Psychology 3051 Psychology 305B: Theories of Personality Lecture 13.

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Psychology 305B: Theories of Personality

Lecture 13

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Scoring Your “RSQ”

1. Sum the following items:

Score 1: 3, 7 (reversed), 8, 10, 17 (reversed)

Score 2: 5 (reversed), 6, 11, 15

Score 3: 1, 4, 9, 14

Score 4: 2, 5, 12, 13, 16

2. For each score, compute the average. That is, divide the sums for scores 1 and 4 by 5, and the sums for scores 2 and 3 by 4.

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• Purpose: To gain further experience in the application of personality psychology .

Term PaperDue Date: April 6, 2010

• Format: A “psychobiography.” Use one or more theories of personality (e.g., the five factor model of

personality, evolutionary theory, psychoanalytic theory) to describe, analyze, and interpret the life, attitudes, and/or behaviour of a specific individual.

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• You may choose any individual as the subject of your paper—for example, a historical or contemporary

leader, an infamous figure, a celebrity, a fictional character, a friend, a family member, or yourself.

Examples: Mother Teresa, Barack Obama, Joseph Stalin, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Spiderman.

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• For personal figures, you may rely entirely on material presented in class and your textbook. For public

figures, you should cite biographical resources.

You are welcome to use additional resources related to the personality theories that you choose.

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• Length: 8-12 pages, doubled spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins. Note that this does not include the title page or reference section.

• Weight: 20% of your final grade in the course (80% content, 20% style).

• Instructions regarding the use of TurnItIn will be provided in class closer to the due date of the paper.

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Questions That Will Be Answered In Today’s Lecture

Neoanalytic Perspective on Personality, continued

6. How are Erikson’s 8 stages exemplified in the film Wild Strawberries?

7. According to Horney’s theory, what are (a) the safety need, (b) basic hostility, (c) basic anxiety, and (d) neurotic needs?

8. What personality types did Horney propose?

Lecture 13

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How are Erikson’s 8 stages exemplified in the film

Wild Strawberries?

Dr. Isak Borg and his housekeeper, Agda.

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Dr. Borg and his daughter in-law, Marianne.

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Dr. Borg and his young travel companions: The “modern” Sara, Anders, and Viktor.

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The “past” Sara, who Dr. Borg once loved.

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Dr. Borg and his mother.

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Dr. Borg’s wife, Karin, after an encounter with her lover.

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• Other noteworthy characters from the film:

Dr. Borg’s son: Evald.

Dr. Borg’s brother: Sigfrid.

The couple who was involved in a car accident with Dr. Borg: Mr. and Mrs. Alman.

Dr. Borg’s aunt: Aunt Olga.

• We meet Dr. Borg in the last of Erikson’s 8 stages of personality development: Old Age

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• Old Age

61 years of age – death.

Crisis: Integrity vs. despair.

Successful resolution: Occurs when older adults feel a sense of emotional integration or satisfaction with the choices they have made and the life experiences they have had.

Basic strength: Wisdom (a detached but active concern with life in the face of death).

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First year of life.

Crisis: Basic trust vs. mistrust.

Successful resolution: Occurs when infants develop confidence in their caregivers to consistently meet their basic needs.

Basic strength: Hope (the enduring belief that one’s needs, desires, and wishes will be satisfied).

• What can we conclude about Dr. Borg with respect to the 7 preceding stages of personality development?

1. Infancy

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2. Early Childhood

Second year of life.

Crisis: Autonomy vs. shame and doubt.

Successful resolution: Occurs when toddlers acquire a sense of independence stemming from their self-control.

Basic strength: Willpower (the determination to exercise free choice as well as self-restraint).

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3. Preschool

3 – 5 years of age.

Crisis: Initiative vs. guilt.

Successful resolution: Occurs when young children feel that they can take action to pursue their desires or urges.

Basic strength: Purpose (the courage to pursue valued goals without fear of punishment).

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4. School Age

6 – 11 years of age.

Crisis: Industry vs. inferiority.

Successful resolution: Occurs when children feel that they can master tasks of the “tool world” (i.e., tasks associated with the practical work-related world,

including tasks at school).

Basic strength: Competence (the belief that one has the dexterity and intelligence required to complete meaningful tasks).

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5. Adolescence

12 – 19 years of age.

Crisis: Identity vs. identity confusion.

Successful resolution: Occurs when adolescents develop an integrated and consistent self-view (i.e., one that is seen similarly by oneself and others).

Basic strength: Fidelity (the ability to be true to oneself and to significant others despite contradictions in value systems across roles and relationships).

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6. Young Adulthood

20 – 35 years of age.

Crisis: Intimacy vs. isolation.

Successful resolution: Occurs when young adults feel that they can merge with another individual

without losing their personal identity.

Basic strength: Love (a mutual devotion with another individual that is greater than any antagonism between the identities of each individual in the partnership).

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7. Adulthood

36 – 60 years of age.

Crisis: Generativity vs. stagnation.

Successful resolution: Occurs when adults feel that they are able to guide, nurture, and contribute to the development of the next generation.

Basic strength: Care (a broad concern for others that extends beyond the narrowness of self-concern).

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According to Horney’s theory, what are: (a) the safety need,

(b) basic hostility, (c) basic anxiety, and (d) neurotic needs?

• Horney’s view of personality development differs from Freud’s view in 1 broad way: In contrast to Freud who emphasized the role of sexual factors in personality development, Horney emphasized the role of social factors in personality development.

• Consistent with her emphasis on social factors, Horney believed that people are not motivated by sexual instincts, but are motivated by a desire for love

and a need for security.

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• Safety Need

A need for security (or freedom from fear) that is universally experienced by children.

According to Horney, the need is satisfied among children whose parents demonstrate “genuine love.”

In contrast, the need is not satisfied among children whose parents dominate, reject, overprotect, or

overindulge their children.

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• Basic Hostility

Contempt that develops among children whose safety need is not satisfied.

The child’s contempt is directed at his or her parents but is rarely expressed as overt rage. Instead, it is typically repressed.

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• Basic Anxiety

Apprehension that develops among children who repress their basic hostility for their parents.

“An insidiously increasing, all-pervading feeling of being lonely and helpless in a hostile world.”

(Horney, 1937)

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• Neurotic Needs

Strategies that are used by individuals to minimize their basic anxiety.

Horney referred to these strategies as “needs” because individuals who experience basic anxiety compulsively use them in an effort to minimize their apprehension.

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1. The need for affection and approval.

2. The need for a dominant partner.

3. The need for power.

4. The need to exploit others.

5. The need for prestige.

Horney identified 10 neurotic needs:

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6. The need for admiration.

7. The need for achievement.

8. The need for self-sufficiency and independence.

9. The need for perfection.

10. The need to have narrow limits to life.

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What personality types did Horney propose?

• Horney divided the 10 neurotic needs into 3 subsets. She theorized that each subset drives the attitudes and behaviours of a distinct “neurotic” personality type.

• The 3 neurotic personality types that Horney proposed are: the compliant personality type, the aggressive personality type, and the detached personality type.

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• Horney maintained that, in the person who is not plagued by basic anxiety (i.e., who is not neurotic), the

tendencies to be compliant, aggressive, and detached are expressed as circumstances warrant.

• In contrast, in the person who is plagued by basic anxiety (i.e., who is neurotic), only one tendency is dominant and expressed in all circumstances, whether or not the attitudes and behaviours consistent with that tendency are appropriate.

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Questions That Were Answered In Today’s Lecture

Neoanalytic Perspective on Personality, continued

6. How are Erikson’s 8 stages exemplified in the film Wild Strawberries?

7. According to Horney’s theory, what are (a) the safety need, (b) basic hostility, (c) basic anxiety, and (d) neurotic needs?

8. What personality types did Horney propose?