Personality: consistent behavior patterns and ...



Chapter 1 What Is Personality?

Personality psychology is concerned with the differences among people.

Personality: consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual. (Burger)

Your characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. (Myers)

Personality is consistent, all the emotional, motivational and cognitive processes that go on inside and affect how we act and feel.

Person/Situation: What makes you different from next person, in same situation? How situation influences behavior and how behavior reflects individual.

Theories of personality are divided into six general categories

Six approaches:

Psychoanalytic: unconscious minds responsible for differences in behavior styles

Trait approach: identify where person lies along a continuum of various personality characteristics

Biological approach: inherited predispositions and physiological processes to exalain individual differences in personality

Humanistic : identify personal responsibility and feelings of self-acceptance as key causes of personality differences

Behavioral/social learning: explain consistent behavior patterns as result of conditioning and expectations

Cognitive: look at differences in way people process information

Each approach provides a different focus for explaining individual differences in behavior---can be thought of as complementary models for understanding human personality, although occasionally they present competing accounts of behavior.

In recent years, personality psychologists have become aware of the need to consider the culture an individual comes from. Most of the findings reported in this book are based on research in individualistic cultures, such as the United States. However, these results don't always generalize to people in collectivist cultures.

Role culture plays in understanding personality:

Individualistic cultures: emphasizes individual needs and accomplishments. N European and American . Independent and unique

Collectivist cultures: more concerned about belonging to larger group: family, tribe, nation. Interested in cooperation, not competition. Group accomplishments valued over individual. Asian, African Central American and S American countries

Theory of personality compared with life application of theory: text book examines how each of the approaches can be applied to practical concerns, how each deals with personality assessment, and some of the research relevant to the issues and topics addressed by the theories.

Example application using area of Depression:

Psychoanalytic: depression is anger turned inward, according to Freud. Internalzed standards/values society—not to act hostile.

Trait theories: find out who is prone to depression, look at general emotional level in someone.

Biological theory: genetic susceptibility to depression. Greater likelihood if born with this, and then stressful life events.

Humanistic: depression suffered by those who have failed to develop good sense of self worth. Developed as grow up, fairly stable. Ability to accept oneself, faults and weaknesses—therapy goal.

Behavioral/social learning: learning history important—lack of positive reinforcers in person’s life. Feel down because see few activities in life worth doing. Little control

Cognitive: how person interprets their inability to control events. Is it due to outside of person, or due to own personal inadequacies? Or depressive filter—see life in depressing terms.

Other definitions of Personality to help you understand the concept:

The characteristic in a person which defines the way they act in certain situations and they things that they will do throughout life.

How nature and nurture combine to create a way a person feels and projects themselves to others.

How an individual acts, behaves and comes across to others.

The mental characteristics and attitudes a person has.

A person’s beliefs, attitudes, viewpoints, and other characteristics that make them unique.

The aspects that make us all individuals.

Traits one has which differ from person to person.

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