Introduction to Personality Theory

Personality
Personality derives from the Latin word persona which means theatrical mask that Romans
used for Greek dramas portraying a role or appearance.
This does not have a single definition since theorists could not agree with each other but have
different interpretations.
A pattern of relative characteristics and unique traits for a consistent and individuality of the
person.
Traits
Consistent behavior over time.
Characteristics
Attributes such as physique, intelligence, resilience, and tolerance.
Theory
A set of assumptions that can use logical deductive reasoning for formulating testable
hypothesis.
A single assumption is not adequate for the requirements of generating theories.
Isolated assumptions can neither generate meaning hypotheses or internal consistency. (two
criteria)
This is accepted but this is also not valid nor pertain as facts while this should also have
sufficient precision and logical consistency.
Philosophy
Does not deal with oughts and should which mean biographies cannot be called theories.
Built with scientific evidence obtained from unbiased fashion while this deal with if–then
questions.
Speculation
Speculation and empirical observations are foundations for creating theories.
Hypothesis
Educated guess or prediction specific enough for the validity to be tested.
Taxonomy
Classification of things according to their natural relationship.
Psychodynamic
Importance towards childhood experiences and parent’s relationship with their child.
Humanistic Existential
Positive psychology is striving meaning towards experiences.
Dispositional
Behaving in unique and consistent traits.
Biological Evolutionary
Biological and genetic forces which were foundation of our thought.
Learning – Social Cognitive
Explanation of behavior is the conditions in creating behavior.
Basic Criteria for Evaluation of Theory
Generate Research (descriptive and hypothesis testing)
Is Falsifiable (precision in major tenets)
Organizes Data (capable of integration about human behavior)
Guides Action (guide for practitioner for their plans)
Is Internally Consistent (consistent)
Is Parsimonious (simple and straight forward)
Concept of Humanity
Determinism vs. Free Choice (determinism is out of our control while free choice could change
behavior)
Pessimism vs. Optimism (negative and positive thoughts)
Causality vs. Teleology (cause and effect while teleological are goals)
Conscious vs. Unconscious (people have innate awareness)
Biological vs. Social Influences (nature and nurture)
Uniqueness vs. Similarities (distinct towards the person and common for the people)
Freud
Levels of Mental Life
Unconscious
Contains all drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness, but this motivates our
words, feelings, and actions.
Often either disguised or distorted enough to elude censorship. (opposite of your behavior
which can repress memories)
Strong sexual or aggressive motifs since this is often punished or suppressed.
Anxiety would stimulate repression that could force unwanted memories into unconscious as a
defense against pain.
Not all unconsciousness processes could repress of childhood events.
Drives could appear in consciousness but undergoing transformations either dreams or defense
mechanism.
Phylogenetic Endowment
Experiences of our ancestors that was passed down to the person.
Preconscious
Contains all those elements of unconsciousness but can become conscious which can be ready
or some difficulty.
Sources of Preconscious
Conscious Perception
Perceive consciousness for a transitory period when the focus would shift to another idea.
Unconscious
Ideas that slipped past the vigilant censor and enter preconscious in disguised form.
Images would never become conscious because once recognized people would experience
increase levels of anxiety.
Conscious
Mental elements have awareness in every given time.
Directions of Consciousness
Perceptual Conscious System
Perceive through our senses which could act as medium of external stimuli.
Within the Mental Structure
Nonthreatening ideas from the preconscious which could be menace but well–disguised
images.
Provinces of the Mind
Id
This seek pleasure which can also be called pleasure principle.
Completely unconscious that does not have contact with reality which can reduce tension.
Operates the primary process or drives that can motivate.
Survival would be dependent towards secondary process which can bring into contact with ego.
Ego
Contact with reality that sole purpose of communication with the external world.
This would consider the unrealistic demands of the id and superego.
Develops from experiences with rewards for proper behavior.
Becomes anxious and would engage with defense mechanisms during hostile forces.
Superego
Represents the moral and ideal aspect of personality.
No contact with the outside world and demand unrealistic perfection.
Act of control towards sexual and aggressive impulses through process of repression.
Subsystems of Superego
Conscience
Guilt would result when the ego acts contrary to the moral standards of superego.
Ego Ideal
Arise of feelings of inferiority when the ego is unable to meet the superego’s standards of
perfection.
Dynamics of Personality
Sex and Aggression
Trieb refers to the drive or stimulus within the person.
Constant motivational force that the external stimuli cannot be avoid through flight.
Originate in the Id but then come under control of ego.
Sex drive would be libido which is the energy of aggressive drive remaining nameless.
Basic drive would be characterized from the impetus.
Source
Region within the body in the state of excitation or tension.
Aim
To seek pleasure through removing excitation or reducing tension.
Object
Person or thing would serve as the means through which the aim is satisfied.
Sex and Eros
Pleasure is the aim of the sexual drive and reducing tension that could be varied.
This could either have active or passive form which can be temporary or permanent if pleasure
was inhibited.
Erotic object can be transformed or displaced which can be withdrawn from one person and
placed in the state of free–floating tension or invested in another person.
Erogenous Zones
Genitals, mouth, and anus can produce pleasure.
Narcissism
Primary
Common or universal to people since we do not have any information but rather sustaining our
needs.
Secondary
Not universal but moderate degree of self–love which once the child grow there would be
knowledge towards their behavior.
Love
Develops when people invest their libido in object or another person.
People would love when that person is beneficial.
Sadism
Sexual pleasure from inflicting pain or humiliation with another person.
Masochism
Experience sexual pleasure from suffering pain and humiliation from other people.
Aggression and Thanatos
This aim to the destructive drive which is returning into inorganic state – death that could result
to self–destruction.
Anxiety
Affective and unpleasant state accompanied with physical sensation that can warn the person
from danger.
Ego could produce or feel anxiety.
Neurotic Anxiety
Apprehension about unknown danger that originate from id impulses.
Moral Anxiety
Stems from the conflict between the ego and superego.
Realistic Anxiety
This is related to fear which can defined unpleasant and nonspecific feeling that involve
possible danger.
Defense Mechanisms
Repression
Forces threatening feelings into the unconscious.
Impulses would remain unchanged which would force their consciousness in unaltered form.
Reaction Formation
Adopting disguise that is opposite from the original form.
Displacement
Redirect their unacceptable urges into people or objects since the original impulse is disguised
or concealed.
Fixation
Prospect of anxiety provoking the ego which could result to another strategy of remaining in
the present.
Regression
During period of stress and anxiety would revert to the earlier stage.
Projection
Ego would reduce the anxiety through attributing unwanted impulse with another person.
Introjection
Incorporate positive qualities of another person into their ego.
Sublimation
The most useful defense mechanism because this would help the individual and other people
which repress the genital aim of eros through substitution of cultural or social aim.
Rationalization
Justifying an unacceptable feeling or behavior with logic.
Intellectualization
Removing emotions from your responses and focusing on facts.
Stages of Development
Infantile Period
Oral Phase
Gain pleasure and nourishment through oral cavity.
Oral Receptive
Infants would feel minimum frustration and anxiety when their needs are not sustained.
Oral Sadistic
Infants would respond to other people through biting, cooing, closing their mouth, smiling, and
crying when their needs are not sustained.
Anal Phase
Early Anal Period
Children would destroy or losing objects that could behave aggressive towards their parents for
frustrating them with toilet training.
Late Anal Period
Interest would stem through erotic pleasure of defecating.
Children would view this as a gift but once this is rejected then the children would withhold
them.
Phallic Phase
Marked with dichotomy between male and female development.
Suppression of masturbation.
Electra Complex
Girls would acknowledge their castration and recognize inferiority towards boys that can give
up their sexuality, cling defiantly to their masculinity, and develop normally.
Latency Period
Parents would attempt to punish or discourage sexual activity for their children.
Genital Period
Puberty can signal the reawakening of the sexual aim and autoeroticism that direct their sexual
energy towards other people.
Maturity
Balance their mind such as the ego, id, and superego that also allow for reasonable desires and
demands.
Application of Freud’s Theory
Transference
Strong sexual or aggressive feelings that develop towards their analyst during treatment.
Counter Transference
Therapist transfers emotions to the person in therapy.
Free Association
Patients would verbalize their thought that comes to their mind.
The purpose would be arriving in the unconscious then starting with a present conscious idea
that follow through train of associations.
Dream Analysis
Transforming the manifest content of dreams into more important latent content.
All dreams are wish fulfillments.
Freudian Slips
Slip of the tongue or Parapraxes which is misreading or incorrect hearing which reveals the
unconscious intentions.