In this presentation I have explained about personalities , their theories and therapeutic Approaches.

2. Topic : Personality Theories and
Therapeutic Approaches
DONE BY
KRISHNAMOORTHI BHARANI
Volgograd State Medical University

3. Contents
• General information and main goals of
personality theories
• Psychoanalytic theories
• Behaviorist theory
• Social cognitive theories
• Humanistic theories
• Psychotherapy: functions, forms of
psychotherapies , family therapy.

4. General information about personality
theories
• Personality refers to our characteristic way of responding to an
individual and situation. People easily describe the way which
they respond to various situations.
• Theories of Personality
• From Aristotle to Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow,
countless theories and concepts for understanding personality
have been proposed. Throughout history, these and other great
minds sought to answer questions not only about what
personality is and how best to describe it, but also what causes
personality differences, including those that make people more
or less functional and resilient. Personality encompasses all of
the thoughts, behavior patterns, and social attitudes that impact
how we view ourselves and what we believe about others and
the world around us.

5. Main goals of personality theories
• To provide a way of organizing the characteristics
of different people
• To explain the difference among individuals.
• To explore how people conduct their lives.
• To determine how life can be improved .
• Personality theories are
– Psychoanalytic theories
– Behaviorist theories
– Social learning theories
– Cognitive theories
– Humanistic theories

6. THEORIES SUMMARY
Psychoanalytic theories
emphasize the importance of early childhood
experiences, repressed thoughts, and conflict between
conscious and unconscious forces
Behaviorist theories
focus on the way rewards and punishment shape our
actions
Social learning theories
state that cognitive-personal factors, our behaviors, and
environmental factors interact to shape our personalities
Cognitive theories
emphasize that our analysis of our own perceptions,
thoughts, and feelings shape our personalities
Humanistic theories
emphasize our capacity for personal growth,
development of our full potential, and freedom to make
choices.

7. Psychoanalytic theories
• This theory emphasizes the importance of early childhood
experiences, repressed thoughts, and conflict between conscious
and unconscious forces.
• Sigmund Freud was the founder of this school of thought.
• According to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, personality
develops through a series of stages, each characterized by a certain
internal psychological conflict.
• Unconscious is the part of the mind that contains material of which
we are unaware but that strongly influences conscious processes
and behaviors. According to Freud, personality is based on the
dynamic interactions of these three components.

8. Psychoanalytic theories
• Freud divides human personality into three significant
components: the id, ego and super-ego.
• The id acts according to the pleasure principle, demanding
immediate gratification of its needs regardless of external
environment. The id, the most primitive of the three structures, is
concerned with instant gratification of basic physical needs and
urges. It operates entirely unconsciously (outside of conscious
thought). For example, if your id walked past a stranger eating ice
cream, it would most likely take the ice cream for itself. It doesn’t
know, or care, that it is rude to take something belonging to
someone else; it would care only that you wanted the ice cream.

9. Psychoanalytic theories
• The ego then must emerge in order to realistically meet the wishes
and demands of the id in accordance with the outside world,
adhering to the reality principle. It is the decision-making
component of personality. The ego operates according to the reality
principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands,
often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative
consequences of society.
• Finally, the superego (conscience) inculcates moral judgment and
societal rules upon the ego, thus forcing the demands of the id to
be met not only realistically but morally. The superego is concerned
with social rules and morals—similar to conscience or moral
compass. It develops as a child learns what their culture considers
right and wrong. If your superego walked past the same stranger, it
would not take their ice cream because it would know that that
would be rude.

10. Psychoanalytic theories
• Freud’s three levels of minds are
• The preconscious consists of anything that could potentially be
brought into the conscious mind.
• The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories,
feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment.
This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and
talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not
always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and
brought into awareness.
• The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges,
and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. The
unconscious contains contents that are unacceptable or unpleasant,
such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.

11. Psychoanalytic theories
• MECHANISM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCE (ACCORDING TO S.FREUD)
• Denial is one of the most common defense mechanisms. It occurs
when you refuse to accept reality or facts. You block external events
or circumstances from your mind so that you don’t have to deal
with the emotional impact. In other words, you avoid the painful
feelings or events.
• REPRESSION Unsavory thoughts, painful memories, or irrational
beliefs can upset you. Instead of facing them, you may
unconsciously choose to hide them in hopes of forgetting about
them entirely.
• PROJECTION Some thoughts or feelings you have about another
person may make you uncomfortable. If you project those feelings,
you’re misattributing them to the other person.
• IDENTIFICATION It involves the victim adopting the behavior of a
person who is more powerful and hostile towards them

12. Psychoanalytic theories
• MECHANISM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCE (ACCORDING TO S.FREUD)
• DISPLACEMENT You direct strong emotions and frustrations toward a
person or object that doesn’t feel threatening. This allows you to
satisfy an impulse to react, but you don’t risk significant consequences.
• RATIONALIZATION Some people may attempt to explain undesirable
behaviors with their own set of “facts.” This allows you to feel
comfortable with the choice you made, even if you know on another
level it’s not right.
• REACTION FORMATION People who use this defense mechanism
recognize how they feel, but they choose to behave in the opposite
manner of their instincts.
• SUBLIMATION This type of defense mechanism is considered a positive
strategy. That’s because people who rely on it choose to redirect
strong emotions or feelings into an object or activity that is
appropriate and safe.

13. Psychoanalytic theories
• Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
• These are theorists who think along the lines of Freud’s general
tradition. Neo-Freudians Carl Jung , Alfred Adler , Karen Horney
and Erikson.
• The neo-Freudian theories are theories based on Freudian
principles that emphasize the role of the unconscious and early
experience in shaping personality but place less evidence on
sexuality as the primary motivating force in personality and are
more optimistic concerning the prospects for personality growth
and change in personality in adults.

14. Behaviorist theory
• This theory focuses on the way in which the rewards and
punishments shape our actions.
• John Watson and b f skinner believed that individuals differ in their
learning experience . they acquire different behaviors and hence
different personalities.
• Behaviorism is a theory of learning which states all behaviors are
learned through interaction with the environment through a
process called conditioning. Thus, behavior is simply a response to
environmental stimuli. Behaviorism is only concerned with
observable stimulus-response behaviors, as they can be studied in a
systematic and observable manner

15. Behaviorist theory
• Watson's article 'Psychology as the behaviorist views it' is often referred to
as the 'behaviorist manifesto,' in which Watson outlines the principles of
all behaviorists .The behaviorist, in his efforts to get a unitary scheme of
animal response, recognizes no dividing line between man and brute. The
behavior of man, with all of its refinement and complexity, forms only a
part of the behaviorist's total scheme of investigation'.
• Radical behaviorism
• Radical behaviorism was founded by B.F.SKINNER and agreed with
the assumption of methodological behaviorism that the goal of
psychology should be to predict and control behavior.
• Skinner, like Watson, also recognized the role of internal mental
events, and while he agreed such private events could not be used
to explain behavior, he proposed they should be explained in the
analysis of behavior.

16. Behaviorist theory
• Another important distinction between methodological and radical
behaviorism concerns the extent to which environmental factors influence
behavior. Watson's (1913) methodological behaviorism asserts the mind is
tabula rasa (a blank slate) at birth. In contrast, radical behaviorism accepts the
view that organisms are born with innate behaviors, and thus recognizes the
role of genes and biological components in behavior.
• Types of Behaviorism
• Behaviorism’s influential figures include the psychologists John B. Watson
and B.F. Skinner, who are associated with classical conditioning and
operant conditioning, respectively.
• In classical conditioning, an animal or human learns to associate two
stimuli with each other. This type of conditioning involves involuntary
responses, such as biological responses or emotional ones.
• In operant conditioning, an animal or human learns a behavior by
associating it with consequences. This can be done through positive or
negative reinforcement, or punishment.

17. Behaviorist theory
• Pavlov theory
• Pavlov’s theory later developed into classical conditioning, which refers to
learning that associates an unconditioned stimulus that already results in
a response (such as a reflex) with a new, conditioned stimulus. As a result,
the new stimulus brings about the same response.
• Skinner
• Skinner believed that we do have such a thing as a mind, but that it
is simply more productive to study observable behavior rather than
internal mental events.
• The work of Skinner was rooted in a view that classical conditioning
was far too simplistic to be a complete explanation of complex
human behavior. He believed that the best way to understand
behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences.
He called this approach operant conditioning.

18. Behaviorist theory
• Pavlov (1897) published the results of an experiment
on conditioning after originally studying digestion in
dogs.
• Watson (1913) launches the behavioral school of
psychology, publishing an article, Psychology as the
behaviorist views it.
• Watson and Rayner (1920) conditioned an orphan
called Albert B (aka Little Albert) to fear a white rat.
• Thorndike (1905) formalized the Law of Effect.
• Skinner (1936) wrote The Behavior of Organisms and
introduced the concepts of operant conditioning and
shaping.

19. Behaviorist theory
• Clark Hull’s (1943) Principles of Behavior was published.
• B.F. Skinner (1948) published Walden Two, in which he
described a utopian society founded upon behaviorist
principles.
• Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior begun in
1958.
• Chomsky (1959) published his criticism of Skinner's
behaviorism, "Review of Verbal Behavior."
• Bandura (1963) publishes a book called the Social Leaning
Theory and Personality development which combines both
cognitive and behavioral frameworks.
• B.F. Skinner (1971) published his book, Beyond Freedom
and Dignity, where he argues that free will is an illusion.

20. Social cognitive theories
• Albert Bandura and Richard Walters stated that
personality is acquired by observational learning or
imitation and exposure to specific everyday models.
• Personality is shaped by an interaction among three
forces :
– Cognitive-personal factors are beliefs, expectations, values,
intentions, social roles as well as our emotional make up
and biological and genetic influences.
– Behavior factors are our personal actions.
– Environmental factors are social political and cultural
influences.

21. Social cognitive theories
• Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) started as the Social Learning Theory
(SLT) in the 1960s by Albert Bandura. It developed into the Social
Cognitive Theory in 1986 and posits that learning occurs in a social
context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person,
environment, and behavior. The unique feature of Social Cognitive
Theory is the emphasis on social influence and its emphasis on
external and internal social reinforcement. Social Cognitive Theory
considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain
behavior, while also considering the social environment in which
individuals perform the behavior. The theory takes into account a
person's past experiences, which factor into whether behavioral
action will occur. These past experiences influences reinforcements,
expectations, and expectancies, all of which shape whether a
person will engage in a specific behavior and the reasons why a
person engages in that behavior.

22. Social cognitive theories
• The goal of Social Cognitive Theory is to explain how people
regulate their behavior through control and reinforcement to
achieve goal-directed behavior that can be maintained over time.
Social Learning Theory is often described as the ‘bridge’ between
traditional learning theory (i.e., behaviorism) and the cognitive
approach. This is because it focuses on how mental (cognitive)
factors are involved in learning.
• In social learning theory, Albert Bandura (1977) agrees with the
behaviorist learning theories of classical conditioning and operant
conditioning. However, he adds two important ideas:
– Mediating processes occur between stimuli & responses.
– Behavior is learned from the environment through the process
of observational learning.

23. Humanistic theories
• Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers stated that all human beings strive
for self-actualization that is the realization of our potentialities as
unique human beings.
• Maslow’s Humanistic Theory of Personality
• Maslow’s humanistic theory of personality states that people achieve
their full potential by moving from basic needs to self-actualization. As
a leader of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow approached the
study of personality by focusing on subjective experiences, free will,
and the innate drive toward self-actualization. He was mainly
concerned with an individual’s innate drive toward self-actualization—
a state of fulfillment in which a person is achieving at his or her highest
level of capability. In his research, Maslow studied the personalities of
people who he considered to be healthy, creative, and productive,
including Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and
others. He found that such people share similar characteristics, such as
being open, creative, loving, spontaneous, compassionate, concerned
for others, and accepting of themselves.

24. Humanistic theories
• Personality and the Hierarchy of Needs
• Maslow is perhaps most well-known for his hierarchy of needs theory,
in which he proposes that human beings have certain needs in
common and these needs must be met in a certain order. These needs
range from the most basic physiological needs for survival to higher-
level self-actualization and transcendence needs. Maslow’s hierarchy is
most often presented visually as a pyramid, with the largest, most
fundamental physiological needs at the bottom and the smallest, most
advanced self-actualization needs at the top. Each layer of the pyramid
must be fulfilled before moving up the pyramid to higher needs, and
this process is continued throughout the lifespan. Maslow believed
that successful fulfillment of each layer of needs was vital in the
development of personality. The highest need for self-actualization
represents the achievement of our fullest potential, and those
individuals who finally achieved self-actualization were said to
represent optimal psychological health and functioning.

25. Humanistic theories

26. Humanistic theories
• Characteristics of Self-Actualizers
• They are realistically oriented.
• They accept themselves , other people and the natural world .
• They are problem centered rather than self centered .
• They are autonomous and independent .
• Their appreciation of people and things is fresh rather than stereotyped .
• They identify with humanity .
• Their sense of humor is philosophical rather than hostile.
• Maslow viewed self-actualizers as the supreme achievers in the human
race. In his research, he found that many of these people shared certain
personality traits. Most self-actualizers had a great sense of awareness,
maintaining a near-constant enjoyment and awe of life. They often
described peak experiences during which they felt such an intense degree
of satisfaction that they seemed to transcend themselves. They actively
engaged in activities that would bring about this feeling of unity and
meaningfulness.

27. Psychotherapy: functions, forms of
psychotherapies , family therapy.
• One of the functions of psychotherapy is to help people realize that they are
resрonsible for their own problems and that, even more importantiy, they are
the only ones who can really solve these problems. Three main therapies are :
COGNITIVЕ ТHERAPY, BEHAVIOR THERAPY, HUMANISTIC THERAPY.
• COGNITIVЕ ТHERAPY
• The goal of cognitive therapies focuses on changing the way people think.
Basic assumptions that cognitive therapies share are that faulty cognitions-our
irrational or uninformed beliefs, expectations, and ways of thinking-distort our
behaviors, attitudes, and emotions. So to improve our lives, we must work to
change our patterns of thinking.
• BEHAVIOR THERAPY
• The goal is to reinforce desirable behaviors and eliminate unwanted ones.
Behavioral therapy is rooted in the principles of behaviorism, a school of
thought focused on the idea that we learn from our environment. Behavioral
therapy is action-based. Because of this, behavioral therapy tends to be highly
focused. The behavior itself is the problem and the goal is to teach people new
behaviors to minimize or eliminate the issue.

28. Psychotherapy: functions, forms of
psychotherapies , family therapy.
• HUMANISTIC THERAPY
• Client-Centered Therapy, or person-centered
therapy, is based on the works of Carl Rogers
(1951, 1977). This therapy depends on the
person's own motivation toward growth and
self- actualization. It involves:
• - nondirective therapy
• - active listening
• - unconditional positive regard.

29. Psychotherapy: functions, forms of
psychotherapies , family therapy.
• Forms of therapy are group therapy and family therapy
• Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that can
help family members improve communication and resolve
conflicts.
• Group therapy can be described as a therapeutic approach in which
several people meet together under the guidance of a
professionally trained therapist to help themselves and one
another.
• During family therapy, you can:
• Examine your family's ability to solve problems and express
thoughts and emotions in a productive manner
• Explore family roles, rules and behavior patterns to identify issues
that contribute to conflict — and ways to work through these issues
• Identify your family's strengths, such as caring for one another, and
weaknesses, such as difficulty confiding in one another