Psychology of Personality

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:By the end of the lecture the candidate will be able to
.Analyze the different factors affecting personality .1
Understand the different psychological approaches in .2
.explaining personality
Understand the effect of personality on symptom .3
. formation, illness and response to treatment

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 Personality: Definition

• The word personality comes from the Greek word

“persona” which means mask.

• Personality is the total quality of an individual’s

behavior, as shown in his/her characteristic habits,
thoughts and expressions, attitudes , interests and
behaviors.

• An integrated personality is one in which several traits

are combined together in an effective unity.
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 Factors affecting personality

1) Biological (physical factors): such as drug intake,

endocrinal diseases and nutritional factors.
2) Geographical factors: stereotypes
3) Pre-natal effects: e.g. fetal exposure to maternal
smoking or substance abuse
4) Social: e.g. order of birth and parenting style

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 Approaches to understanding personality

There are different schools to understand personality ,

they include:

1) Trait (Biological) approach

2) Psychoanalytical approach
3) Social learning (behavioral) approach
4) Humanistic approach
5) Cognitive approach

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 1) Trait (Biological) approach

2. According to traits 1. According to body image

•Eysenck •Sheldon
•“Big five” theory

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1. According to the body image

Sheldon’s body types

 2- According to the personality
Trait Approaches traits

Trait theory •
a model of personality that seeks to identify the –
basic traits necessary to describe personality
Traits •
enduring dimensions of personality characteristics –
along which people differ

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 According to the personality traits

• Eysenck
– extraversion, neuroticism,
psychoticism

• The “Big Five”

• extraversion
• agreeableness
• conscientiousness
• neuroticism (emotional
stability)
• openness to experience
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 2) Psychoanalytical approach

 Psychoanalytic theory
– Freud’s theory that unconscious forces act as
determinants of personality
 Unconscious
– a part of the personality of which a person is
not aware, and which is a potential
determinant of behavior

• Freud compared the human mind to an iceberg.

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 Structuring Personality
• Id
• the raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality,
whose sole purpose is to reduce tension created by
primitive drives related to hunger, sex, aggression,
and irrational impulses
– Libido
• the “psychic energy” that fuels the primary drives
– “Pleasure Principle”
• immediate reduction of tension, maximization of
satisfaction

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 Structuring Personality
• Ego
• the part of the personality that provides a buffer
between the id and the outside world
– “Reality Principle”
• instinctual energy is restrained in order to maintain
the safety of the individual and help integrate the
person into society

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 Structuring Personality

Superego •
the final personality structure to develop that •
represents the rights and wrongs of society as
handed down by a persona’s parents, teachers, and
other important figures
conscience –
prevents us from doing morally bad things •
ego-ideal –
motivates us to do what is morally proper •
 Defense Mechanisms
• Defense mechanisms
– unconscious strategies that people use to reduce
anxiety by concealing the source from themselves
and others

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199
8; Richardson, 1999)
 Defense Mechanisms
• Repression
– unacceptable or unpleasant impulses are pushed
back into the unconscious
• Regression
– people behave as if they were at an earlier stage
of development

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 Defense Mechanisms
Displacement •
the expression of an unwanted feeling or thought –
is redirected from a more threatening, powerful
person to a weaker one
Rationalization •
a distortion of reality in which a person justifies –
what happens

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 Defense Mechanisms
Denial •
refusal to accept or acknowledge an anxiety- –
producing piece of information
Projection •
attributing unwanted impulses to someone else –
Sublimation •
diversion of unwanted impulses into socially –
approved thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 The Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysts
”Jung’s “collective unconscious •
a set of influences we inherit from our own particular •
ancestors, the whole human race, and even animal
ancestors from the distant past
”Adler’s “inferiority complex •
a situation in which adults have not been able to •
overcome the feelings of inferiority that they
developed as children

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 Evaluating Freud
• Freud Influenced psychology and philosophy
– Unconscious
– Defence mechanisms
– Childhood roots of psychological difficulties
– Dreams
– Implicit memory
– Method of treatment
• Criticisms of Freud
– Lack of scientific data
• Built on unobservable abstract concepts
• Cannot predict
• Small population cannot be generalized
– Does not apply to other cultures
 3) Social Learning (Behavioral) approach

• This approach believes that personality can be

learned (environmentally determined).

• It assumes that different behavior does not

necessarily reflect variations on the same underlying
motive they are often discrete responses to different
situations.

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 Evaluating Learning Approaches
• Learning Approaches criticisms:
– Ignore internal processes that are uniquely human
– Oversimplifying personality
– Reducing behaviour to a series of stimuli and responses
– Excludes thoughts and feelings
– ‘deterministic’ nature

• Learning Approaches virtues:

– Study personality in objective, scientific manner
– Focus on observable behaviour and environment
– Useful in treating personality disorders

e McGraw-Hill Com
mission required for
 4) Humanistic approach

 Humanistic approaches to personality

– the theory that emphasizes people’s basic goodness
and their tendency to grow to higher levels of
functioning
 Self-actualization
– a state of self-fulfillment in which people realize their
highest potential
• Most humanistic theories stress our positive nature, or push
towards growth and self actualization.
• The emphasis is also on the “here and now” rather than on
events in early childhood.
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Abraham Maslow:

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 Maslow

(Feldman, 1999; Kohn & Kohn, 199

8; Richardson, 1999)
 5) Social Cognitive approach

• Theories that emphasize the

influence of a person’s cognitions—
thoughts, feelings, expectations, and
values—as well as observation of
others’ behavior, in determining
personality.

• According to Albert Bandura>>>>

observational learning .
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self-efficacy
• Belief in one’s personal capabilities. Self-efficacy
underlies people’s faith in their ability to carry out
a particular behavior or produce a desired
outcome.

How do we develop self-efficacy?

• One way is by paying close attention to our prior
successes and failures. If we try snowboarding and
experience little success, we’ll be less likely to try
it again. However, if our initial efforts appear
promising, we’ll be more likely to attempt it again.
• Direct reinforcement and encouragement from
others also play a role in developing self-efficacy.
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• SELF-ESTEEM
• Our behavior also reflects the view we have of
ourselves and the way we value the various parts
of our personalities.
• Self-esteem is the component of personality that
encompasses our positive and negative self-
evaluations.
• Unlike self-efficacy, which focuses on our views of
whether we are able to carry out a task, self-
esteem relates to how we feel about ourselves.
• Although people have a general level of self-
esteem, it is not unidimensional: We may see
ourselves positively in one domain but negatively
in others.
• Self-esteem has strong cultural components.
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