Chapter 1 Introduction to Personality Psychology © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood.

Chapter 1Introduction to Personality Psychology

Defining personality

What is your definition of personality?•Write down your definition.•No names!•Fold sheet in half and hand-in.

What is something you did during break that demonstrates one of your personality traits?

What is the activity? What is the personality trait?

Chapter 1 Outline Define Personality

3 Levels of Analysis

Personality Science and Domains of Knowledge

“Differences among individuals in a typical tendency to behave, think, or feel in some conceptually related ways, across a variety of relevant situations, and across some fairly long period of time.”

Your text provides a more convoluted definition within an evolutionary framework…

(Ashton, 2013, p.27)

Let’s consider this definition within the context of sensation seeking (i.e., risk-taking)

Swimming with stingray?

Differences among individuals in a typical tendency to behave, think, or feel in some conceptually related ways…

I am up for that!

Behavior? Thoughts? Feelings?

Heck No!

Behavior? Thoughts? Feelings?

Across a variety of relevant situations…

Over some fairly long period of time…

What’s this course really about?

Personality traits that you might be familiar with…. Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness Big Five v. HEXACO (models are huge in personality!)

Personality traits you may not be familiar with…. Honesty-Humility, Type D Personality, Religiosity

Causes (biological, social) and applications of these traits (relationships, health)

You! You will learn about your own personality and how personality influences your life!

What’s this course really about? Personality psychologists focus on personalities of

individuals (i.e., individual differences)

Social psychologists consider the influence of the situation

Both agree that behavior is an interaction b/w personality and the situation! (more on this later)

I am a social psychologist, but I find personality fascinating!

Let’s Talk about the Syllabus….and Chapter 2 Reflection Due Monday!

1. Complete the TIPI Self-Report Survey.

2. After completing your self-report TIPI, ask an observer to complete the TIPI survey to assess your personality (see download below).

3. Then, use the instructions to score your self and observer reports.

4. Paste your assignment reflection in the appropriate Angel drop-box.

“Differences among individuals in a typical tendency to behave, think, or feel in some conceptually related ways, across a variety of relevant situations, and across some fairly long period of time.”

Your text provides a more convoluted definition within an evolutionary framework…

(Ashton, 2013, p.27)

Personality Goals: 4 Research Questions How many traits exist (universal traits)?

How are traits organized? (describe)

What are the origins of the traits? (explain)

What are the correlations and consequences of traits? (predict)

3 Levels of Analysis1. Human Nature

2. Individual and Group Differences

3. Individual Uniqueness

Human Nature How we are “like all others” Traits and mechanisms of personality

that are typical of our species and possessed by nearly everyone

Ex: Freud’s universal theory of psychosexual development; Maslow’s universal theory of human needs/motives

Terms that describe you…

Terms that describe a close friend…

Similarities? Differences?

Individual and Group Differences How we are “like some others” and

“different from others” Individual differences refer to ways in

which each person is like some other people

Group differences refer to ways in which the people of one group differ from people in another group

Individual Uniqueness How we are “like no others” Every individual has personal and

unique qualities not shared by any other person in the world

No 2 people have the exact same personality!

Grand Theories vs. Contemporary Research Grand Theories = THE PAST!

Contemporary Research = TODAY!

Grand Theories of Personality Attempt to provide universal account of the

fundamental psychological processes and characteristics of our species

Statements about the universal core of human nature lie at the center of grand theories of personality, Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

What could be some problems with grand theories of personality?

Contemporary Research in Personality

Addresses ways in which individuals and groups differ, not human universals

Personality psychologists specialize in a particular domain/perspective Cultural impacts Biological influences

Ex: Is extraversion correlated with dopamine levels?

Relationship to levels of analysis Grand Theories of Personality → Human

Nature Level

Contemporary Research in Personality → Individual/Group Differences

Hard to account for individual uniqueness -one way is twin studies

Combining Grand and Contemporary Views

Grand theories of personality Human nature level of analysis (universal theories) Idiographic Mostly comprised of theories, but not replicated

findings Contemporary research in personality

Individual and group differences level of analysis (“like all others” or “different from others”) Nomothetic Comprised of statistical studies on individual or group

differences Personality Science!

Domains of Knowledge Def’n: a specialty area of science and

scholarship, where psychologists have focused on learning about specific and limited aspects of human nature

Criticism: personality psychologists do not “talk” across domains (or to social psychologists!)

Six Domains of Knowledge1. Dispositional 2. Biological3. Intrapsychic4. Cognitive-Experiential5. Social and Cultural6. Adjustment

Dispositional Domain Deals with ways in which individuals differ from one

another and, therefore, cuts across all other domains Focus on number and nature of fundamental dispositions

5? 6? 16?

Goal of those working in this domain is to identify and measure the most important ways in which individuals differ from one another How do psychology majors differ from engineering majors?

Also interested in the origin of individual differences and how these develop over time Does our level of extraversion come from the brain, our

parents, our environment?

Biological Domain

Behavioral genetics of personality Twin studies, family studies.

Do twins raised apart show a high level of heredity for extraversion?

Psychophysiology of personality What brain structures/neurotransmitters are

associated with extraversion? Evolutionary personality psychology

How (or when) did extraversion help our ancestors to survive?

Intrapsychic Domain

Deals with mental mechanisms of personality, many of which operate outside conscious awareness repression, denial, projection, and motives for

power, achievement, and affiliation (Freud, Jung)

**Because our focus will be on personality science, we will not cover these historical theories in this course.

Cognitive-Experiential Domain Focuses on cognition and subjective experience, such as

conscious thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires about oneself and others

Self and self-concept Do people have varying levels of self-esteem? Do men or women have higher self-esteem?

Goals we set and strive to meet Do people seek different goals within their relationships?

Emotional experiences, in general and over time Do some people experience disgust more often than

others?

Social and Cultural Domain Assumption that personality affects, and is

affected by, cultural and social contexts Do individualistic or collectivist individuals

exhibit higher self-esteem? How does sexual promiscuity vary across

cultures?

Adjustment Domain Personality plays key role in how we cope, adapt,

and adjust to events in daily life Do people use different coping strategies?

Personality linked with important health outcomes and problems in coping and adjustment Which coping strategies are associated with well-

being?

Personality Disorders (DSM-V)

NAME THAT DOMAIN!

1. Dispositional 2. Biological3. Intrapsychic4. Cognitive-

Experiential5. Social and Cultural6. Adjustment

People high in Neuroticism experience greater activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

NAME THAT DOMAIN!

People who score high on Type A and Type D Personality measures tend to die earlier (than those who score lower).

NAME THAT DOMAIN!

Individuals from collectivist cultures report high levels of implicit self-esteem, whereas individuals from individualist cultures report high levels of explicit self-esteem.

Which domain/s do you think are most important to personality psychologists?

Least important?

Is anything missing?

For More Information… Association for Research in Personality

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (APA Div. 8)

Social Psychology Network

Summary of Chapter 1 We defined personality – stable over time and

across situations

3 Levels of Analysis – We will focus on individual/group differences

Domains of Knowledge and Personality Science

Coming up! Chapter 2: Personality Assessment,

Measurement, and Research Design

Assignments Due Mon. 8/31 at 9:05 AM: Required Chapter 2

Reflection

Due Wed. 9/9 at 9:05 AM:

Required Chapter 3 Reflection

Student Background Survey

Chapter 1 Introduction to Personality Psychology © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood.

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Transcript of Chapter 1 Introduction to Personality Psychology © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood.

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