THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

1. THEORIES OF
PERSONALITY
Dr Fabina
Junior Resident

2. Personality
 “Personality is the dynamic organization within
the individual of those psychophysical systems
that determine his unique adjustments to his
environment” Psychologist Gordon Allport
(1937)
 Personality consists of distinctive patterns of
behaviour (including thoughts & emotions) that
characterise each individual’s adaptation to the
situations of his or her life” Psychologist Walter
Mischel (1976)

4. Theories
1. Type & trait approaches- peoples
characteristics- organized into systems
2. Dynamic approaches- ongoing interactions-
motives, impulses & psychological processes
3. Learning & behavioural approaches- habits-
basic conditioning or learning process
4. Humanistic approaches- self- importance of
individual’s subjective view of the world

5. Type & trait theories of personality
Type theories
 400 B.C.- Hippocrates- 4 temperaments
a. Sanguine- cheerful, vigorous, confidently
optimistic
b. Melancholic: depressed, morose
c. Choleric- hot tempered
d. Phlegmatic: slow moving, calm, unexcitable

6. Type theories
 Grouping or sets of types- typologies
 Type- class of individuals said to share a
common collection of characteristics
 Introverts- shyness, social withdrawal,
tendency not to talk too much
 Extraverts- outgoing, friendly & talkative
 Sharp typologies- don’t work well scientifically

7. Type theories
 Eysenck’s hierarchical theory
 1967
 Major components of personality as small
no:of personality types
 Each type- set of personality characteristics
 Extraverted- sociabilty, liveliness & excitability
 Types are personality dimensions, every
individual – scored or rated for his or her
position- each dimension

8. Eysenck’s hierarchical theory

9. Eysenck’s heirarchical theory
Characteristics
Habitual response patterns- several
situations
Specific responses within specific situation
 Broad, global types to specific situation bound
responses- heirarchical

10. Eysenck’s heirarchical theory
 Focussing on extremes cases & “good fits”:
The “strike-zone” approach
 2nd approach- specifying certain key
characteristics/ extreme scores- manifest- fit
the type- “pure cases”- fit the “strike zone”
 Diagnosing psychological disorders-
Schizophrenic disorder
 Type A & Type B people

11. TRAIT THEORIES
 Traits- characteristics that lead people to
behave in more or less distinctive & consistent
way across situations

12. Allport’s theory
 Counted- 18,000 trait like terms in English (1937)-
mostly adjectives- act, think, perceive & feel
 1961- rich collection- way of capturing uniqueness
of each individual
 Individual traits/ “personal dispositions”- 3 levels-
generality
1. Cardinal traits
2. Central traits
3. Secondary traits

13. Allport’s theory
Cardinal traits
 Those which are so dominant that nearly all of
the individual’s action can be traced back to
them
 Christlike, Kennedyesque or Nixonian
 Describes trait so broad, deep- overshadows-
influence of other traits – same individual
 Acc. Allport- most don’t have, if they does-
show in all- behaviour

14. Allport’s theory
Central traits
 Characterize behaviour to some extent not
complete way
 Mentioned in careful letter of recommendation/
checked off on rating scale- outstanding
charcteristic- individual
 Rare- more than 10- 12 centrl traits

15. Allport’s theory
Secondary traits
 Influential within narrow range of situations
 Least characteristic of the person
 All traits- assemble- psychological life histories
 Information- letters, diaries, personal journals
 Idiographic approach- psychological study-
individual case- understand, explain, predict-
behaviour- situations

16. Allport’s theory
Nomothetic/ dimensional approach
 Discovery of personality principles- apply to
people in general
 Search for consistencies & general principles
that apply across individuals

17. Single trait research
 Julian Rotter (1966)- questionnaire- measure
internal/ external locus of control
 Locus of control- the degree to which we
believe that we cause or control the events in
our lives
 Life circumstances- reduce “control over
reinforcement”- external responses
 Highly internal on- seek out learning
experience- life circumstances
 Research- learn- focussing on single trait

18. Julian Rotter

19. QUESTIONS- TYPE & TRAIT THEORIES
 Critics- questioned- approaches- complete &
accurate picture of personality
1. Methodological questions
2. Philosophical questions

20. QUESTIONS- TYPE & TRAIT THEORIES
1. Methodological questions
 Reliability: observers- training & clear rules-
judging
Well developed schemes- observing/ tests-
scores- various traits
Problem- very subjective judgement
 Validity of trait assessments- means what they are
supposed to mean
Social desirability/ help seeking- influence scores
MMPI- built-in ways- assessing- response rates

21. QUESTIONS- TYPE & TRAIT THEORIES
1. Methodological question
 Consistency- may depict more consistency in
behaviour- than really exist
 Situationism- behaviour- product of particular
situation- than a product of enduring “person”
characteristics like traits or types

22. QUESTIONS- TYPE & TRAIT THEORIES
2. Philosophical question
 Personality- much more
 Active, dynamic interplay of motive, thoughts &
feelings
 Process- cope with life

23. Dynamic personality theories
Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
3 major parts
 Theory- structure of personality- id, ego &
superego- principal parts
 Theory of personality dynamics- conscious &
unconscious motivation & ego defense
mechanism- major role
 Theory of psychosexual development- different
motives & body regions- influence child- diff.
stages- growth- effects persisting- adult
personality traits

24. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory

25. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
Personality structure- Id, Ego & superego
3 interlocking parts
- The id
 Most primitive part
 Storehouse of biologically based urges- eat, drink,
eliminate & libido
 Operates- pleasure principle
 Left to itself- satisfy- urges- immediately &
reflexively
 No regard- rules, realities of life/ morals

26. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
Personality structure- Id, Ego & superego
- Ego
 Elaborate ways- behaving & thinking- “executive
function”
 Delays satisfying id motives
 Channels behaviour- socially acceptable
 Working for living, getting along with people, adjusting
to realities of life
 “In the service of reality principle”
 Tension between insistent urges of id & constraints –
reality- help ego develop- sophisticated thinking skilss

27. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
Personality structure- Id, Ego & superego
- Superego
 Conscience
 Prohibitions learned from parents & authorities
 May condem as ‘wrong’- ego- satisfy- id
 Guided by ego ideal- a set of positive values &
moral ideals- pursued- believed to be worthy

28. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Personality dynamics & Levels of
Consciousness
 3 levels of consciousness or awareness
 The coscious
 The preconscious
 The unconscious

29. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Personality dynamics & Levels of
Consciousness
 Conscious level- aware of things around us
 Preconscious level- memories or thoughts-
easily available- moments reflection
 Unconscious- memories, thoughts & motives-
can’t easily call up
 Id- unconscious
 Ego & superego- all 3 levels

30. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Repression- repress/ banish from
consciousness, ideas, memories, feelings or
motives- disturbing, forbidden or unacceptabe
 Unconscious, automatic process
 Repressed material- continues to operate
underground- converting repressed conflicts
into neurosis- anxiety/ defenses against it
 Neurotic symptoms- symbolic relationship-
repressed material

31. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
Dreams
 Disguised manifestations- id motives
 “royal road to the unconscious”
 Unconscious thoughts & forbidden impulse-
revealed- accidents, slips of tongue / pen

32. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
Psychosexual Stages of Development
 Succession of stages- body zones
 From birth- innate tendency to seek pleasure-
physical- sensitive to touch- mouth, anus & the
genitals- erogenous zones- erotic/ sexual-
infants as well as adults
 Babies- mouth- advancing age- other zones
 Child’s need- unsatisfied/ oversatisfied-
fixation- often- adulthood

33. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Psychosexual Stages of Development
 Oral stage (birth to 1 yr)
 Sensual pleasure- sucking- biting
 Mouth- focus- pleasure
 Too little/ too much- suck- made anxious about
it- oral fixation
 Smoking, dependency
 Fixation- oral biting-critical ‘biting’ personality

34. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Anal stage (1- 3 yrs)
 Toilet training- teaching prohibited behaviour
 Stimulation- ‘holding on’ & ‘ letting go’
 1st time- id must be- control- emerging ego
 1st part- pleasure from expulsion of feces- fixation-
adult chacteristic- messiness & diosrder
 2nd part- retention- fixation- excessive
compulsiveness, overconformity & exaggerated
self control

35. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Phallic stage (3-5 yrs)
 Genitals- major focus- sexual excitement
 Sensual feelings- parents- opposite sex
 Boys- Oedipus complex
 Girls- Electra complex
 Boys- psychic defenses- defence of
identification- take on behaviour patterns- right
& wrong
 Superego begins to form

36. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Phallic stage (3-5 yrs)
 girls- “penis envy”
 Behaves like mother- values- superego
 Very punishing, anxiety ridden experiences-
strong punishing superego
 The latency period (6 through puberty)-
important- development- personality
 Learn more about the world- sexuality largely
repressed- ego expands

37. Freud’s pschoanalytic theory
 Genital stage (Adolescence & beyond)
 Puberty- beginning
 Mature heterosexual interests appear
 3 major sources of sexual arousal- memories
& sensation- earlier childhood, physical
manipulation- genitals & other erogenous
zones & hormonal secretions
 Responsible enjoyment of adult sexuality-
epitome- healthy development

38. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 Carl Gustav Jung
 Childhood psychosexual development- less
important
 Less emphasis- sexual & aggressive
impulses- past conflicts
 More emphasis on people’s future oriented
goals, hopes & plans
 Dream- his own, fantasy material & patients

39. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL
PSYCHOLOGY

40. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Word association test
 People read standard array 100 words (‘head’,
“to sin”, “to pray”)
 Respond to each term- “as quickly as possible
with the first word that occurs to you”
 Recorded content of test takers association,
how long to repond, certain words- pattern of
breathing/ perspiration

41. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 Word association test
 Stimulus terms- long delays, inability to
respond & certain other key signs- complexes
 Complexes- network of ideas bound together
by a common emotion or set of feelings
 Exploring- unconscious mind

42. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 Collective unconscious- grows out of past
experience of human race
 Stored within- primitive fundamental images,
impressions or predispositions- were common
to earlier members of human race- archetypes
 Archetypes-subjective reactions- originated in
ancestors- universal experience
 Inherited ways of organising or reacting to
experiences with the world

43. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 Most common archetypes involve God, rebirth,
devil, wise old person, mother, trickster/
magician, hero, animus (male archetype-
female), anima
 Each archetype involve strong emotion
 Emotion generated behaviour- identifying- key
archetype- influencing them
 Ascendence of God archetype- Crusades,
hero or devil archetype- Hitler’s rise to power

44. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 Personal unconscious- developed out of any
of individuals experience that has been
repressed
 Psychologically healthy people- integrate
unconscious/ shadow side with their conscious
ego- fully realized, purposeful self
 Individuation- process of harmonizing one’s
conscious & unconscious components which
led to a unique pattern of behaviour

45. JUNG’S ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
 “Jung societies”- N. America & Europe
 “The complex”- everyday use
 Proposed concept- introversion &
extraversion- H.J. Eysenck
 Ideas- mystical & complex- difficult- test
experimentally

46. ADLER’S INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLGY
 Alfred Adler (1929, 1931)
 People are forever struggling to overcome
their feelings of inferiority- most basic life urge
 Acting on this urge- people strive continually-
“superiority” & “mastery of the external world”
 Inferiority complex- the result of repeated
failure to overcome weakness & achieve some
mastery or place excessive emphasis on some
particular inferiority

47. Alfred Adler

48. ADLER’S INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLGY
 Compensation & overcompensation- pursuit of
activities- makeup for or to overcome inferiority
 Personal significance- Adler
 Style of life- each individual creates his/ her
personal approach to living- grows out of his/
her unique sense of inferiority & strategies
developed- overcome it
 Style of life along with concept of subjective
nature- individual goals- label his theory-
individual psychology

49. ADLER’S INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLGY
 Close attention- birth order-personality
development
 First born- parent like, responsible adults
 Unruly misfit
 Research (Dunn & Kedrick, 1982; Suttonsmith
& Rosenberg, 1970)-first born intense
relationship- parents, more achievement
oriented & self controlled

50. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
 Early feminist
 Issue- Freud- feminine psychology- “penis
envy”- unusual & pathological occurrence
 Male patients- envied- pregnancy,
motherhood…
 Book- Feminine Psychology- 1967
 Stressed - “Psychology of persons”
 “person” psychology- 2 major components
twin notion- basic anxiety & basic hostility

52. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
Basic anxiety
 Arises- childhood- helpless- threatening world
 Loving & reliable parents- feeling of security
(even serenity)
 Erratic, indifferent or rejecting parents-
sharpen child’s sense of helplessness &
vulnerability- sets the stage for basic anxiety

53. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
Basic hostility
 Accompanies basic anxiety
 Grows out of resentment over parental
behaviour
 Repressed- increases- anxiety
 Bind- dependent, anxious, hostile & unable to
express their true feelings- tend to rely- one of
3 modes- social behaviour- well carry-
adulthood

54. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
1. Moving towards others
 Excessive compliance
 Result- security
 Total repression of hostility- leaves- individual-
depleted, exploited & unhappy

55. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
2. Moving against others
 Pursuit of satisfaction- ascendance &
domination of others
 Self protection- one’s power over others
 Basic hostility- expressed, basic anxiety
usually denied
 Feeling of weakness & vulnerability- neither
explored nor resolved

56. HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTICAL INTERPERSONAL THEORY
3. Moving away from others
 Self protection by withdrawal
 Risk & pain of relationship- avoiding relationship
 Cuts short- any real prospect for growth- social
realm
 Horney belived- normal persons use all 3 modes-
relatively balanced & flexible manner- adjusting to
situational demands
 Neurotic- allow one approach- dominate- social
interaction

57. DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN THE DYNAMIC THEORIES
 People use defense mechanisms to reduce
their anxiety & guilt (Freud, 1946)
 Freud described several defense
mechanisms- ego disguises, redirects, hides &
otherwise copes with id’s urges
 Others added
 Accepted as useful way – looking at how
people handle stressful situations & conflicts

58. DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN THE DYNAMIC THEORIES
 Repression
 Reaction formation
 Projection
 Rationalization
 Intellectualisation
 Displacement
 Regression
 Sublimation

59. DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN THE DYNAMIC THEORIES
 Everyone resort to it- time to time
 Depend on them too much- defensive pattern-
harmful
 Do not solve real problem- only reliev anxiety

60. LEARNING & BEHAVIOURAL
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
 DOLLARD & MILLER Early social learning
theory
 Neal Miller- psychologist & John Dollard-
1930s
 Individual & social behavior- basic learning
principles
 Tried to translate- Freud’s- lab
 Classical & instrumental conditioning models

62. SKINNER’S RADICAL
BEHAVIOURISM
 B.F. SKINNER (1953, 1971, 1972)
 Exclusively instrumental or operant
 Reinforcement & punishment- likelihood of
behaviour
 Personality- collection of reinforced responses
 We behave in certain way- - reinforcement
contingencies- we experience
 “personalityless” view of personality

63. B.F. SKINNER

64. Bandura & Walters: Later Social
Learning Theory
 Albert Bandura & Ricard Walters (1963)
 Observational learning or imitation
 Does not require reinforcement- persistence of
learned behaviour- reinforcement/ anticipated
 Social situation- model & imitator
 Vicarious reinforcement- experience models
behaviour & it’s consequence vicariously
 Learning-instrumental learning procedure-
vicariously- modeling

66. Humanistic Theories: Personality
as self
 ROGER’S SELF THEORY
 Carl Rogers theory (Rogers, 1959, 1961) grew
out of- client centered approach-
psychotherapy & behaviour change
 Emphasised whole of experience-
phenomenal field- individual’ssubjective frame
of reference- may/ maynot correspond-
external reality

68. ROGER’S SELF THEORY
 The self
 Self – important elemnet- experience of client
 His goal – become- ‘real self’
 ‘ideal self’- would like to become
 Trouble- incongruence
 Personality development- children- often react-
distorting/ denying- unworthy aspects of self
 Mature persons- congruence- total person & self-
accept full range of experience- without distorting/
avoiding

69. ROGER’S SELF THEORY
 Encouraged reasearch
 Tape recording sessions
 Q sort technique- method of self description-
personality research

70. MASLOW’S SELF-ACTUALISATION
THEORY
 Abraham Maslow
 All have higher level growth needs
 Primitive needs(physiological needs, safety
needs, need for love & “belongingness” & self
esteem needs)
 “ man has a higher & transcendent
nature”(Maslow, 1971)
 Freud’s theory- distorted psychology

73. MASLOW’S SELF-
ACTUALIZATION THEORY
 Self actualized people- fulfilled basic
potentialities
 History (Lincoln, Jefferson, Thoreau,
Beethoven) & others contemporaries
(Roosevelt, Einstein, creative house wife,
clinical psychologist……business, sports, art)

74. Shared distinguishing characteristics
 Open to experience
 Tune with themselves, their inner beings
 Spontaneous, autonomous, independent- fresh,
unstereotyped appreciation- people & events
 Devoted total effort to their goals
 Dedicated fully & creatively to some cause outside
themselves
 Related to few specially loved others- deep emotional
plane
 Resisted conformity to culture- could be detached &
private

75.  Most- moments of true self actualization- peak
experiences- birth of baby, mountaintop
sunrise….
 Highly focused vivid moments- disorientation-
time & space- feeling of richness & unity

76. GENES & PERSONALITY
 Temperaments- twin studies- correlation
higher for MZ than DZ- support-genetic
influence
 Traits, types & chromosomes

78. THE PERSON SITUATION
CONTROVERSY
 Extreme positions
 The interaction Position: Predicting some of
the people soome of the time
 Interaction of person & situation (Bowers,
1973)
 Bem & Allen (1974) study

79.  THANK YOU