Theories

Personality &
Assessment
Modified by
Elizabeth T Santosa, M.Psi, psi.

+
Definition of Personality?
Personality

refers to the relatively enduring

characteristics that differentiate one person
from another and that lead people to act in
a consistent and predictable manner, both
in different situations and over extended
periods of time.

Personality

is defined as: the enduring or

lasting patterns of behavior and thought
(across time and situation).

Personality
Four Major Perspectives on Personality

Psychoanalytic - unconscious motivations

Trait - specific dimensions of personality
Humanistic - inner capacity for growth
Social-Cognitive - influence of environment

Sigmund Freud
University of Vienna 1873
Voracious Reader
Medical School Graduate
Specialized in Nervous
Disorders : Some patients disorders
had no physical cause.

(1856-1939)

Sigmund Freud

What

is the structure and development of

personality, according to Sigmund Freud and his
successors (i.e.,psychoanalysts)?

According

to psychoanalysts, much of behavior is

caused by parts of personality which are found in
the unconscious and of which we are unaware.
unaware

Freuds

3 levels of awareness/consciousness:
the conscious mind;
the preconscious mind; and
the unconscious mind.

+ Psychoanalysis: The

Unconscious
the mind is like an iceberg - mostly hidden

the mind is like an iceberg - mostly hidden

Conscious Awareness
small part above surface
(Preconscious)

Unconscious
below the surface
(thoughts, feelings,
wishes, memories)
Repression
Banishing unacceptable
thoughts and passions to
unconscious:
Dreams and Slips

+
Three

Psychoanalysis:
Freuds Theory of Personality

levels of consciousness:

Conscious
things
we
focusing on.
Preconscious
things
are
are
currently
aware
but
which
we
focus on.
Unconscious
that
which
unaware of.

are

not
of
could

we

mind:
mind

mind:
mind

mind:
mind
are

Psychoanalysis:
Freuds Theory of Personality

Freuds

theory suggest that personality is composed of

the id,
id the ego,
ego and the superego.
superego

id:
id

the unorganized, inborn part of personality whose

purpose is to immediately reduce tensions relating to
hunger, sex, aggression, and other primitive impulses.

ego:
ego

restrains instinctual energy in order to maintain the

safety of the individual and to help the person to be a
member of society.

superego:
superego

the rights and wrongs of society and consists

of the conscience and the ego-ideal.

+Freud and Personality Structure

Id - energy constantly striving to satisfy basic drives
Pleasure Principle
Ego - seeks to gratify the Id in realistic ways
Reality Principle

Super
Ego

Ego

Id

Super Ego
- voice of conscience
that focuses on how
we ought to behave

Freuds Theory:
the ID

+
The

id uses the most primitive of thinking process.

Basic
The

id operates on the Pleasure Principle.

Principle

Seeks pleasure and avoids pain:I want what I want NOW!

NOW!

The

biological urges (e.g., hunger, self-protection).

id operates completely at an unconscious level.

No direct contact with reality.

The

id has 2 major instincts:

Eros:
Eros life instinct = motivates people to focus on pleasureseeking tendencies (e.g., sexual urges).
Thanatos:
Thanatos death instinct = motivates people to use aggressive
urges to destroy.

The

energy for the ids instincts comes from the libido,

libido (the
energy storehouse).

Freuds Theory:
the Ego

The

ego consists of a conscious faculty for

perceiving and dealing intelligently with reality.

The

ego acts as a mediator between the id and

the superego.
The ego is partly conscious.
Deals with the demands of reality.
Makes rational decisions.

Freuds Theory:
the Ego

The ego serves the ID:

The

rational part of personality that

maintains contact with reality.

Governed by Reality Principle

What consequences are there to my behavior?

The ego is the Executive of the personality

The ego controls higher mental processes.

Reasoning, problem solving.

The ego uses these higher mental processes to help satisfy the urges of
the ID.

Freuds Theory:
the Superego

Superego:
Superego

the moral part of personality.

Internalized rules of parents and society.

Superego

consists of two parts:

Conscience:
Conscience notions of right/wrong.
Ego Ideal:
Ideal how we ideally like to be.

Superego:

constrains us from gratifying every impulse (e.g.,

murder) because they are immoral, and not because we might
get caught.

Superego:
Superego

partly conscious, partly unconscious.

+
Freud: superego, id, and ego
According

to Freud, an individuals feelings,

thoughts, and behaviors are the result of the
interaction of the id, the superego, and the
ego.

+
Freuds Theory of Personality:
The

id, the ego, and the superego are

continually in conflict with one another.

This

conflict generates anxiety.

anxiety

If

the ego did not effectively handle the

resulting anxiety, people would be so
overwhelmed with anxiety that they would
not be able to carry on with the tasks of
everyday living.

The

ego tries to control anxiety (i.e., to

reduce anxiety) through the use of ego
defense mechanisms.
mechanisms

Ego
Defense
Mechanisms:
Defense Mechanisms
Ego

Id

When the inner war

gets out of hand, the
result is Anxiety
Ego protects itself via
Defense Mechanisms

Super
Ego

Defense Mechanisms reduce/redirect

anxiety by distorting reality

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Definition:
Definition

An defense mechanism is a psychology

tendency that the ego uses to help prevent people from
becoming overwhelmed by any conflict (and resulting
anxiety) among the id, the ego, and the superego.

Defense

mechanisms operate at an unconscious

level:
level
We are not aware of them during the time that we are
actually using them.
However, we may later become aware of their
previous operation and use.

Freuds Theory:
Defense Mechanisms
Repression:
Repression

pushing unacceptable and anxietyproducing thoughts into the unconscious; involves

intentional forgetting but not consciously done; repressed
material can be memories or unacceptable impulses.
A rape victim cannot recall the details of the attack.

Regression:
Regression

acting in ways characteristic of earlier life

stages/earlier stage of personality.
A young adult, anxious on a trip to his parents/ home,
sits in the corner reading comic books, as he often did
in grade school.

Freuds Theory:
Defense Mechanisms

+
Reaction

formation:
formation replacing an anxiety-producing
feeling with its exact opposite, typically going
overboard; repressed thoughts appear as mirror
opposites.
A man who is anxious about his interest in gay men
begins dating women several times a week.

Rationalization:
Rationalization

creating false but believable excuses

to justify inappropriate behavior; real motive for
behavior is not accepted by ego.
A student cheats on an exam, explaining that cheating
is legitimate on an unfair examination.

Freuds Theory:
Defense Mechanisms

+
Denial:
Denial

claiming and believing that something which is

actually true is false.
A person disbelieves that she is age, asserting that I
am not getting older.

Displacement:
Displacement

redirecting emotional feelings (e.g.,

anger) to a substitute target; involves directing
unacceptable impulses onto a less threatening
object/person.
A husband, angry at the way his boss treated him,
screams at his children.
Instead of telling your professor what you really think
of her, you tailgate and harass a slow driver on your
way home from school.

Freuds Theory:
Defense Mechanisms

Projection:
Projection

attributing ones own unacceptable feelings

or beliefs to others; perceiving the external world in
terms of ones own personal conflicts.
An employee at a store, tempted to steal some
merchandise, suspects that other employees are
stealing.

Sublimation:
Sublimation

substitute socially acceptable behavior for

unacceptable impulses.
Playing video games instead of getting in a fight.

Freud:

Stages of Personality
Development
Freuds

psychoanalytic theory of personality

suggests that personality develops through a series
of stages,
stages each of which is associated with a major
biological function.

More

specifically, Freud theorized that as people

age, they pass through several systematic stages of
psychosexual development in their personality.

+
The

Psychosexual Stages of
Development are Source of
Unconscious Conflicts.

stages of personality development involve critical

events that occur in every childs life.

At

each level, there is a conflict between pleasure and

reality.
reality
The resolution of this conflict determines personality.

At

any stage, a fixation can occur:

occur
If needs are either under-gratified or over-gratified, we
become fixated at a particular stage.
stage

Each

stage also involves an erogenous zone.

zone
Parts of the body that involve sexual pleasure.

Freud and Personality Development

personality
personality forms
forms during
during the
the first
first few
few years
years of
of life,
life,
rooted
rooted in
in unresolved
unresolved conflicts
conflicts of
of early
early childhood
childhood
Psychosexual Stages

Oral (0-18 mos) - centered on the mouth

Anal (18-36 mos) - focus on bowel/bladder elim.
Phallic (3-6 yrs) - focus on genitals/Oedipus Complex
(Identification & Gender Identity)
Latency (6-puberty) - sexuality is dormant
Genital (puberty on) - sexual feelings toward others
Strong conflict can fixate an individual at Stages 1,2 or 3

+ Freuds Stages of Personality

Development:
Oral

stage:
stage the oral state is the first period, occurring
during the first year of life.

Anal

stage:
stage next comes the anal stage, lasting from
approximately age 1 to age 3.

Phallic

stage:
stage the phallic stages follows, with interest
focusing on the genitals.

Latency

period:
period then follows the latency period lasting
until puberty.

Genital

stage:
stage after puberty, people move into the
genital stage, a period of mature sexuality.

+
(1) Oral stage of development:
Time

period: Birth to 18 months:

Erogenous zone is mouth.
mouth
Gratification through sucking and swallowing.

Oral

fixation has two possible outcomes.

Oral receptive personality:
personality
Preoccupied with eating/drinking.
Reduce tension through oral activity.
eating, drinking, smoking, biting nails
Passive and needy; sensitive to rejection.
Oral aggressive personality:
personality
Hostile and verbally abusive to others.

+
(2) Anal stage of development:
Time

period: 1 1/2 to 3 years of age.

Erogenous
Conflict
Anal

zone is the anus.

surrounds toilet training.

fixation has two possible outcomes.

Anal retentive personality.
personality
Stingy, compulsive orderliness, stubborn,
perfectionistic.
Anal expulsive personality.
personality
Lack of self control, messy, careless.

(3) Phallic stage of

development:
Time
period: 3 to 6 years.
Erogenous

zone is the genitals: self-stimulation of the

genitals produces pleasure.

At

age 5 or 6, near the end of the phallic stage, children

experience the Oedipal conflict (boys)/the Electra conflict
(girls)--a process through which they learn to identify with
the same gender parent by acting as much like that parent
as possible.

Oedipus

complex (boys) vs Electra complex (girls)

Child is sexually attracted to the other sex parent and
wishes to replace the same sex parent.

(3) Phallic stage of

development:
Oedipus

complex (little boys):

Castration

anxiety:
Son believes father knows about his desire for mom.
Fears dad will castrate him.
Represses his desire and defensively identifies with
dad.

+
(3) Phallic stage (continued):
Electra
Penis

complex (little girls):

envy:
Daughter is initially attached to mom.
Shift of attachment occurs when she realizes she lacks a
penis.
She desires dad whom she sees as a means to obtain a
penis substitute (a child).
child)
Represses her desire for dad.
incorporates the values of her mother
accepts her inherent inferiority in society

(4) Latency Period:

During

the latency period, little girls and little boys try

to socialize only with members of their own gender.

Freud

posits that children do this so as to help

minimize the awareness of sexuality.

Thus,

they continue the process of sexual repression

that began in the previous stage (for those who
successfully made it through the Oedipal
Complex/Electra Complex).

(5) Genital Stage:

When adolescence begin puberty, they enter the 5th

stage of psychosexual development.

They develop secondary sexual characteristics (e.g.,

pubic hair).

The onset of the physical sexual characteristics reawakens people sexual urges, and thus they are no
longer able to successfully repress their sexual desires,
impulses, and urges.

They begin searching for a marital mate, with whom

they can share sex and intimacy.

Summary of Freud (on personality):

Freuds

psychoanalytic theory has provoked a number of

criticisms.
a lack of supportive scientific data;
the theorys inadequacy in making predictions; and
its limitations owing to the restricted population on which it is
based.

Still,

the theory remains popular.

For instance, the neo-Freudian psychoanalytic theorists built
upon Freuds work, although they placed greater emphasis on
the role of the ego and paid greater attention to social factors in
determining behavior.

Psychoanalysis:
Freud and Personality
Evaluating the Psychoanalytic
Perspective
Were Freuds theories
the best of his time
or were they simply
incorrect?

Current research
contradicts
many of Freuds
specific ideas

Development does not

stop in childhood
Slips of the tongue are
likely competing
nodes in memory network

Dreams may not be

unconscious
drives and wishes

Summary:
Freud and Personality
Freuds Ideas as Scientific Theory
Theories must explain observations
and offer testable hypotheses
Few Objective Observations

Few Hypotheses

(Freuds theories based on his recollections &

interpretations of patients free associations,
dreams & slips o the tongue)

Does Not PREDICT Behavior or Traits

4 Types of Personality Theories:

(1). Psychodynamic approaches
to personality.
(2). Humanistic approaches
to personality.
(3). Trait approaches to personality.
(4). Social Cognitive approaches
to personality.

+(1) Psychodynamic Personality

Theories:
Source

of information about personality:

personality
Obtained from expert analyst from people in therapy.

Cause

of behavior, thoughts, and feelings:

feelings
unconscious internal conflict associated with childhood
experiences.
Also, unconscious conflicts between pleasure-seeking
impulses and social restraints.

Outlook

on humans:
humans
negative.

Comprehensiveness

of theory:
theory
very comprehensive.

+Psychodynamic (Psychoanalytic)
Theories:
Many are called Neo-Freudians.
Neo-Freudians All place less emphasis on sex.
Carl

Jung:
Jung
Personal vs. Collective Unconscious.
Unconscious
Balance between introversion and extroversion.
extroversion

Alfred Adler:
Adler
Striving

for superiority = motivation to master

environment.
Notion of an Inferiority Complex.
Complex
Karen

Horney:
Horney
Personality is Cultural rather than biological.
biological

+(2) Humanistic Personality

Theories:

Source of information about personality:

personality

Cause of behavior, thoughts, and feelings:

feelings

self concepts,
self-actualizing tendencies.
conscious feelings about oneself (based on ones
previous experiences).

Outlook on humans:
humans

obtained from self-reports from the general

population and people in therapy.

positive.

Comprehensiveness of theory:
theory

fairly comprehensive.

The Humanistic Perspective

Maslows
Self-Actualizing
Person

Rogers
Person-Centered
Perspective

Healthy rather than Sick

Individual as greater than the sum of test scores

Humanistic Personality Theories:

Maslow and Rogers

Humanistic

approach (Third Force):

Rejected Freuds pessimistic view of personality.
Rejected Behaviorists mechanistic view.
More optimistic/positive about human nature.
Humans are free and basically good.
Humans are inner-directed.
Everyone has the potential for healthy growth.
Health growth involves Self actualization:
Be all you can be.
Given the right environmental conditions,
we can reach our full potential.

Rogers Person-Centered Perspective

People are basically good
with actualizing tendencies.
Given the right environmental
conditions, we will develop
to our full potentials

Genuineness, Acceptance, Empathy

Self Concept:
Concept central feature
of personality (+ or -)

Humanistic Personality Theories:

Carl Rogers
Self-concept:
Self-concept

our image or perception of ourselves

(Real Self versus Ideal Self).

Self)
We

have a need for positive regard/

regard approval from others.
Conditions of worth or conditional positive regard.
The conditions under which other people will approve of
us.
We change our behavior to obtain approval.
What we need is: Unconditional positive regard.
regard

Anxiety

signifies that we are not being true to our ideal self.

Well-adjusted
Poorly

persons: self-concept & experience.

adjusted person: self-concept & experience.

Maslows Hierarchy of human motives:

+
one must satisfy lower needs before one
satisfies higher needs.

Humanistic Personality Theories:

Abraham Maslow

Self-actualization

is the culmination of a lifetime of innerdirected growth and improvement:

Challenging ourselves to the fullest.
Can you identify a self-actualized individual?
Characteristics of the self-actualized person:
person
Creative and open to new experiences.
Committed to a cause or a higher goal.
Trusting and caring of others, yet not dependent.
Have the courage to act on their convictions.

+ Trait Personality Theories:

(3)
Source

of information about personality:

personality
obtained from observation of behavior and questionnaire
responses from the general population as well as from
people in therapy.

Cause

of behavior, thoughts, and feelings:

feelings
stable internal characteristics;
some emphasize genetic basis.

Outlook

on humans:
humans
neutral - neither positive nor negative.

Comprehensiveness

of theory:
theory
not very comprehensive.

+ Trait Personality Theories

(3)
(cont):
Trait

approaches have tried to identify the most basic

and relatively enduring dimensions along which people
differ from one another--dimensions known as traits.

How

many trait dimensions are there?

How

can we measure these trait dimensions?

Where

do these trait dimensions originate?

(3) Trait Personality Theories (cont):

Allport

Allport:
Allport

Most important personality traits are those that

reflect our values.

Allport

suggested that there are 3 kinds of traits:

cardinal:
cardinal a single personality trait that directs most of a
persons activities (e.g., greed, lust, kindness).
central:
central a set of major characteristics that make up the
core of a persons personality.
secondary:
secondary less important personality traits that do not
affect behavior as much as central and cardinal traits
do.

(3) Trait Personality Theories (cont):

Eysenck

Hans Eysenck:
found two (2) major
trait dimensions:

introversion
versus
extroversion
(quiet versus
sociable).

Neuroticism
versus
emotional stability
(moody versus calm).

(+3) Trait Personality Theories (cont):

Cattells Theory of Personality:
Cattells

Trait Theory:
Distinguished 3 types of traits:
Dynamic.
Ability.
Temperament.

Also:
Surface

Traits: Less important to personality.

Source Traits: More important basic underlying traits.
Cattell

identified 16 basic traits.

He developed the 16PF to measure these traits.

+(3) Trait Personality Theories (cont):

Recently

personality theorists have begun to converge on the

view that there are 5 basic personality dimensions:

1: emotional stability versus neuroticism:

calm, secure, self-satisfied VS anxious, insecure,
2: extraversion versus introversion:
sociable, fun-loving, affectionate VS

retiring, sober, reserved.

3: openness versus close-mindedness:

imaginative, independent VS practical,

conforming.

4: agreeableness versus disagreeableness:

kind, trusting, helpful VS ruthless, suspicious,

uncooperative.

5: conscientiousness versus undependable:

organized, careful, disciplined VS disorganized,

impulsive.

self-pitying.

careless,

+
Five Factor Model of Traits

+
Five Factor Model of Traits
The Big Five
Emotional Stability
Extraversion
Openness
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness

Calm/Anxious
Secure/Insecure
Sociable/Retiring
Fun Loving/Sober
Imaginative/Practical
Independent/Conforming
Soft-Hearted/Ruthless
Trusting/Suspicious
Organized/Disorganized
Careful/Careless

Trait Theories of Personality:

Summary
Traits:
Traits
Characteristics

or typical ways of acting:

Consistency:
across situations, over time.
Distinctiveness:
each personality is unique.

Explain
How

why individuals behave in certain ways.

many traits are there, and what are they?

Not easy to answer; little consensus.

+ Assessing Personality Traits

How can we assess traits?
(aim to simplify a persons behavior patterns)

Personality Inventories
MMPI:
most widely used personality inventory.
assess psychological disorders
(not normal traits).
empirically derived - test items selected based
upon how well they discriminate between
groups of traits.

Do traits exist?
The Trait-Situation Debate
Walter Mischel (1968) argued that:

Behavior is not consistent across time or situation.

If no consistency, not much point in arguing for personality.

Thus, personality is an illusion.

Situationism:

Mischel believed that behavior is influenced more by the

situation than any internal trait.

Person x situation interactionism:

Both (a) internal traits and (b) the situation we are in are important
determinants of behavior.

(4) Social-Cognitive (Learning)

Approaches to personality
Source of information about personality:
Personality
Theories:observations of
Obtained
from experiments,
behavior, and questionnaire responses from the
general population.

Cause of behavior, thoughts, and feelings:

feelings
reciprocal

influence between people (cognitions

and behavior) and their environmental situations,
colored by their perceptions of control.

Outlook on humans:
humans
neutral:

neither positive nor negative.

Comprehensiveness of theory:
theory
not

very comprehensive.

Social-Cognitive-Learning
Perspective
Behavior learned through
conditioning and observation

What we think about our situation

affects our behavior

Interaction of
Environment and Intellect

+ Social-Cognitive Personality
Theories:
Social Learning Theory
Bandura:
Bandura

Theoretical origins in behaviorism.

Emphasizes

the role of learning in personality.

Classical Conditioning.
Operant Conditioning .
Modeling.

Instead

of studying whats going on inside the person (traits),

study what is going on outside the person (environment).

How

does the environment shape personality?

+ Social-Cognitive Personality
Theories:
Social Learning Theory
Bandura

also emphasized the importance of cognition in

personality development.

People

develop a sense of self-efficacy:

self-efficacy
Our beliefs about our ability to achieve goals.
Individuals with higher self-efficacy:
accept greater challenges.
try harder to meet challenges.

Bandura

also discusses the notion of Reciprocal

Determinism:
Determinism
The individual and the environment continually
influence one another.

+
Social-Cognitive
Personality Theories:
Reciprocal Determination
Personal/
Cognitive
Factors
Environment
Factors

Behavior

Internal
Internal World
World ++ External
External World
World == Us
Us

Social-Cognitive
Personality Theories:
+
Reciprocal Determination

Social-Cognitive
Personality Theories:
+
Personal Control
Internal Locus of Control:
You pretty much control your own destiny

External Locus of Control:

Luck, fate and/or powerful others control your destiny.
Methods of Study:
Correlate feelings of control with behavior.
Experiment by raising/lowering peoples sense of
control and noting the consequences and effects.

Social-Cognitive
Personality Theories:
+
Outcomes of Personal Control
Learned Helplessness:
Uncontrollable
bad events

Perceived
lack of control

Important Issues:
Nursing Homes
Prisons
Colleges

Generalized
helpless behavior

Comparison of Personality
Theories

Personality Assessment

Personality assessment

involves the techniques for

systematically gathering information about a person in
order to understand and predict behavior.

Goal

of personality assessment:
assessment to obtain reliable,
valid measures of individual differences that will
permit the accurate prediction of behavior.

How do we measure
Personality?

(1)

Interview:
Interview
Ask the person about themselves.
Obtain information that reveals personality.

(2)

Behavioral Observation:
Observation
Watch the individuals behavior in an actual or simulated
situation.

Personality Tests:
Tests
(3)

Objective tests (questionnaire tests).

(4) Projective tests.

How do we measure personality?

(2) Behavioral assessment
Behavioral

assessment is based on the principles of

learning theory.

Behavioral

assessment employs direct measurement

of behavior to determine the characteristics related to
personality.

How do we measure personality?

(3) Objective Test Assessment
Objective

personality tests (self-report

questionnaires) present the test taker with a number
of specific items to which she is asked to respond,
either on paper or on a computer screen.

Self-report

measures ask people about a sample

range of their behaviors.

These

reports are used to infer the presence of

particular personality characteristics.

How do we measure personality?

(3) Objective Test Assessment
Examples

of objective personality measures:

the MMPI (the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory).
the 16 PF (the Sixteen Personality Factor
Questionnaire).
the NEO-PI (the NEO Personality Inventory).

The

most commonly used self-report measure is the

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2),
2) designed to differentiate people with specific
sorts of psychological difficulties from normal
individuals.

Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)
Most

widely used personality instrument.

Used in clinical and employment settings.
MMPI-2 Has several different scales (multiphasic).

MMPI

sample items:
I usually feel that life is worthwhile and interesting
(FALSE) = Depression.
I seem to hear things that other people cant hear
(TRUE) = Schizophrenia.

Measures

aspects of personality that, if extreme, suggest

a problem:
Extreme suspiciousness may indicate paranoia.

How do we measure personality?

(4) Projective Test Assessment
projective personality test is one in which the subject
is given an ambiguous stimulus and asked to respond
spontaneously.
pictures or inkblots.
No clear answer.
A

The

ambiguous stimulus allows test takers to project

their own needs, dreams, feelings into their response.

The

observers responses to the stimulus are then used

to infer information about the observers personality.

How do we measure personality?

(4) Projective Test Assessment
(continued)

All

projective tests are based on the projective hypothesis

which states that the individual's response to an
ambiguous stimulus represents a projection of his or her
own inner, often unconscious, feelings and needs.

Indirect
Based

method of personality assessment:

on psychoanalytic assumptions:
assumptions
Personality is mostly unconscious.
People are unaware of contents of unconscious.

How do we measure personality?

(4) Projective Test Assessment
(continued):

The

2 most frequently used projective tests are:

the Rorschach:
Rorschach reactions to inkblots are employed to
classify personality types.
the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):
(TAT) stories about
ambiguous pictures are used to draw inferences about
the storytellers personality.

+
Rorschach Inkblot Test
Most

popular projective technique.

Respond

to inkblot: What could this be?

THE END