PSY 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Integrative Thinking, Rorschach Test, Reality Principle
26 Jun 2018
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PSY 100- November 1st 2017
Personality
An individual’s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (persisting
over time and across situations)
Theories
1. Type
a. Distinct (no overlap) pattern of personality characteristics (assigned to
categories)
a.i. Sheldon somatotypes (body types)
a.i.1. Endomorph (short, plump)—sociable, relaxed, and even
tempered
a.i.2. Ectomorph (tall, thin)—restrained, self-conscious, fond of
solitude
a.i.3. Mesomorph (heavy-set, muscular)—noisy, callous, fond of
physical activity
a.ii. Eysenek
a.ii.1. Introvert vs. extrovert
a.iii. Type A vs. Type B
a.iii.1. Type A: aggressive when frustrated, impatient, controlling,
more likely to suffer heart attack, high blood pressure
a.iii.2. Type B: easygoing
2. Trait Theories
a. Traits—characteristics pattern of behavior or conscious motives
a.i. Traits=Personality
b. Assumed that most traits exist in all people to some degree and that we can
measure the degree to which a trait exists in a person
Thousands of words to describe traits
oNarcissistic, honest, happy, affectionate, mean, obsessive
oExample: Beauty and the Beast
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oGaston is narcissistic
Change vs. Consistency: Shifts with Age
Over years of development, we change, interests, attitudes, roles, jobs,
relationships; we develop skills and maturity.
Do traits stay stable through all this change?
The evidence shows that it takes time for personality to stabilize. Traits do change, but
less so over time. We CHANGE less and become more CONSISTENT.
Criticisms of both Type and Trait Theories
oIdentify but don’t explain how behavior is caused
oPeople are not always consistent in different situations (e.g., punctuality
on regular lectures days vs. exam days)
oTraits may emerge more in familiar situations
Example: when eating dinner at your parents you might be
talkative, but when eating at your boyfriends/girlfriends house for
the first time you might be quiet
oStill types and traits give us a way to describe individual differences in
behavior and types and traits can be regarded as predispositions to
respond in similar situations
3. Psychodynamic
a. Sigmund Freud
a.i. Who was Freud?
a.i.1. Vienna, Austria—physician
a.i.2. Interested in treatment of nervous disorders (e.g.,
hysterical blindness-no evidence that they can see, but no
physiological reason they cant see)
a.ii. Freud felt that personality arises from our efforts to deal with a conflict
between impulse and restraint
a.ii.1. That is, conflict between our aggressive, pleasure seeking
biological urges and our internalized social control over their
urges
a.iii. Focus on the inner forces that interact to make us who we are
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b. To understand the mind’s dynamics during this conflict, Freud proposed 3
interacting systems
b.i. Id – Totally Unconscious and beneath the water line
b.i.1. Unconscious- means your unaware
b.i.2. Operates on the pleasure principle of seeking immediate
satisfaction of basic sexual and aggressive drives
b.i.2.a. Does not care about external considerations
(society’s rules rights of others)
b.ii. Iceberg model of personality (Freud)
b.ii.1. Most of what affects your personality is below the
waterline (unconscious)
b.ii.2. Above the water line (very little) is your conscious mind
b.iii. Ego (self)
b.iii.1. Operates on the reality principle by mediating impulsive
demands of id, restraining demands of superego, and real-life
demands of external world
b.iii.1.a. Tries to gratify id’s impulses in a realistic way that
will bring long-term pleasure
b.iv. Superego
b.iv.1. Represents values and morals
b.iv.1.a. How we ought to behave
b.iv.1.a.i. Strives for perfection
b.iv.1.a.ii. Produces positive feelings of pride and negative
feelings of guilt
b.iv.1.b. A person with a strong super-ego may be virtuous
(showing high morals) but guilt-ridden
b.iv.1.c. A person with a weak super-ego may be self-
indulgent (care only about themselves) and show no
remorse
EXAMPLE of 3 parts working together
Mr. X sexually attracted to Ms. Y (id)
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Document Summary
An individual"s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (persisting over time and across situations) Theories: type, distinct (no overlap) pattern of personality characteristics (assigned to categories) a. i. Endomorph (short, plump) sociable, relaxed, and even tempered a. i. 2. Ectomorph (tall, thin) restrained, self-conscious, fond of solitude a. i. 3. Mesomorph (heavy-set, muscular) noisy, callous, fond of physical activity a. ii. Type a: aggressive when frustrated, impatient, controlling, more likely to suffer heart attack, high blood pressure a. iii. 2. Type b: easygoing: trait theories, traits characteristics pattern of behavior or conscious motives a. i. Traits=personality: assumed that most traits exist in all people to some degree and that we can measure the degree to which a trait exists in a person. Thousands of words to describe traits: narcissistic, honest, happy, affectionate, mean, obsessive, example: beauty and the beast, gaston is narcissistic. Over years of development, we change, interests, attitudes, roles, jobs, relationships; we develop skills and maturity.
