THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

1. UNIT 5
PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES

2. Theories of personality - Freud, Murray and Catell.
• Sigmund Freud, Henry Murray, and Raymond Cattell are prominent figures in the field of
psychology, each contributing unique theories to our understanding of personality.
• Sigmund Freud:Freud's theory of personality, known as psychoanalytic theory,
emphasizes the role of unconscious processes and early childhood experiences in shaping
personality development. Central to Freud's theory are three components of the human
psyche:
• a. Id: The id operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of basic
biological and psychological needs, without regard for consequences.
• b. Ego: The ego operates on the reality principle, mediating between the demands of the
id, superego, and external reality. It seeks to satisfy the id's impulses in socially
acceptable ways.
• c. Superego: The superego represents internalized societal and parental standards of
morality and conscience. It strives for perfection and punishes the ego with feelings of
guilt or shame for violating moral principles.

3. • Freud also proposed that personality development occurs in stages, including the
oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages, each characterized by specific
conflicts and resolutions. Freud's psychoanalytic theory has had a profound impact
on psychology and psychotherapy, although it has also faced criticism for its lack
of empirical support and emphasis on unconscious processes.
• Henry Murray:Henry Murray developed a theory of personality known as
personology, which emphasized the role of psychogenic needs and environmental
press in shaping individual differences.
• Murray proposed that individuals have a hierarchy of needs, consisting of both
primary (biological) and secondary (psychological) needs, which interact with
environmental factors to influence behavior.
• Murray also introduced the concept of the personological system, which
comprises personality traits, needs, and environmental factors that interact
dynamically to produce behavior. He developed the Thematic Apperception Test
(TAT) as a projective measure to assess unconscious needs and motives.

4. • Raymond Cattell:Raymond Cattell is known for his trait theory of personality,
which emphasizes the measurement and classification of personality traits. Cattell
identified two types of traits: surface traits and source traits.
• Surface traits are observable behaviors, while source traits are underlying, stable
dimensions of personality that drive surface traits.Cattell conducted factor analysis
to identify and measure source traits, eventually proposing the 16 Personality
Factors (16PF) model, which categorized personality into 16 primary factors.
• He also developed the concept of fluid and crystallized intelligence and the
concept of ergs and sentiments to describe dynamic and enduring aspects of
personality.
• Cattell's work laid the foundation for modern personality research and assessment,
contributing to the development of personality inventories and the Five Factor
Model (also known as the Big Five) of personality, which has become one of the
most widely accepted models of personality traits in contemporary psychology.