Personlality theories

11/26/2014 Personality and its Theories 1

Personality

&

Theories of Personality

Presenter

M.Shahid Khan

M.Phil Education

[email protected]


Study of Personality

Study of Personality is an attempt to describe

and explain how people are similar, how they

are different, and why every individual is

unique. It tries to explain the whole person.

The branch of psychology which study

personality is called Personality Psychology

or Personology.


Introduction

Etymology of the term Personality

The term Personality has been derived from the

Latin word “ Persona” which means Mask, was

associated with Greek theater in ancient times.

The Greek actors commonly used to wear masks

on their faces during their performances on the

stage. The mask worn by the actors was called

“Persona”.

Personality was thought to be the effect and

influence which the individual wearing a mask

left on the audience.


Introduction

The psychologists have defined the term

personality in various ways but they were not

completely successful in explaining it, in clear

and definite terms, because human behavior

is very complex and personality is not a fixed

state but a dynamic totality, which is

continuously changing due to interaction with

the environment.


Definition

Personality can be defined as a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or her behaviors in various situations.

According to Lundberg Kolb

“each individual’s characteristically recurring patters of behaviour are known as personality”.


Definition

Burger, suggests that personality can be

defined as consistent behavioral patterns and

intrapersonal processes originating within the

individual.

Note elements of this definition: Personality is

consistent, along time and across situations.

Personality is our intrapersonal processes,

our emotional, motivational, and cognitive

processes that affect how we feel and how we act.


Definition

The pioneering American psychologist,

Gordon Allport (1937) who devoted most of

his time for research on personality, defines

Personality as:

“It is the dynamic organization within the

individual of those psychological systems that

determine his unique adjustment to the

environment”.



The concept of personality seems like a simple one, hundreds of years have gone into studying it and we still don't agree how it develops.

Personality theories are attempts at understanding both the characteristics of our personality and the way these characteristics develops and impact our life.



Four Theories of Personality are:

1. Trait Theories

2. Learning Theories

3. Psychoanalytical Theories

4. Phenomenological Theories


1.Trait Theory

The trait theories suggests that individual personalities are composed of traits.

What is Trait?

Any characteristic in which one person differs from another in a relatively permanent and consistent way. E.g. friendly, anxious, excitable, intelligent, we are using trait terms.

Trait theory is focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics.


Trait Theory

In 1940 William Sheldon an American Psychologist, classified human personalities based on body build.

Endomorph (A short, plump person)

Socialable, relaxed and even-tempered

Ectomorph (A tall, thin Person)

Restrained, self conscious and found of solitude

Mesomorph (A Heavy, Muscular Person)

Noisy, callous and fond of physical activity.


Jung’s Theory of Two Types

Carl Jung (Swiss Psychologist) divided

personalities into:

1. Introvert Type.

Shy, self-centered person whose attention

is focused inward.

2. Extrovert Type.

Bold, outgoing person whose attention is

directed outward.


Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory In 1936, Gordon Allport found that one English-

language dictionary alone contained more than 4,000 words describing different personality traits. He categorized these traits into three levels:

Cardinal traits: govern the direction of one's life. e.g Freudian, Behaviorist.

Central traits: operate in daily interactions, as illustrated by a tendency to always try to control a situation. Terms such as intelligent, honest, shy are central traits.

Secondary traits: These are the traits that are sometimes related to attitudes or preferences and often appear only in certain situations or under specific circumstances. Some examples would be getting anxious when speaking to a group or impatient while waiting in line.


Eysenck’s Three Dimensions of Personality

British psychologist Hans Eysenck developed

a model of personality based upon three

traits:

Extraversion (as opposed to introversion)

Neuroticism (as opposed to emotional

stability)

Psychoticism (as opposed to impulse control)


Raymond Cattell Trait Theory

Trait theorist, Raymond Cattell in 1973, reduced the number of main personality traits from Allport’s initial list of over 4,000 down to 171.

Next, Cattell rated a large sample of individuals for these 171 different traits. Then, using a statistical technique known as factor analysis, he identified closely related terms and eventually reduced his list to just 16 key personality traits. According to Cattell, these 16 traits are the source of all human personality. He also developed one of the most widely used personality assessments known as the Sixteen Personality Factors (16PF).



The Big Five

According to The Big Five theory given by by

McCrae and Costa in 1980, most human

personality traits can be boiled down to five

broad dimensions of personality.


The Big Five

Extraversion/Introversion: described in terms such as talkative, sociable, vs. turned inward

Agreeableness/Antagonism: described in terms such as good natured, cooperative, likable vs. hostile

Conscientiousness/ Undirectedness: described in terms such as responsible, neat, task motivated vs. disorganized

Stability/Instability: described in terms such as calm, composed vs. uncertain, insecure

Openness to experience/Conforming: described in terms such as flexible, original, creative, daring vs. rigid, conventional, conforming, noncreative.


2.Learning Theory

Learning theorists in contrast to Trait theorists

emphasize the importance of environmental or

situational determinants of behaviour.

For social learning theorists, behaviour is the result

of a continuous interaction between person and

environment.

The interaction of individual differences and specific

situations is crucial for predicting behaviour.


Learning Theory

Peoples behaviors are learned responses.

Learning Theory has two Branches:

A. Behaviorism – John Watson & BF Skinner

believed outside influences mold us (parents,

society etc.) rewards, punishments

B. Social Learning Theory – (more

contemporary view) focuses on the importance of

learning by observation.


Learning Theory

Learning Theory —3 Tenets

Consequences influence behavior

Humans can learn by observing others

Individuals are more likely to model behavior

observed in people they identify with.


3.Psychoanalytical Theory

Psychoanalytical theory approaches personality from a view point that is quite different either of the two theories we have discussed so far. Instead of studying traits or individual reactions the psychoanalyst Like Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) looks for the unconscious motives of the behaviour.

The psychoanalytic approach focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in studying personality.


Personality Structure1. Id = unconscious = pleasure principle

- Primary process thinking: wish fulfillment

- I want it now! Instant gratification

- Part of the iceberg that is submerged underwater

2. Ego = conscious = reality principle

- What are the real-world consequences of my actions?

- secondary process thinking: reality testing

- part of the iceberg that is above water and aware of reality

3. Superego = preconscious = morality principle

- What is the proper way to behave? Parents/Society

- Conscience: should nots

- Part of the iceberg that is just under the water but can sometimes surface


Psychosexuality and Unconscious

According to Freud, life includes both

pleasurable and painful experiences. Freud

believed that many of our experiences,

particularly the painful episodes of childhood,

are buried in our unconscious. Although we

may not consciously recall these

experiences, they continue to influence our

behaviour and thus our personalities.


4.Phenomenological Theory

Some psychologists did not believe trait,

behaviorist and psychoanalytic explanations

of personality.

They felt that these theories ignored the

qualities that make humans unique among

animals, such as striving for self-

determination and self-realization. In the

1950s, some of these psychologists began a

school of psychology called humanism.


Phenomenological Theories

The Phenomenological approach to the

study of personality, emphasis on

subjective experiences- the individual

private view of the world.

They are concerns with how the individual

perceives and interprets events- the

individual’s phenomenology.


Phenomenological Theories

Humanistic psychologists try to see people’s

lives as those people would see them. They tend

to have an optimistic perspective on human

nature. In the humanistic view, people are

responsible for their lives and actions and have

the freedom and will to change their attitudes

and behavior.

Two psychologists, Abraham Maslow and Carl

Rogers, became well known for their humanistic

theories.


Carl Rogers’s Theory of Self

Rogers assumes that every individual has the motivation and ability to change and that we are the best experts on ourselves.

The most important concept in Rogers’s theory of personality is the self. The self consists of all the ideas, perceptions and values that characterize “I” or “Me”; it includes the awareness of “what I am” and “what can I do”.



Roger uses two terms; Congruence and

Incongruence.

Rogers said that people’s self-concepts often do not exactly match reality. For example, a person may consider himself to be very honest but often lies to his boss about why he is late to work. This is Incongruence.

If the parent shows unconditional love, the child can develop congruence. Children whose parents provided conditional love would continue in adulthood to distort their experiences in order to feel accepted.



Results of Incongruence

Rogers thought that people experience anxiety when their self-concepts are threatened. To protect themselves from anxiety, people distort their experiences so that they can hold on to their self-concept. People who have a high degree of incongruence are likely to feel very anxious because reality continually threatens their self-concepts and thus their personality .


Maslow’s Theory of

Self-Actualization

The highest rung on Abraham Maslow’s

ladder of human motives is the need for

self-actualization.

Maslow said that human beings strive for

self-actualization, or realization of their full

potential, once they have satisfied their

more basic needs.


Maslow’s Theory of

Self-Actualization

Maslow described several characteristics that self-actualizing people share:

Awareness and acceptance of themselves

Openness and spontaneity

The ability to enjoy work and see work as a mission to fulfill

The ability to develop close friendships without being overly dependent on other people

A good sense of humor

The tendency to have peak experiences that are spiritually or emotionally satisfying


Thanks

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Personlality theories

Education

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study personality

trait theory

trait terms

individual personalities

intrapersonal processes

consistent way

cognitive processes