Personality Personality Every human being is Chapter 12 like all others like some others like no others Human nature level Individual/Group Differences Individual Uniqueness Level Happy Worriers Risk takers Personality Person's general style of interaction with the world People differ from one another in their style of behavior, in ways that are relatively consistent across time and situations The study of personality focuses on differences between people And consistencies within people Personality questionnaires Why take personality tests? Preferences with regard to personality Learn about yourself Be able to predict future behaviors Based 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 styles Find out about yourself: Keirsey: full test at www.keirsey.com 1
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 Dichotomies E/I: Extroversion/Introversion How you get energy and where you focus your attention Extroversion: energy from outside-world, action Introversion: energy from inside-world, reflection S/N: Sensing/Intuition How do you take in information and find out about things Sensing: precise and exact manner, trust concrete Intuition: novel or abstract manner, trust abstract T/F: Thinking/Feeling How you make decisions Thinking: general truths and objectivity, logical Feeling: seek interpersonal harmony, empathetic J/P: Judging/Perceiving How you live your life (lifestyle) Judging: like closure and planning Perceiving: open-ended and adapt to novelty Temperament preference Describe your perfect weekend. What would you do? Extroversion: more people involved Introversion: quieter activities Describe a bowl of M&Ms. Sensing: technical description Intuitive: 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/itinerary Perceiving: rough plan, nothing detailed Personality tests http://www.2h.com/personality-tests.html Self-report structured tests Standardized questionnaires Examples Myers-Briggs MMPI 2
MMPI Personality tests http://www.2h.com/personality-tests.html Self-report structured tests Standardized questionnaires Examples Myers-Briggs MMPI Projective personality tests Interpretation of ambiguous information Examples Rorschach inkblot technique Thematic 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 behavior To summarize a person Psychopathology Career choice Other uses? Find romantic partner: eharmony.com Sports (draft picks) Understand learning style/improve study skills Understand clients / employees 3
Corporate personality test Select the statement you most agree with and least agree with from options below. American Express training What kind of job would each type have? Personal relationships important 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. Not important to complete job Amiable Analytic Personal relationships not important Expressive Driver Important to complete job Pro/Con: Personality tests Support for personality tests Preference not absolutes Understand strengths/weaknesses Self-report tests predict behavior (r=.30) Problems/issues with personality tests Types of questions Personality dimensions Past behavior predicts future behavior best! Stability of traits Barnum effect (selection bias) Personality theories Chapter 12 4
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 approach Grouping of questions How many personality dimensions are there? Cattell (1957): 16 traits Norman (1963): 5 traits Eysenck (1952): 3 traits Thought paper Cattell s source traits 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? 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 5
Eysenck s superfactors Extroversion: How outgoing and social Neuroticism: How emotional (stable/unstable) Psychoticism: How sensitive toward others Norman s Big Five Extroversion Sociable/reclusive Neuroticism Calm/anxious Agreeableness Good-natured/irritable Conscientiousness Responsible/undependable Openness to experience Refined/crude 6
Sort the following adjectives and label the group with a factor name Organized Curious Active Generous Outgoing Tense Anxious Assertive Original Forgiving Efficient Unstable Talkative Appreciative Responsible Artistic Enthusiastic Sympathetic Deliberate Self-defeating Vulnerable Imaginative Adjectives sorted Allport s trait theory Organized Curious Active Generous Outgoing Tense Anxious Assertive Original Forgiving Efficient Unstable Talkative Appreciative Responsible Artistic Enthusiastic Sympathetic Deliberate Self-defeating Vulnerable Imaginative Extraversion Neuroticism Agreeableness Conscientious -ness Openness Focus on individual How we are all unique Cardinal traits Dominating passion in life (rare) Central traits 5-10 descriptive terms Secondary traits Other terms (less important, situation specific) 7
The genetics of personality Schaie, Willis, & Caskie (2004) The Seattle Longitudinal Study (NEO) How personality develops Psychodynamic theory Caused by forces originating in unconscious, struggling for control Humanistic approach Caused by the unique way we grow and understand self Social-cognitive approach Caused by experiences and interpretation of those experiences Freud s Psychodynamic Theory Unconscious irrational forces competing to control behavior 3 layers of consciousness Conscious Preconscious Unconscious 3 personality structures: shaped by childhood Id = pleasure principle Ego = reality principle Superego = idealistic principle 8
Ego s Defense mechanisms Unconscious processes used by ego to ward off anxiety due to confrontations with id: e.g.: You missed an exam Denial (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 drives Move through stages (or get fixated) Oral stage: 0-1yr Anal stage: 1-3yr Phallic stage: 3-5yr Oedipus complex or Electra complex Latency period: 5-12yr Genital stage: 12+ Personality reflects interactions with adults Psychological problems reflect when specific experiences occurred Humanistic approach Positive view of human capacity Focus on growth and potential Drive toward self-actualization Develop one s unique potential Rogers: Develop self-concept Develop through social interactions Need unconditional positive regard Conditions of worth tends to come from approval Incongruence: self-concept vs. experiences Maslow s Hierarchy of needs Need to satisfy physical to emotional needs Personality 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 9
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 selfdetermined (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 experiences Cognitive side: emphasis on interpretation Behaviorism: Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, modeling Personality partly based on locus of control Belief about control over environment Self-efficacy Beliefs about own abilities Self-regulatory systems Delay of gratification studies http://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 personality How 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/e arlyshow/living/parenting/main511694.shtml 10
Birth order http://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: Genetics Twin studies on Eysenck s PI or MMPI (pp 422) Identical twins:.50 Fraternal twins:.21-.23 Nurture: Environment For positive emotion: (pp 423) Identical twins together:.63 Identical twins apart:.34 Fraternal twins together:.18 Fraternal twins apart: -.07 Interaction of nature and nurture Thought paper: Compare and contrast theories Trait theories Psychodynamic theory Humanistic theory Social-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 personality Psychodynamic, humanistic, soc-cog: agree environment plays a role in personality development Differences: Trait theories: personality dimensions from birth Psychodynamic: personality developed by unconscious forces Humanistic: personality due to unique view of the world; strive for self-actualization Social-cognitive: personality solely due to experiences and how we interpret experiences 11
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 E/I: Extroversion/Introversion How you get energy and where you focus your attention 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? Extroversion directs and receives energy from outside world Prefer action over reflection Talk things over in order to understand Prefer oral communication Share thoughts freely Act and respond quickly Extend yourself into the environment Enjoy working in groups Introversion directs and receives energy from inner world Prefer reflection over action Think things through in order to understand Prefer written communication Guard your thoughts until they are complete Reflect and think deeply Defend yourself against external demands Enjoy working alone or with only one or two others 12
S/N: Sensing/Intuition How do you take in information and find out about things T/F: Thinking/Feeling How do you make decisions Sensing prefers to gather information in a precise and exact manner Like specific examples Prefer following an agenda Emphasize the pragmatic Seek predictability Focus on immediate applications of a situation Want to know what is Intuition prefers to gather information in a novel or abstract manner Like general concepts Depart from the agenda if necessary Emphasize the theoretical Desire change Focus on future possibilities of a situation Want to know what could be Thinking seek general truths and objectivity when making decisions Questions first Know when reason is needed Want things to be logical Have a cool and impersonal demeanor Remain detached when making decisions Control the expression of your feelings Feeling seek individual and interpersonal harmony when making decisions Accept first Know when support is needed Want things to be pleasant Have a warm and personal demeanor Remain personally involved when making decisions Express feelings with enthusiasm J/P: Judging/Perceiving How do you live your life Temperament preference Judging like to come to closure and act with a plan Like things to be settled and ordered Finish tasks before the deadline Focus on goals, results, achievements Establish deadlines Prefer no surprises Prefer to be conclusive Quickly commit to plans or decisions Perceiving prefers to remain open and adapt to new information Like things to be flexible and open Finish tasks at the deadline Focus on processes, options, and openings Dislike deadlines Enjoy surprises Prefer to be tentative Reserve the right to change plans or decisions NT s: Rationals: Use time wisely forget others Albert Einstein (INTP) Dwight Eisenhower (INTJ) Walt Disney (ENTP) Bill Gates (ENTJ) SP s: Artisans: Respond quickly scatter efforts Barbara Streisand (ISFP) Clint Eastwood (ISTP) Elvis Presley (ESFP) Madonna (ESTP) NF s: Idealists: Sensitive to people can t say no Mohandas Gandhi (INFJ) Albert Schweitzer (INFP) Molly Brown (ENFP) Margaret Mead (ENFJ) SJ s: Guardians: Best organized rigid/can t relax George Washington (ESFJ) Harry Truman (ISTJ) Mother Teresa (ISFJ) Colin Powell (ESTJ) 13
Consistency controversy Trait: stable and enduring Situation: fleeting and changes behavior Mischel: behavior is inconsistent (due to environment) Longitudinal studies (Big 5) Tested 2x: correlations.59 -.87 Even 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 situation Low correlations across different situations Interaction of situation and traits Consistency is a trait 14