MYERS FOR AP, UNIT 10 PERSONALITY!!!. Free association! Do now: I will read a random list of words. Write down the first word that comes to mind when.

MYERS FOR AP, UNIT 10PERSONALITY!!!

Free association!

Do now: I will read a random list of words. Write down the first word that comes to mind

when I read the word. Don’t stop and think. Just go with the very first thing that comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense.

Do any of these words seem to reveal any hidden feelings you might have about someone or something in your life? Why or why not?

Would you want people to read meaning into this list of freely associated words? Why or why not?

Two Broad Theories

Psychoanalytic – Childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations are the big influences

Humanistic– Focuses on our inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment

Freud! (Gotta start here!) 1856-1939

Most well-known dead psychologist

Technically a physician Studied neurology Hit a roadblock when he couldn’t

explain things. Father of psychoanalysis Id-Ego-Superego theory Psychosexual stages & fixations Oedipal Complex/Electra Complex Female inferiority/penis envy Believed that we were

unconsciously driven by dark, unacceptable motivations, which created anxiety

Defense Mechanisms (Know these!)

Repression Regression Reaction

Formation Projection

Rationalization Displacement Sublimation Denial

Do now: Give a personal or real-life example for at least three of the Freudian Defense mechanisms

Neo-Freudians and beyond

Accepted id, ego, superego Agreed that personality is shaped in childhood More emphasis on conscious mind More emphasis on social influences Doubted sex and aggression were the big

motivations Adler: Concept of inferiority complex Horney: Childhood anxiety triggers need for love

and security; argued with his sexism and tried to balance the bias

Jung: Collective unconscious concept; personality archetypes

Today’s psychodynamic theory: We struggle with inner conflicts, about fears,

wishes and values Much of our mental life is unconscious Childhood shapes personality and attachment to

others.

Alfred Adler – Simplified Theory

Jungian Archetypes

Caroline Myss is known for her work with Jung’s archetypes, too.

It’s the basis of the Myers-Briggs Test (validity?)

What’s yours? Check it out at https://www.archetypes.com/

Assessing the Unconscious

Projective tests – apply feelings to a picture; reveal hidden feelings/experiences

Rorshach -- inkblots Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) – ambiguous

pictures Reliability: Results are consistent over time. Validity: It measures what it says it measures. A great question over whether repression is real. A different idea of what the unconscious does

(review p. 488) Corresponds to Unit 3B and Unit 5

Rohrshach Test

What about defense mechanisms?

Research indicates there’s some support – just not quite the way Freud saw it:

False consensus effect We do seem to be motivated to use

defenses to protect our self-image We do seem to defend ourselves against

anxiety Terror-management theory Freud also criticized for being non-scientific

—few testable hypotheses

The Humanistic Perspective

Third-force perspective (Skinner and Freud being the first two)

Focus on healthy people striving to be better people and accomplish goals (self-determination; self-actualization)

Maslow – self-actualizing person Rogers – Person-centered perspective

Growth promotion requires genuineness, acceptance and empathy

Unconditional positive regard When our ideal self and actual self are closely aligned,

we have a good self-concept

Evaluating Humanism

Do now: Is a positive self-concept the key to happiness and success? How Important is self-esteem?

What is the difference between self-concept, self-esteem and self-efficacy?

Pervasive influence Huge impact on popular psychology “Happy” a PBS show argues that. Criticized for being vague and subjective Can being true to oneself lead to negative aspects

such as selfishness? Criticized for being naïve (neglecting capacity for evil)

The Trait Perspective

Do now: Make a list of at least 15 personality traits

Mark whether they are negative or positive

Group with three or four other people and compare lists

Make a class list Are these traits inborn or learned? Do you strive to cultivate any of them?

Why and how?

Contemporary Research-- The Trait Perspective

Trait a characteristic pattern of behavior a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report

inventories and peer reports Personality Inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors

used to assess selected personality traits

The Trait Perspective- Factor Analysis

Hans and Sybil Eysenck use two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation

The Trait Perspective

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) the most widely researched and clinically used

of all personality tests originally developed to identify emotional

disorders (still considered its most appropriate use)

now used for many other screening purposes

The Trait Perspective

Empirically Derived Test a test developed by testing a pool

of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups

such as the MMPI

The Trait Perspective

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test profile

Hysteria(uses symptoms to solve problems)

Masculinity/femininity(interests like those of other sex)

T-score

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

100 30 40 50 60 70 80

Hypochondriasis(concern with body symptoms)

Depression(pessimism, hopelessness)

Psychopathic deviancy(disregard for social standards)

Paranoia(delusions, suspiciousness)

Psychasthenia(anxious, guilt feelings)

Schizophrenia(withdrawn, bizarre thoughts)

Hypomania(overactive, excited, impulsive)

Social introversion(shy, inhibited)

Clinicallysignificant

range

After treatment(no scores

in the clinicallysignificant range)

Beforetreatment(anxious,

depressed,and

displayingdeviant

behaviors)

The Trait Perspective- The Big 5

Social Media personality

Discuss in small groups “ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS” Do you start or maintain relationships (friendly or

otherwise) with people you do not know in “real” life WHY OR WHY NOT?

How can you tell if someone is being genuine online? What are some of your own criteria for determining someone’s personality?

What are some etiquette rules for communicating your desires? Joking around with others? Expressing your anger or displeasure? Using sarcasm?

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Social-Cognitive Perspective views behavior as influenced

by the interaction between persons and their social context or situation

Reciprocal Determinism the interacting influences

between personality and environmental factors

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Social-Cognitive Perspective Personal Control

our sense of controlling our environments rather than feeling helpless

External Locus of Control the perception that chance or

outside forces beyond one’s personal control determine one’s fate

Social-Cognitive Perspective Internal Locus of Control

the perception that one controls one’s own fate

Learned Helplessness the hopelessness and passive

resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Social-Cognitive Perspective Learned Helplessness

Uncontrollablebad events

Perceivedlack of control

Generalizedhelpless behavior

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Positive Psychology The scientific study of optimal

human functioning Aims to discover and promote

conditions that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Exploring Self

Write down your possible selves: The self you hope to become The self you fear you will

become The self you think you are to

your friends The self you think you are to

your family The self you are at school

Exploring the Self

Spotlight Effect Overestimating the extent to which others

notice and evaluate our appearance, performance, and blunders

Self Esteem One’s feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-Serving Bias Readiness or tendency to perceive oneself

favorably

Exploring the Self

Individualism Giving priority to one’s own goals over group

goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivism Giving priority to the goals of one’s group

(often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

Exploring the Self

The Modern Unconscious Mind

Terror-Management Theory Faith in one’s worldview and the

pursuit of self-esteem provide protection against a deeply rooted fear of death