Personality

refers to individual differences in combination of thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and motivations

attractive qualities that make a person interesting or pleasant to be with

makes you who you are as a person

something that arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. It
influences nearly every aspect of our lives including what we choose to do for a living, how we interact
with our families, and our choices of friends and romantic partners.

Just as people differ physically in terms of appearance and build, people also differ psychologically in
terms of mental and behavioural characteristics.

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
1. PHYCHODYNAMIC THEORY Sigmund Freud
o Personality is governed by unconscious forces that we cannot control.
o Childhood experiences play a significant role in determining adult personality.
o Personality is shaped by the manner in which children cope with sexual urges.
o Freuds 3 levels of awareness/consciousness:

Conscious includes everything that we are aware of. This is the aspect of our mental
processing that we can think and talk about rationally.

Preconscious is the part of the mind that represents ordinary memory. Exists as a
middle ground between the unconscious and the conscious. We have here our stored
knowledge, past memories and other data that we can readily access and brought to our
consciousness.

Unconscious a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that is outside of

our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or
unpleasant, such as shameful experiences, sexual desires, fears, violent motives and dark
thoughts. According to Freud, access to the unconscious can be manifested through our
dreams or slip of the tongue and other unintended impulsive behavior.

o Sigmund Freud states that only 10% of our psyche is visible, that being the conscious, while the
remaining 90%, the pre-conscious and unconscious hidden or submerged.
o

Personality is composed of three components:

Id

The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth.

the primitive, instinctive component of personality that operates according to the

pleasure principle - every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately,
regardless of the consequences.

EXAMPLE: For instance, a child is hungry and his Id wants food; this causes him
to cry until his need is gratified. The Id is said to be inconsiderate of other
circumstances - all it cares about is its own satisfaction.

EXAMPLE: Richard saw a $5 bill fall out of Nicks backpack as he pulled his
books out of his locker. As Nick walked away, Michael bent over, picked up the
money, and slipped it into his pocket, glancing around to make sure no one was
looking.

Ego

the decision-making component of personality that operates according to the

reality principle The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action
before deciding to act

strives to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways.

Involves Secondary thinking process - ego's action of looking for an object in the
real world that matches the mental image created by the id's primary process.

EXAMPLE: Even though Richard needed money, he decided not to steal the
money from the cash register because he didnt want to get in trouble.

Superego

superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society
forbids, such as sex and aggression, and incorporates social standards about what
represents right and wrong

persuades the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and
to strive for perfection.

consists of two systems: The conscience - can punish the ego through causing
feelings of guilt and the ideal self - (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how
you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and
how to behave as a member of society.

EXAMPLE: When the child reaches the age of five, he begins to learn about the
moral and ethical rules and restraints imposed by his parents, teachers and other
people.

EXAMPLE: When Richard saw the $5 bill lying on the floor with no one around
it, he turned it into the school office in case anyone came looking for it. He
wouldnt want to lose $5, and hoped that whoever had lost it would ask about it in
the office.

2. TRAIT THEORY
o Theorists generally assume that 1) Traits are relatively stable over time, 2) Traits differ among
individuals, 3) Traits influence behavior.
o focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of various traits
forms a personality that is unique to each individual.

Gordon Allports Trait Theory

o He created a list of more than 4,000 personality traits then grouped these traits into three
different categories: cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits.

Cardinal Traits These are traits that dominate an individuals whole life, often to the
point that the person becomes known specifically for these traits. Eg., Machiavellian,
narcissism, Don Juan, Christ-like, etc.

Central traits are the core traits that tend to remain relatively stable throughout life.
These traits serve as the "building blocks" of personality. Eg. intelligent, honest, shy

Secondary Traits are those that emerge in certain situations. These can be inconsistent
and may not remain stable over time.

Eysencks Three Dimensions of Personality

o He developed a model of personality based upon just three universal traits were sufficient to
describe human personality.

Introversion/Extraversion Introversion involves directing attention on inner

experiences, while extraversion relates to focusing attention outward on other people and
the environment. Eg. Introverts = might be quiet and reserved (mahiyain); Extraverts =
might be sociable and outgoing (marunong makipagsalamuha sa tao)

Neuroticism/Emotional Stability - Neuroticism refers to an individuals tendency to

become upset or emotional; Stability refers to the tendency to remain emotionally
constant. Moodiness vs. Even-temperedness (kaya ihandle ung feelings)

Psychoticism Individuals who are high on this trait tend to have difficulty dealing with
reality/loss contact with reality and may be antisocial, hostile, non-empathetic and
manipulative

The Big Five: Five-Factor Model

o Cattell focused on too many traits, while Eysenck focused on too few. As a result, a new trait
theory often referred to as the "Big Five" theory emerged. This five-factor model of
personality represents five core traits that interact to form human personality.

Openness - appreciation for a variety of experience and tendency to be imaginative,

curious and creative. People who are high in openness enjoy adventure. Low in openness
prefer to stick to their habits and avoid new experiences.

Conscientiousness - being organized, hardworking, reliable, ambitious, punctual and

have a strong sense of duty. They're dependable, disciplined and achievement-focused.
Conscientiousness is a helpful trait to have, as it has been linked to achievement in school
and on the job. People lows in conscientiousness are more spontaneous and freewheeling.

Extraversion - involves going out with friends and being energetic, chatty, sociable and
draw energy from crowds. Introverts, on the other hand, need plenty of alone time,
perhaps because their brains process social interaction differently.

Agreeableness - measures the extent of a person's warmth and kindness. The more
agreeable someone is, the more likely they are to be trusting, helpful and compassionate.
Disagreeable people are cold and suspicious of others, and they're less likely to
cooperate.

Neuroticism refers to worrying or being vulnerable. People high in neuroticism worry

frequently and easily slip into anxiety and depression. If all is going well, neurotic people
tend to find things to worry about. Unsurprisingly, neuroticism is linked with plenty of
bad health outcomes. Neurotic people die younger than the emotionally stable, possibly
because they turn to tobacco and alcohol to ease their nerves.

3. BEHAVIORAL THEORY by John B. Watson

o suggest that personality is a result of interaction between the individual and the environment.
o Behaviourists believe that people have no free will, surroundings and environment determine the
behaviour. When we are born, our mind is a Tabula Rasa, a blank slate ready to learn from what
surrounds us.
o Any person, regardless of his or her background, could be trained to act in a particular manner
given the right conditioning and learning.
o Classical Conditioning by Mr. Pavlov - a learning process that occurs through associations
between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
Unconditio
ned
Stimulus
Unconditio
ned
Response
(UCR)

eg. We present Rover with a stimulus w/c is a bell.

unconditionally, naturally, When we ring the bell there's no response in
and automatically triggers Rover. Therefore, bell is a neutral stimulus. If the
a response
bell rings repeatedly, Rover will have no
response.
We will introduce Rover to a new stimulus - food
the unlearned response
and water. Rover's natural response is to salivate
that occurs naturally in
w/c is a natural and automatic condition. Food response
to
the
unconditioned
stimulus;
salivating
unconditioned stimulus.
unconditioned reponse

Conditione
d Stimulus

previously neutral stimulus

that,
after
becoming
associated
with
the
unconditioned
stimulus,
eventually
comes
to
trigger
a
conditioned
response.

Conditione
d Response

The conditioned response

is the learned response to
the
previously
neutral
stimulus

We will ring the bell and present Rover a food.

Rover salivates not because of the bell but
because of the food. Then we will repeat paring of
bell and food. Then, after repeating ring the bell
w/o the food, Rover will be responding to the
bell. Rover will salivate (conditioned response)
upon hearing the bell (conditioned stimulus) even
in the absence of food. That moment, classical
conditioning is achieved!

o Operant conditioning by Mr. Skinner - he suggested, we should look only at the external,
observable causes of human behavior. Operant conditioning a method of learning that occurs
through rewards and punishments for behavior.
Reinforment - event that
increases the behavior it follows

strengthens

or

Punishment - is the presentation of an

outcome that causes a decrease in the
behavior it follows.

Positive Reinforcement - are favorable events

that are presented after the behavior. A response
or behavior is strengthened by the adding a
stimulus, such as praise or a direct reward

Positive punishment - involves the

presentation of an unfavourable event or
outcome by adding a stimulus in order to
weaken the response it follows.

Eg. You can use the bike on weekend if you study

every night this week

eg. Punishing a child by spanking

because he really doesnt want to study

Negative Reinforcement - involve the removal

of an unfavorable events or removing a stimulus
after the display of a behavior.

Negative punishment - also known as

punishment by removal, occurs when an
favorable event or outcome is removed
after a behavior occurs.

Eg. you dont have to do summer classes, If you

get good grades,

eg. No computer
grades are up

games

until

your

4. HUMANISTIC THEORY
o focus on the ability of human beings to think consciously and rationally
o people are responsible for their lives and actions and have the freedom and will to change their
attitudes and behavior.
o People act with intentionality and values
Abraham Maslow

Experience is the primary phenomenon in the study of human learning and behaviour.

people are motivated to use this free will (ability to choose own destiny) to pursue things
that will help them achieve their full potential as human beings.

People are innately good and will be happy as long as needs are satisfied. The inability to
meet these needs caused anxiety and self-actualization was threatened.

Maslows hierarchy of needs:

1. Physiological needs - our basic needs for survival. (eg. air, food, water, clothing, etc)
2. Safety and security needs - seek out safety through other people and strive to find a
world that will protect us and keep us free from harm (eg. shelter, protection, etc)
3. Love and belongingness needs - focuses on our desire to be accepted (eg. acceptance,
affection, friendship, etc)
4. Self-esteem needs - focus our energy on self-respect, respect from others, and feeling
that we have made accomplishments on our life. (sense of mastery, power, appreciation,
etc)
5. Self-actualization - the tendency of being your finest and complete understanding of
the self

o Characteristics of self-actualizing people:

Awareness and acceptance of themselves

Openness and spontaneity

The ability to enjoy work and see work as a mission to fulfill

The ability to develop close friendships without being overly dependent on other people

A good sense of humor

The tendency to have peak experiences that are spiritually or emotionally satisfying

5. SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

o People learn by observing - through social interactions, experiences, and outside media
influences - upon the replication of action of others and modeling and is a way to acquire social
skills and many social and non-social behaviors
o Cognitive learning separates humans from others that is learned through imitation
o Modeling the meat of Social Cognitive Theory that teaches new behaviour, either positive or
negative
o Models can be people (peers, parents, actors, sports, figures, or characters from book, movies,
games)
o Effective models are competent, have prestige or powers, and behave in gender-appropriate ways
o People develop a sense of self-efficacy - Our beliefs about our ability/capacity to produce good
performance to achieve goals. (SELF MOTIVATION/SELF-CONFIDENCE)
o Individuals with higher self-efficacy: accept greater challenges and try harder to meet challenges.
o Bandura agreed that environment causes behavior, but behavior can also cause environment. This
chief concept in his theory is called reciprocal determinism.
o EXAMPLE: Suppose an adolescent shows his aggressive personality trait because he is
maltreated by his peers. When this person expresses his aggression by way of violent acts, he can
trigger either a higher level of aggression or fear inside his peers' minds, therefore changing his
environment.