Exploring Psychology

Advanced Placement PsychologyChapter 14: PersonalityPersonality: The unique pattern of enduring thoughts, feelings and actions that characterize a person

Four Main TheoriesPsychodynamic Theory: Freuds theoryTrait Approach: Patterns of characteristic thoughts, feelings, & actions that form individual personalities Social-Cognitive Approach: Roles of learning & cognitionPhenomenological Approach: How each persons unique view of the world shapes personalityPsychodynamic TheoriesOriginated with Freuds psychoanalytic theoryFreud said the unconscious was a source of powerful impulses, instincts, motives, and conflicts that energize personality.Free Association

Psychodynamic ApproachIn the beginning, there was FreudPersonality is derived from internal conflicts and how they are resolved.

Id Pleasure PrinciplePresent at birthEros (Life Instinct) LibidoPositive, constructive behavior Thanatos (Death Instinct) Aggression & destructiveness

Ego Reality PrincipleEvolves from the IdResolves the Ids impulses but with respect to the rules of reality.

Superego Conscience Developed from internalizing parental & societal values

Personality StructureFreud saw human personality as an iceberg with three parts: the Ego, Superego and Id. In this model, the superego and the id were antagonist parts, regulated by the ego.

IdSuperegoEgoConscious mindUnconscious mindThe IdThe primitive, unconscious reservoir that houses the basic motives, drives & instinctive desires that determine our personalities. Always acts on impulse and seeks immediate pleasureThe only part of the personality present at birth

The SuperegoThe police of personalityIs responsible for morals & values learned from societyDevelops as the the child forms an internal set of rules based on external experiencesThe inner voice of shoulds and should notsOften conflicts with the id

The EgoRegulates the conflict between the id & the superegoThe conscious, rational part of the mindThe ego must figure out a way to satisfy ones desires, while not violating ones moral code. Upset balance = possible mental disorder

Repression and LibidoRepressionThe process of pushing the needs and desires that cause guilt into the unconsciousRemain as conflicts and anxieties that interfere with daily life

LibidoPeople have real (as in, biological) energy inside, which controls behaviorSeeks some kind of dischargeCauses tension if tension is not released, desires appear as dreams or fantasiesPsychosexual StagesFreud believed our early experiences stayed with us & affected us throughout our developmentShould something happen in the early years, people will have problems to overcome later:Oedipus complex: boy in love with their motherIdentification: boys love their mom/identify with their dadPenis envy: girls desire to have a penis-attracted to malesFixation: occurs when development is stopped at a particular stageFreuds Psychosexual StagesPersonality develops depending on how we resolve the conflicts at each stageStage Theory: Implies that personality develops in discrete stages in a particular order.

Oral Stage [Source of pleasure = Mouth because the mouth is used to eat and explore the world]Fixation occurs from weaning too early or too late (overeating, alcoholism, child-like dependence)

Anal Stage [Source of pleasure = Anal area because the main conflict is toilet training]Fixation occurs when it is too harsh or occurs too early or too late.Anal Retentive: Overly concerned with neatness (withholding feces) Anal Expulsive: Impulsive and disorganized (expelling feces at will)

13Phallic Stage [Source of pleasure = Genital area]Oedipus Complex: Boy experiences sexual desire for the mother and a desire to eliminate the father, but the ego represses these thoughts & the boy seeks to identify with the father. Electra Complex: Girl experiences penis envy and transfers her love to her father, but the ego represses these thoughts.Fixation causes problems with authority figures and an inability to maintain stable love relationships

Latency Stage [Period of relative peace]Nothing happens!

Genital Stage [Source of pleasure = Genital area (again)]When sexual impulses begin during adolescenceLasts until death

Stages in Personality DevelopmentFreuds Psychosexual StagesFreuds Psychosexual StagesFreuds Psychosexual StagesStage FocusOral Pleasure centers on the mouth--(0-18 months) sucking, biting, chewingAnal Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder (18-36 months) elimination; coping with demands for controlPhallic Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with (3-6 years) incestuous sexual feelingsLatency Dormant sexual feelings(6 to puberty)Genital Maturation of sexual interests(puberty on)Psychodynamic Defense MechanismsDeflecting anxiety and guilt for short-term gainRepressionUnconsciously pushing threatening memories, urges, or ideas from conscious awarenessForgetting unpleasant things

RationalizationAttempts to make actions or mistakes more reasonableThings that sound reasonable, but are not the real reasons for behavior (e.g., I spank my child because it is good for them. ProjectionUnconsciously attributing ones own unacceptable thoughts or impulses to another person.Instead of recognizing that you hate someone, you might think that they hate you

Reaction FormationDefending against unacceptable impulses by acting opposite to them.Feeling attracted to a married friend might turn into strong dislike insteadPsychodynamic Defense MechanismsDeflecting anxiety and guilt for short-term gainSublimationConverting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions, and perhaps symbolically representing them.Aggressive desires may appear as devotion to athletic excellence

DisplacementDeflecting an impulse from its original target to a less threatening one.

DenialSimply discounting the existence of threatening impulses.

CompensationStriving to make up for unconscious impulses or fears.Strong competitiveness might be compensating for a feeling of inferiority

Criticism of FreudMany Freudian concepts (libido, repression) are vagueFocus is on retrospective explanationOnly looks back doesnt give credit to present or futureNo thought given to womenThe unconscious mind is not as smart/purposeful as Freud would like us to believeEvaluation: The Psychodynamic ApproachEvidence based on a few case studies

Culturally taboo to talk about sexual abuse, so Freud attributed his patients stories to fantasies.

Unscientific because it is not measurable.Id, Ego, and Superego ignores that much of human behavior is not instinctive.Neo-FreudiansFreuds colleagues broke away from his view, but still maintained a psychodynamic aspectAlfred Adlerimportance of childhood social tensionKaren Horneysought to balance Freuds masculine biasesCarl Jungemphasized the collective unconscious concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history

Variations on Freuds TheoryRevenge of the Neo-FreudiansCarl Jung [yoong]Argued the libido wasnt just sexual instinct, but a general life forceWe develop differing degrees of introversion & extraversion

Introversion Tendency to reflect on ones own experiencesExtraversion Tendency to focus on the outside world

Collective UnconsciousMemories that we inherit from our ancestorsNot actually backed up by empirical evidence, but was still widely accepted.

21Jung continuedPersonasJungs term for a mask people wear to hide what they really are or feelPersonality shows two characteristics:Personal tendenciesUnique likes and dislikes that set us apart from othersCollective aspectsCultural aspects that are shared by the group

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Other Neo-Freudian TheoristsThe Rebel Alliance of psychologyAlfred Adler [Striving for Superiority]Personality Theory: People try to feel important & worthwhileSuperiorityInferiorityExample: Bullies

Karen Horney [HORN-eye]Denied Penis Envy & argued that men envied women because men cant bear children. [Womb Envy]Personality Theory: Its all about love