Personality Theories Flashcards
Alfred Adler
Psychodynamic theorist best known for the concept of the inferiority complex. Thought that striving towards superiority drives personality (good = when striving is socially oriented, bad = when striving is selfish)
Also studied the effect of birth order on personality
Gordon Allport
Trait theorist best known for the concept of functional autonomy
Determined three basic types of traits:
- Cardinal (traits around which a person organizes his/her life)
- Central (major characteristics that are easy to infer)
- Secondary (more personal traits, limited in occurence)
Also distinguished between idiographic (individual case studies) and nomothetic (groups, commonalities) approaches to personality
Albert Bandura
Behaviorist known for his social learning theory. Did modeling experiment using Bobo dolls to come up with theory of vicarious reinforcement
Sandra Bem
Suggested that masculinity and femininity were two separate dimensions
Linked with the concept of androgyny
Raymond Cattell
Trait theorist who used factor analysis to study personality and determined 16 basic traits as the building blocks of personality (continuous in all of us)
John Dollard and Neil Miller
Behaviorist theorists who attempted to study psychoanalytic concepts within a behaviorist framework
Also known for work on approach-avoidance conflicts
Erik Erikson
Ego psychologist whose psychosocial stages of development encompass the entire lifespan
Hans Eysenck
Trait theorist who proposed two main dimensions on which human personalities differ (“Two-Factor System”):
- Introversion-extroversion
- Emotional stability-Neuroticism
Anna Freud
Founder of ego psychology - studied the conscious ego’s relation to the world, the unconscious, and the superego
Sigmund Freud
Originator of the psychodynamic approach to personality
Karen Horney
Psychodynamic theorist who focused o the role of unconscious anxiety. Suggested there were three ways to relate to others:
1. Moving toward
2. Moving away
3. Moving against
Theorized that neurosis was related to using only one of these strategies rigidly
Carl Jung
Psychodynamic theorist who broke with Freud over the concept of libido
Suggested the unconscious could be divided into the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, with archetypes being in the collective unconscious
Also proposed two attitudes towards life: introversion and extroversion (individuals have both, but one is dominant)
George Kelly
Based personality theory on the notion of “individual as a scientist” who hypothesized the behavior of important people in one’s life based on knowledge, perception, and relationship with the person
Otto Kernberg
Object-relations theorist
Melanie Klein
Object-relations theorist
Kurt Lewin
Phenomenological personality theorist who developed field theory
Margaret Mahler
Object-relations theorist
Abraham Maslow
Phenomenological personality theorist known for developing a hierarchy of needs and for the concept of self-actualization
David McClelland
Studied need for achievement
Walter Mischel
Critic of trait theories of personality who asserted that behavior is determined by the situation more than personality (Person-Situation Debate)
Also studied will power/delayed gratification with the marshmallow test
Carl Rogers
Phenomenological personality theorist
Julian Rotter
Studied locus of control
William Sheldon
Attempted to relate somatotype to personality type
D. W. Winnicot
Object-relations theorist
Herman Witkin
Studied field-dependence (highly influenced by others and the environment) and field-independence (less influenced by others and the environment) using the rod-and-frame test
Somatotypes
William Sheldon
- Endomorph: soft and spherical; pleasure-seeking, social
- Ectomorph: thin, fragile; inhibited, intellectual
- Mesomorph: muscular, athletic; energetic, aggressive
Dorothea Dix
Reformed asylums in the US
Personality Theories
- Psychodynamic
- Behaviorist
- Phenomenological
- Trait/type
Defense Mechanisms
- Repression (unconscious forgetting)
- Suppression (conscious forgetting)
- Projection (attribute to others)
- Reaction formation (opposite behavior)
- Rationalization
- Regression (earlier stage of development)
- Sublimation (transform into acceptable behavior)
- Displacement (taking out on something else)
Persona
Archetype that is a mask for social demands
Anima/Animus
Archetype: femininity in males and masculinity in females
Shadow
Archetype: relating to instincts and socially unacceptable desires
Self (archetype)
Striving for unity - is the intersection between the personal and collective unconscious
Object Relations Theory
Melanie Klein,
D. W. Winnicott
Margaret Mahler
Otto Kernberg
The process of developing a psyche in relation to others in the environment during childhood.
Psychoanalytic Treatments
Psychoanalysis = uncovering repressed material and resolving conflicts from psychosexual development
- Free association
- Dream interpretation
- Resistance
- Transference (and be aware of counter transference)
Martin Seligman
Studied learned helplessness theory of depression by shocking dogs (related to external locus of control)
Behavioral Therapy
Belief that the symptoms are the disorders (not resulting from underlying issue). Maladjustment and abnormal behaviors are learned through interactions with others and the environment (faulty coping patterns are reinforced)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Try to change disordered/irrational thoughts
- Beck’s cognitive therapy for depression
- Albert Ellis’ rational emotive therapy
Humanists
AKA phenomenological theory Emphasize internal processes and what distinguishes us from animals - Kurt Lewin - Maslow - George Kelly - Carl Rogers - Victor Frankl
Field Theory
Kurt Lewin
Personality divided into systems - under optimal conditions the systems are well articulated and function in an integrated fashion.
Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow
Physiological needs Safety Love Esteem Self-actualization
Humanist/Existential Therapies
Find meaning in life by making one’s own choices. Belief that disorders stem from depersonalization, loneliness, lack of meaningful existence.
Includes empathy, unconditional positive regard, affirmation, exploration of thoughts and feelings because people inherently strive towards self-actualization
Client-Centered Therapy
Carl Rogers
Non-directive therapy focusing on finding congruence between ideal self and real self (“self-concept”). Includes:
- unconditional positive regard
- freedom to choose own bx
Victor Frankl
Belief that mental illness stems from lack of meaning in life
Trait/Type Personality Theories
Trait: Ascertain fundamental dimensions of personality/stable characteristics
Type: Characterize people according to types of personality
Type A vs Type B Personality
Type A: Competitive and compulsive
Type B: Laid back and relaxed
Functional Autonomy
Gordon Allport
A behavior may become an end goal itself regardless of its original purpose (i.e. hunting)
Locus of Control
Julian Rotter
A cognitive factor that affects learning and personality development. Related to the beliefs about the power we have over our own lives
Internal vs external, related to self-esteem (attribute success to internal locus, failures to external)
Machiavellianism
A personality trait: someone who is manipulative and deceitful
Androgyny
Sandra Bem
State of being both very masculine and very feminine
Archetype
Carl Jung
A pattern that exists in the collective unconscious across cultures and societies
Reciprocal Determinism
Social-Cognitive Theory
Environment alone does not determine behavior. The environment, behavior, and cognitive processes all interact and influence each other
Self-Efficacy
Social-Cognitive Theory
Our level of confidence in our own abilities. Is developed through our social experiences
Temperament
Biologically based - regards how a person reacts to the world. Includes two dimensions:
- Reactivity (how we respond to new/challenging stimuli)
- Self-regulation (how well we control that response)
Paul Costa and Robert McCrae
Five Factor Model (big five) = most popular theory in personality today
Big Five Personality Traits
Costa and McCrae
Stable over lifespan. Shown to exist across cultures. Thought to have a substantial biological component
OCEAN: Openness to experience Conscientiousness Extroversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
