Personality Flashcards
Personality
A relatively stable and distinctive pattern of behaviour that characterises an individual and their reaction to the environment.
Traits
An identifiable, describable aspect of a person.
Disposition
The behavioural manifestation of a trait.
Personality Structure (Freud)
Personality is made up of the id, ego and super ego. The id is driven by pleasure, the superego acts as the conscience and decides what is right/wrong, the ego is driven by reality and controls the id.
Oral Stage
Birth to 1 year. Erogenous zone is the mouth, lips and tongue. Challenge is to develop trust while weaning from mother. Underdevelopment leads to a dominant/exploitative personality. Overdevelopment leads to a gullible/dependent personality.
Anal Stage
1 year to 3 years. Erogenous zone is the bowels. Challenge is to gain autonomy and self control through toilet training. Underdevelopment leads to anal retentive personality (stubborn, hoarding). Overdevelopment leads to anal expulsive personality (disorganised, untidy).
Phallic Stage
3 years to 5 years. Erogenous zone is the genitals. Emergence of the Oedipal and Electra complexes (sexual attraction to opposite sex parent). Girls develop “penis envy”. Fixation can lead to promiscuity or adoption of opposite sex characteristics.
Latency Stage
5 years to 12 years. Resting period where the child learns to redirect their urges into developing same sex peer relationships and defence mechanisms to control the id.
Genital Stage
12 years and over. Puberty reawakens sexual energy. Normal development involves opposite sex interactions. If such interactions don’t occur, homosexual urges may develop.
Evidence for Freud’s Theory
Weak support for Oedipal complex, no support for Electra complex. Face validity, but the influence of psychodynamic conflicts on behaviour is questionable (there are anal retentive personalities, but this doesn’t occur due to toilet training issues).
Defence Mechanisms
Gives acceptable expression to the id and protects the ego from anxiety. Developed during the latency stage. Often unconscious and distort, transform or falsify reality. For example, denial, regression, repression, reaction formation, projection, displacement and rationalisation.
