of Being”
The person in peak-experiences feels himself, more than other times, to be the responsible, active, creating center of his activities and of his perceptions. He feels more like a prime-mover, more self-determined (rather than caused, determined, helpless, dependent, passive, weak, bossed). He feels himself to be his own boss, fully responsible, fully volitional, with more “free-will” than at other times, master of his fate, an agent.
Social-cognitive approach
Social side: emphasis on experiencesCognitive side: emphasis on interpretationBehaviorism:
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, modeling
Personality partly based on locus of controlBelief about control over environment
Self-efficacyBeliefs about own abilities
Self-regulatory systemsDelay of gratification studieshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amsqeYOk--w&feature=related
Bandura’s Reciprocal Determinism
Behavior Cognitions
Environment
Personality is shaped by this complex interaction
Birth order and personalityHow has your birth order affected your personality?Your siblings’ personality?What traits do you possess that can be attributed in part to your birth order?Would you be different if your birth order was changed?If yes, how so?
What does this tell you about your beliefs about nature vs. nurture in regards to personality?http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/10/earlyshow/living/parenting/main511694.shtml
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Birth orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_order
Summary of the findings of Belmont and Marolla. Scores on Raven's Progressive Matrices relate to birth order and family size.
Nature or Nurture: Traits
Nature: GeneticsTwin studies on Eysenck’s PI or MMPI (pp 422)Identical twins: .50Fraternal twins: .21-.23
Nurture: EnvironmentFor positive emotion: (pp 423)
Identical twins together: .63Identical twins apart: .34Fraternal twins together: .18Fraternal twins apart: -.07
Interaction of nature and nurture
Thought paper:Compare and contrast theories
Trait theoriesPsychodynamic theoryHumanistic theorySocial-cognitive approach
In what ways are the theories similar? Different?What would each say about birth order?
Compare and contrast the theories
Similarities:All strive to explain adult personalityPsychodynamic, humanistic, soc-cog: agree environment plays a role in personality development
Differences:Trait theories: personality dimensions from birthPsychodynamic: personality developed by unconscious forcesHumanistic: personality due to unique view of the world; strive for self-actualizationSocial-cognitive: personality solely due to experiences and how we interpret experiences
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Extra slides Personality topics
What are basic personality traits?How do we measure personality?Why use personality questionnaires?How does personality develop?Nature or nurture?
Personality Review
What are the 2 types of personality tests?Why do we use personality tests?What are the pros and cons of personality tests?What are the 4 personality theories?What is their stance on nature vs. nurture?
E/I: Extroversion/IntroversionHow you get energy and where you focus your attention
Extroversion – directs and receives energy from outside worldPrefer action over reflectionTalk things over in order to understandPrefer oral communicationShare thoughts freelyAct and respond quicklyExtend yourself into the environmentEnjoy working in groups
Introversion – directs and receives energy from inner worldPrefer reflection over actionThink things through in order to understandPrefer written communicationGuard your thoughts until they are completeReflect and think deeplyDefend yourself against external demandsEnjoy working alone or with only one or two others
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S/N: Sensing/IntuitionHow do you take in information and find out about things
Sensing – prefers to gather information in a precise and exact mannerLike specific examplesPrefer following an agendaEmphasize the pragmaticSeek predictabilityFocus on immediate applications of a situationWant to know what is
Intuition – prefers to gather information in a novel or abstract mannerLike general conceptsDepart from the agenda if necessaryEmphasize the theoreticalDesire changeFocus on future possibilities of a situationWant to know what could be
T/F: Thinking/FeelingHow do you make decisions
Thinking – seek general truths and objectivity when making decisionsQuestions firstKnow when reason is neededWant things to be logicalHave a cool and impersonal demeanorRemain detached when making decisionsControl the expression of your feelings
Feeling – seek individual and interpersonal harmony when making decisionsAccept firstKnow when support is neededWant things to be pleasantHave a warm and personal demeanorRemain personally involved when making decisionsExpress feelings with enthusiasm
J/P: Judging/PerceivingHow do you live your life
Judging – like to come to closure and act with a planLike things to be settled and orderedFinish tasks before the deadlineFocus on goals, results, achievementsEstablish deadlinesPrefer no surprisesPrefer to be conclusiveQuickly commit to plans or decisions
Perceiving – prefers to remain open and adapt to new informationLike things to be flexible and openFinish tasks at the deadlineFocus on processes, options, and openingsDislike deadlinesEnjoy surprisesPrefer to be tentativeReserve the right to change plans or decisions
Temperament preferenceNT’s: Rationals: Use
time wisely – forget others
Albert Einstein (INTP)
Dwight Eisenhower (INTJ)
Walt Disney (ENTP)
Bill Gates (ENTJ)
NF’s: Idealists: Sensitive to people – can’t say no
Mohandas Gandhi (INFJ)
Albert Schweitzer (INFP)
Molly Brown (ENFP)
Margaret Mead (ENFJ)
SP’s: Artisans: Respond quickly – scatter efforts
Barbara Streisand (ISFP)
Clint Eastwood (ISTP)
Elvis Presley (ESFP)
Madonna (ESTP)
SJ’s: Guardians: Best organized – rigid/can’t relax
George Washington (ESFJ)
Harry Truman (ISTJ)
Mother Teresa (ISFJ)
Colin Powell (ESTJ)
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Consistency controversyTrait: stable and enduringSituation: fleeting and changes behaviorMischel: behavior is inconsistent (due to environment)Longitudinal studies (Big 5)
Tested 2x: correlations .59 - .87Even with time spans between the first and second test of 30 to 40 years
Harshorne & May (1928): kids have opportunity to be dishonest
High correlations for same situationLow correlations across different situations
Interaction of situation and traitsConsistency is a trait