Allport (E2) Flashcards
What class did Allport first teach?
Personality Psychology
What were his basic tenants?
- Psychology should focus on psychologically healthy people
- Emphasis should be on consciousness and rationality
- Emphasis should be on present, not past
How did Allport define personality?
Dynamic organization of those psychophysiological systems within a person that determine his/her unique adjustments to their environment
- Each person is unique
- Idiographic: about the individual
What are traits?
- Stable and pervasive ind differences
- Not present at birth but developed over time from maturation and learning
Common vs. Individual Trait
Common: All people may be compared on this dimension; common to all people
Individual: Not possessed by all people; could be possessed by just one person
What is a cardinal trait?
Single trait that determines all behavior
ie. Einsteins intelligience
What is a central trait?
Frequently evidenced in behavior
ie. extroversion
What is a secondary trait?
Very circumscribed
ie. athletic
4 methods of inferring traits
- Language; use of dictionary
- Behavior
- Personal Documents
- Personality Measurement
Method of inferring trait: language; use of dictionary
- Psych should being with the “wisdom of common experience”
- 4.5% of words may be classified as traits
Method of inferring trait: Behavior
- Behavior infers traits/interests
- Also confers energy level
Main method used to infer someones traits?
Questionnaires
- used to study the individual
What’s the Marlowe Crowne questionnaire tell us?
How well you feel the need to present yourself
Method of inferring trait: Personal documents
The coding of letters, diaries, public statements, etc
What’s the Cook Medley Hostility Scale tell us?
Focus on hostility, mistrust, and overall aggression of a person
- slightly also measured type A personalities
Stage theory: Bodily sense
Age: Infancy
- Figuring out what are your body parts?S
Stage theory: Self-identity
Age: 1,2 - 4,5
- Understanding self as separate person
- Recognizing themselves by name
Stage theory: Ego enhancement
Age: 2,3 - ??
- Self esteem through achievement (as well as humiliation and selfishness)
Stage theory: Ego extension
Age: 3,4 - ??
- Person possessions
Stage theory: Self image
Age: 4,6 - ??
- Understand abilities, status, and roles
- future aspirations
- Aware of acting in “good” or “bad” manner
Stage theory: Rational agent
Age: 6 - 12
- Learning problem solving and practical skills
Stage theory: Propriate Striving
Age: Adolescence
- Planning for future
- Setting long term goals
Stage theory: The knower
Age: Adulthood
- Integration of other stage theory aspects
- “possessions” become valued interests and causes
- “Unity” is characteristic of mature, adult personalities
Qualities of normal, mature adult (6 of them)
- Extensions of the Sense of Self
- Warm Human Interaction
- Emotional Security
- Realistic Perception, Skills, and Assignments
- Self-Objectification: Insight and Humor
- Unifying Philosophy of Life
What is unitas multiplex
Integration of diverse elements of the personality including: interests, traits, and biological predispositions
- Urged psychologists to study the individual as a whole
Why are people so consistent?
Proprium: All the ways in which people project themselves into the future (a sense of self)
- pursuing future goals lead to consistent behavior
