Personality Theories: Psychoanalytic, Trait, and Interactional Approaches, Study notes of Personality Psychology

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Personality

Introduction and

Psychodynamic Theory

What is Personality?

• (^) Personality refers to those relatively enduring features of an individual which account for their characteristics and ways of behaving.
• (^) Literary definition- This word is derived from Latin word-Persona, which means mask used by actors in Roman theatre to perform their roles.
• (^) Layperson’s definition –The word “personality” has been derived from the Latin word “persona” which means a mask worn by an actor while performing a character on the stage.
• Example: We often assume that Good looking person also has a charming personality
• (^) Psychology definition : Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations. Personality refers to unique and relatively stable qualities that characterize an individual’s behaviour across different situations over a while.
• (^) People can easily describe how they respond to various situations. Eg- Shy, sensitive, quiet, warm, nervous...)

Some similar meaning words/terms to Personality are often used as synonyms but differ in meaning  Temperament: Biologically based characteristic way of reacting  Traits: Stable, persistent and specific way of behaving, in most situations.  Disposition: Tendency of a person to react to a specific situation  (^) Character: The description based on the overall pattern of regularly occurring behaviour  Habits: Over-learned modes of behaving, become involuntary reactions/actions.  Values: Goals and ideals that are considered important and worthwhile to achieve.

Different Approaches to studying Personalities and behaviours

 Type approach

 Trait Approach

 Interactional Approach

 Psychodynamic approach

 Behavior approach

 Cultural Approach

 Humanistic approach

Psychoanalytic Approach: Psychoanalytic Theory

 The Structure of the Mind

Freud’s Divisions of the Personality-ID, Ego and The Superego

Psychological Defense Mechanisms

Stages of Personality Development-Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital

 According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, personality develops through a series of stages, each

characterized by a certain internal psychological conflict.

 Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human behaviour is the result

of the interactions among three parts of the mind : the id, ego, and superego. This theory, known

as Freud’s structural theory of personality, places great emphasis on the role of unconscious

psychological conflicts in shaping behaviour and personality.

 Dynamic interactions among these fundamental parts of the mind are thought to progress through

five distinct psychosexual stages of development. Over the last century, however, Freud’s ideas

have since been met with criticism, in part because of his singular focus on sexuality as the main

driver of human personality development.

• (^) Between these two levels is the preconscious. This is the storehouse of all our memories,

perceptions, and thoughts of which we are not consciously aware at the moment but that we can

easily summon into consciousness.

• For example, in the unlikely event your mind strays from this page and you begin to think about

what you did last night, you would be summoning up material from your preconscious into your

conscious.

• We often find our attention shifting back and forth from experiences of the moment to events

and memories in the preconscious.

Tip of the Iceberg: Freud

ID: If it feels good, do it  (^) Source of a person’s instinctual energy—deals with the immediate gratification of primitive needs, sexual desires and aggressive impulses.  (^) Works on the pleasure principle, which assumes that people seek pleasure and try to avoid pain.  (^) Demanding, unrealistic and does not care for moral values , society, or other individuals.  (^) Energized by instinctual forces, life (sexual) instinct (libido) and the death instinct.  (^) The id has no awareness of reality. We might compare the id to a newborn baby who cries and frantically waves its legs and arms when its needs are not met but who has no knowledge of how to bring about satisfaction.  (^) Hungry infants cannot find food on their own. The only ways the id can attempt to satisfy its needs are through reflex action and wish-fulfilling hallucinatory or fantasy experience, which Freud labelled primary- process thought.

Superego: The Moral Watchdog

• (^) The id and the ego do not represent Freud’s complete picture of human nature.
• There is also a third set of forces—a powerful and largely unconscious set of dictates or beliefs—

that we acquire in childhood: our ideas of right and wrong.

• (^) In everyday language, we call this internal morality a conscience. Freud called it the superego.

Defense Mechanisms

• (^) Unconscious distortions of a person’s perception of reality that reduce stress and anxiety.
• Although defense mechanisms vary in their specifics, they share two characteristics in common:

(1) they are all denials or distortions of reality—necessary ones, but distortions nonetheless, and

(2) they all operate unconsciously. We are unaware of them, which means that on the conscious

level we hold distorted or unreal images of our world and ourselves.

Identification: trying to become like someone else to deal with one’s anxiety. Samantha really admired Emily, the most popular girl in school, and tries to copy her behaviour and dress. Compensation (substitution) : trying to make up for areas in which a lack is perceived by becoming super in another area. Ethan is not good at athletics, so he puts all of his energy into becoming an academic scholar. Sublimation: turning socially unacceptable urges into socially acceptable behaviour. Ryder, who is very aggressive, becomes a mixed martial arts fighter.

Stages of Personality/Psychosexual Development (Five Stage Theory of Personality)