2. Personality
ï Psychologists study personality from many directions:
1. Developmental psychologists study personality across
the life span.
2. Biological psychologists look for natureâs influence on
personality.
3. Health psychologists research the effect of personality
on well-being
3. Personality
ï What is personality?
ï An individualâs characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling,
and acting.
Psychoanalysis: Freudâs theory of personality; also, a
therapeutic technique that attempts to provide insight into
thoughts and actions by exposing and interpreting the
underlying unconscious motives and conflicts.
4. SIGMUND FRUED
ï An Austrian physician who proposed
psychologyâs first and most famous
theory of personality. Freud believed
that an individualâs personalityâthe
personâs characteristic thoughts and
behaviorsâemerges from tensions
generated by unconscious motives and
unresolved childhood conflicts.
5. Psychoanalysis
ï Hypnosis is a social interaction in
which one personâthe hypnotistâ
makes forceful suggestions to another
person that certain events or
responses will occur.
free association: A method of exploring
the unconscious in which the person
relaxes and says whatever comes to
mind, no matter how trivial or
embarrassing.
6. Psychoanalysis
ï Id: The part of personality that, according to Freud, consists of
unconscious, psychic energy and strives to satisfy basic drives;
operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate
gratification.
ï superego: The part of personality that, according to
Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for
judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.
ï ego: The largely conscious, âexecutiveâ part of personality
that, according to Freud, negotiates among the demands of the
id, the superego, and reality; operates on the reality
principle, satisfying the idâs desires in ways that will realistically
bring pleasure rather than pain.
8. Assessing Personality- Projective Test
ï Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): A projective test
in which people express their inner feelings and interests
through the stories they make up about ambiguous
scenes.
ï Rorschach inkblot test: The most widely used
projective test is a set of 10 inkblots designed to identify
peopleâs inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations
of the blots.
9. The Humanistic Perspective
ï Humanistic psychology: A perspective that focuses on
the study of:
- conscious experience,
- the individualâs freedom to choose, and
- the individualâs capacity for personal growth.
Humanistic psychologists thought psychology in the
1960s was ignoring human strengths and
virtues. Freud studied the motives of âsickâ
people, those who came to him with psychological
problems.
10. Abraham Maslow and Self-
Actualization
self-
actualization: Accordi
ng to Maslow, an
ultimate psychological
need that arises after
basic physical and
psychological needs are
met and self-esteem is
achieved; the
motivation to realize
our full and unique
potential.
11. Carl Rogers and the Person-Centered
Approach
ï Carl Rogers (1902â1987): Humanistic psychologist
who developed client-centered therapy and stressed the
importance of acceptance, genuineness, and empathy in
fostering human growth.
ï unconditional positive regard: According to Rogers,
an attitude of total acceptance toward another person.
12. Assessing Personality and the
Self
ï self-concept: All our thoughts and
feelings about ourselves in answer
to the question âWho am I?
ï Humanistic psychologists believed
that the way you describe yourself
(âactual selfâ) and the way youâd
like to describe yourself (âideal
selfâ) should overlap. They thought
the more they overlap, the better
you feel about yourself.
13. Evaluating the Humanistic
Perspective
Some people have mistakenly interpreted
unconditional positive regard for children as
meaning that we should never offer constructive
criticism to a childâor worse, never tell a child
no. Critics also point out that many humanistic
terms are vague and hard to define precisely so
that other researchers can test them.