PSY 01230 Lecture 1: Chapter 1
Document Summary
The basic questions that personality psychologists seek to answer are: (cid:498)what makes us unique? (cid:499, (cid:498)what makes us a human being? (cid:499) Personality psychology -the scientific study of the psychological forces that make people uniquely themselves: stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions, scientific study of what it means to be a person. Unconscious dimension- forces that are not in moment-to-moment awareness: we may say or do things that our parents did without being fully aware of it. Ego forces- forces that provide a sense of identity or (cid:498)self. (cid:499: we tend to look for mastery and consistency in our behavior. Biological dimension- genetic, physical, physiological and temperamental nature. Conditioning- how our environment sometimes influences our personality. Cognitive- how we think and actively interpret our world. Traits- specific abilities and preferences. (consciousness: never late for a date) Spiritual/ existential- helps us ponder the meaning of our existence: we seek happiness and self-fulfillment.
