LESSON 1-2

INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

(Session 1)

Prepared and presented by:

Prof. Maria Victoria C. Macale, MBA

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT:

A. OVERVIEW OF PERSONALITYDEVEPLOPMENT

B. THEORIST/ PSYCHOLOGIST OF PERSONALITY

C. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

What is Personality?

 Everybody heard the term personality, and most of us can

describe our own or our friend's personality. 
 What most don't know, however, is that personality is one of
the most theorized and most researched aspects of psychology.
To understand this concept, you first need to understand the
difference between a trait and a state. 
 A trait is a relatively permanent individual characteristic. 
For example, most of know people who are outgoing,
friendly, confident, or shy.  When we describe these people,
we use these traits to better understand their personality; to
better understand who they are. 
 A state, on the other hand, is a temporary change in one's
personality.  Examples of states might be angry, depressed,
fearful, or anxious.  We typically use states to describe a
person's reaction to something.
To make matters more confusing, a trait can
also be a state, and vice versa. 
 The man who has the personality trait of
outgoing might be shy at first around new
people. 
The woman who is typically confident, might
exhibit fear or self-doubt when presented with
a new stimulus.
Define Personality…
 Encompasses not just the physical being of an
individual but also includes the intellectual,
moral and spiritual, emotional/mental and
psychological state as well.
 It is made up of characteristic patterns of
thought, feeling, and behavior that makes an
individual distinct from the others.
According to Tuason, et al.
 It
is a person’s
psychophysical systems that
could determine his unique
adjustment to his
environment.
According to Hilgrid, et al.
 Personality refers to one’s social effectiveness or one’s
striking personality.
Example:
1. He has a lot of personality.
2. He has a shy personality.

 It includes intellectual capacities, motives, emotional

states, attitudes, beliefs, moral values, likes and dislikes.
 Implies some consistencies in behavior.
According to Pervin:
 Personality is concerned with the total individual
differences and within individual differences.
 Some people vary in their talents.

Example:
 People are similar in some ways but still differ
with one another as in some people achieve while
others do not. People have different perceptions.
They also vary in talents.
According to Sferra, et al.
 Personality refers to the total person and the
expression of what you are and what you do.
 It is the product of all the responses that are
expressed in everyday living, wherever you
are- in the school, canteen, office, street, etc.
 It includes what you think and speak.
According to Gilmer:
 Personality includes physique, intellectual and other
abilities, interests, and others respond to that personality.
 Personality has a quality of uniqueness that is no one
person is quite like another.
 As a whole person like his external appearance and
behavior, his inner awareness of self, and his unique
pattern of measurable traits which are fairly permanent.
 Most people fall between both extremes of
submissiveness or aggressiveness.
Fundamental Characteristics of Personality:
 Psychological and physiological –
personality is a psychological construct that is
influenced by biological processes and needs.
 Consistency- there is generally recognizable
order and regularity of behavior. Essentially,
people act in the same or similar ways in a
variety of situations.
 Impact behavior and actions- personality
does not just influence how we move and
respond to our environment. It also causes us
to act in certain ways.
 Multiple expressions- personality displayed
in more than just behavior. It can also be
seen in thoughts, feelings, close relationships
and other social interactions.
Personality Theories: An Overview
 Personality Theory: System of concepts,

assumptions, ideas, and principles proposed to

explain personality.
Theories of Personality:

Practically
 all personality theorists are concerned with

traits. 

After
 all, traits are what make us who we are; they are

the relatively permanent aspects of each of us

evidenced by the consistency in our interactions. 

TRAIT THEORY by Raymond Cattel
 The basic conceptual unit of this approach is “trait” which
can be determined through heredity and learning ( ability,
temperament and dynamic traits) and nature and nurture
(surface and source traits).
 Cattel developed the MAVA (Multiple Abstract Variance
Analysis) to determine how much influence heredity and
environment have, in the development of traits.
 TRAIT Theories:
 Attempt to learn what traits make up
personality and how they relate to actual
behavior.
Raymond Cattell and Traits
 Surface Traits: Features that make up the
visible features of personality
 Source Traits: Underlying traits of a
personality; each reflected in a number of
surface traits
 Cattell also created 16PF, personality test
◦ Gives a “picture” of an individual’s personality
Freudian Dynamics of Personality and
Anxieties:
 According to Sigmund Freud, human personality is complex
and has more than a single component.
 In his famous psychoanalytic theory, Freud states that
personality is composed of three elements known as the id,
the ego, and the superego.
 These elements work together to create complex human
behaviors.
 Each component adds its own unique contribution to
personality and the three interact in ways that have a
powerful influence on an individual. Each element of
personality emerges at different points in life.
Freudian Dynamics of Personality and Anxieties
Ego
 is always caught in the middle of battles between superego’s desires for moral

behavior and the id’s desires for immediate gratification.

EGO
 is responsible for the maintenance of the balance between the two contradicting

forces.

The
 ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires of the id in a way that is socially

acceptable in the world. This may mean delaying gratification and helping to get rid of

the tension the id feels if a desire is not met right away. The ego recognizes that other

people have needs and wants too, and being selfish isn't good in the long run.
Freudian Dynamics of Personality and Anxieties

 The id is the most basic part of the personality. It also represents our most

animalistic urges, like the desire for food and sex. The id seeks instant

gratification for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not met,

a person can become tense, anxious, or angry.

 Neurotic Anxiety: Caused by id impulses that the ego can barely control
 Moral Anxiety: Comes from threats of punishment from the superego.
 Examples of ID
 Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting for the server to refill her glass of
water, she reached across the table and drank from Mr. Smith's water
glass, much to his surprise.
 A hungry baby cried until he was fed.
 A toddler who wanted another helping of dessert whined incessantly until
she was given another serving.
 In line at the salad bar, Amy was so hungry that she shoved a handful of
croutons in her mouth as she waited for the line to move.
 Bart was stuck in traffic. He just wanted his vehicle to move! Enraged at
the situation, Bart pulled his car onto the shoulder and sped forward, not
caring that he was clipping people's side mirrors as he tried to get ahead
of the cars in front of him.
EGO: Dealing With Reality
The ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires
of the id in a way that is socially acceptable in the
world.
This may mean delaying gratification and helping to
get rid of the tension the id feels if a desire is not met
right away.
The ego recognizes that other people have needs and
wants too, and being selfish isn't good in the long run.
 Examples of EGO:
• Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server would be back soon to
refill her water glass, so she waited until then to get a drink, even though she
really just wanted to drink from Mr. Smith's glass.
• In line at the salad bar, Amy really wanted to shove a handful of croutons into
her mouth. However, since her boss was there, she decided to wait another
minute or two until she sat down to eat.
• Mary really wanted to borrow her mom's necklace, but knew her mom would
be angry if she took it without asking, so she asked her mom if she could wear
it.
• Hillary was so sweaty after her workout that she wanted to change her clothes
right there by the car. However, she knew the other people around her would
not approve, so she waited until she was in the restroom to change.
• Tim really wanted to slug Mark for what he had just said. However, Tim knew
if he hit Mark, he would be kicked off the baseball team, and since he loved
baseball, he unclenched his fists and walked away.
Superego: Adding Morals
 The superego develops last, and is based on
morals and judgments about right and wrong.
 Even though the superego and the ego may reach
the same decision about something, the
superego's reason for that decision is based more
on moral values, while the ego's decision is based
more on what others will think or what the
consequences of an action could be on the
individual.
Examples of Superego
Sarah knew she could steal the supplies from work and no one
would know about it. However, she knew that stealing was wrong,
so she decided not to take anything even though she would probably
never get caught.

Maggie couldn't remember the answer to test question #12, even

though she had studied. Nate was the smartest kid in the class, and
from where Maggie sat, she could see his answers if she turned her
head slightly. When Mrs. Archer turned her back, Maggie almost
cheated, but her conscience stopped her because she knew it was
wrong. Instead, Maggie took a guess at the answer and then turned
in her paper.
Examples of Superego
 The cashier only charged the couple for one meal even though they had
eaten two. They could have gotten away with only paying for one, but they
pointed out the cashier's mistake and offered to pay for both meals. They
wanted to be honest and they knew that the restaurant owner and
employees needed to make a living.
 On the playground, two kids were making fun of Joseph because he wore
glasses. John was tempted to join in so that he could make himself look
good, but when he thought about how bad Joseph must already feel, he
knew that he couldn't.
 Will had worked hard all season to break the school record in cross-
country. During his last race, he had the opportunity to cut a corner and
therefore lower his time, because no officials were watching that part of
the course. As much as he wanted to break the school record, Will knew he
wouldn't feel good about himself if he cheated, so he stuck to the course
and ran as fast as he could.
Id, Ego, and Superego
The id, ego and superego work
together to create human behavior.
The id creates the demands, the ego
adds the needs of reality, and the
superego adds morality to the
action which is taken.
Unconscious et al
 Unconscious: Holds repressed memories and
emotions and the id’s instinctual drives
 Conscious: Everything you are aware of at a given
moment
 Preconscious: Material that can easily be brought
into awareness
Freudian Personality Development:
Develops in stages; everyone goes through same stages in
same order
Core of personality is formed before age 6
Erogenous Zone: Area on body capable of producing pleasure
Fixation: Unresolved conflict or emotional hang-up caused by
overindulgence or frustration
“Freud emphasized on the
development of an individual’s
personality according to the
unfolding of an individual’s “libido
or sexual urge”.
 The development of the instincts is the
most significant part of psychoanalytic
theory.
 The mental and emotional growth of the
child are dependent in the social
interaction, anxieties and gratification
that take place in relation to these zones.
Oral Stage (Ages 0-1)
 Most of infant’s pleasure comes from stimulation of the
mouth. If a child is overfed or frustrated, oral traits will
develop. Early oral fixations can cause…
◦ Oral Dependent Personality: Gullible, passive, and need lots of
attention
◦ Later oral fixations can cause…
◦ Oral-aggressive adults who like to argue and exploit others
Freudian Personality Development: Anal
Stage (Ages 1-3)
Attention turns to process of elimination. Child can gain
approval or express aggression by letting go or holding on.
Ego develops. Harsh or lenient toilet training can make a
child:
◦ Anal Retentive: Stubborn, stingy, orderly, and compulsively clean
◦ Anal Expulsive: Disorderly, messy, destructive, or cruel
Freudian Personality Development: Phallic
Stage (Ages 3-6)

Child now notices and is physically attracted

to opposite sex parent. The child is vain,
sensitive, narcissistic. Can lead to:
Oedipus Conflict
For boys only. Boy feels rivalry with his father for his
mother’s affection.
Boy may feel threatened by father (castration anxiety).
To resolve, boy must identify with his father (i.e.,
become more like him and adopt his heterosexual
beliefs)
Electra Conflict
Girl loves her father and competes with her
mother.
Girl identifies with her mother more slowly
because she already feels castrated.
◦ Widely rejected today by most psychologists
Freudian Personality Development:
Latency Stage (Ages 6-Puberty)

 Psychosexual development is dormant. Same

sex friendships and play occur here.
Freudian Personality Development:
Genital Stage (Puberty-on)

 Puberty-on: Realization of full adult sexuality

occurs here; sexual urges re-awaken
Behaviorism by B.F. Skinner
 Concentrated on the need to manipulate the environment so as
to produce a certain behavior.
 He believed in the use of rewards and punishments that will
produce orderly change in the individual.
 He emphasized on the “response”, which is an observable
behavior.
 He believed that the individual himself is the cause of his
behavior and emphasized on the nature of the individual to
elicit certain responses.
Summary on Psychoanalytic
/Psychodynamic Theory:
 This theory of personality development places great
emphasis on stages of development.
 The experiences during the first five years of life are
viewed as critical for the determination of later, adult
personality characteristics.
 This is particularly the case of frustration has led to
fixation at a pregenital stage of development or
where, because of later frustration the individual go
back to an earlier mode of functioning.
Humanistic/Phenomenological Theory
(developed by Carl Rogers):
He theorized that every individual desires to
satisfy his physiological and psychological
needs to attain the level of self- actualization.
A healthy psychological development of the self
takes place in a climate where the child can
experience fully, can accept himself, and can be
accepted by parents even in misbehavior.
Humanistic Theories
Attempts to focus on private, subjective
experience and personal growth.
HUMANISTIC THEORY:

 People are Basically

Good
The basic ideas behind humanistic psychology are simple, Humanists hold the following beliefs:
 

1) The present is the most important aspect of the person and therefore
humanists focus on the here and now rather than looking at the past or
trying to predict the future.
2) Humanistic theory is reality based and to be psychologically healthy,
people must take responsibility for themselves, whether the person's
actions are positive or negative.
3) The individual, merely by being human, posses an inherent worth. 
Actions may not be positive but this does not negate the value of the
person.
4) The goal of life should always be to achieve personal growth and
understanding.  Only through self-improvement and self-knowledge can
one truly be happy.
Supported by Baldwin(1945)
 That parent-child relationship should grow with
acceptance and democratic parental attitudes.
 Parents with this attitude showed an intellectual
development, originality, emotional security and
control.
 The children of rejecting, authoritarian parents
were unstable, rebellious, aggressive and
quarrelsome.
Same theory by Abraham Maslow
 That there is a hierarchy
of needs that we need to
fulfill from simple
physiological towards
psychological needs.
 For him, the highest
stage which is self-
actualization entails
maturity and selflessness.
Thank you for listening….