CHAPTER SIX

PERSONALITY

1
2
 Meaning of Personality
• Derived from Latin word “PERSONA”, theatrical
masks worn by Greek actors.
• The unique pattern of enduring thoughts,
feelings, and actions that characterize a person.
• Terms:
» Character (moral or ethical behavior)
» Temperament (enduring characteristics)
 Cont…

• Personality is the dynamic organization within the

individual of those psycho-physical systems that
determine his/her unique adjustment to his/her
environment - Gordon W. Allport
• Our personality is what makes us unique individuals!
• Thought to be long term, stable, and not easily changed.

• Characteristics of Personality
– Whole rather than its parts
– Unique
– Comprises of heredity and environment
– Made up of traits
– Dynamic
– Organized
4
5
 Historical Perspectives
Hippocrates
• Thought personality was based on four fluids
(“Humors”)
• The Four Humors - Ancient Greeks (~2000 BC - 0 AD)
• Ancient Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates 400
BC and Galen, 140/150 AD classified 4 types of
“humors” in people.
• Each type was believed to be due to an excess of one
of four bodily fluids, corresponding to their character.
• The personalities were termed “humors”

6
 Humor/Fluid
• Choleric temperament/Yellow Bile from liver
– Irritable, emotionally weak, body strong, and
easily tempted.
• Melancholic temperament/Black Bile from
kidneys
– Depressed, pessimist, emotionally and bodily
weak
• Sanguine temperament/Blood from heart
– Optimistic, energetic, bodily strong , and
control type
• Phlegmatic temperament/Phlegm from lungs
– Calm, always happy, lazy type, bodily weak,
and emotionally strong. 7
 Cont…
Sheldon (Somato type theory)
• William Sheldon developed The
Somatotype Theory.
• Basically what this theory means is that
different body types are characteristics
of certain personalities.
• And in that Sheldon concluded that
these classifications or fundamental
elements i.e. somatotypes are common
within our society.
8
• Sheldon’s “somatotypes” and their
supposed associated psychological
traits can be summarized as follows:
– Ectomorphic : characterized by long
and thin muscles/limbs and low fat
storage; usually referred to as slim.
– Mesomorphic : characterized by large
bones, solid torso, low fat levels, wide
shoulders with a narrow waist.
– Endomorphic : characterized by
increased fat storage, a wide waist and
a large bone structure.
9
10
11
 Modern Theories of Personality
Three major theories of personality
The psychoanalytic theory of personality

The trait theory of personality

Humanistic theory of personality

- Each of these perspectives on personality attempts

to describe different patterns in personality,
including how these patterns form and how people
differ on an individual level. 12
The Psychoanalytic Theory of
Personality

13
 Assumption
– personality is formed within ourselves, arising from
basic inborn needs, drives, and characteristics.
– He argued that people are in constant conflict
between their biological urges (drives) and the need
to tame them.
– focuses on the unconscious intra-psychic
dynamics
– focuses in the importance and primacy of the first
five years of life (early childhood influences).
– a result of conflict between different personality
systems or structures
– an interaction between nature (innate instincts) and
nurture (parental influences).
14
Overview of Psychoanalysis
• A set of philosophical of human
nature
• Psychoanalysis is both an approach
to therapy and a theory of
personality
• Emphasizes unconscious motivation
– the main cause of behavior lie in
unconscious mind

15
 View of Human Nature

• Deterministic
– Life is about gaining pleasure and
avoiding pain

• Human As Energy System

– Freud believe that human are motivated
by the unconscious, where the Id is
found along with the aggression and sex16
 Level of Mental Life
• Conscious
– Only level of mental life that are directly available to
us
– The awareness of our own mental process
(Thoughts/feeling)
• Preconscious
– Facts stored in a part of the brain, which are not
conscious but are available for possible use in the
future (E.g. A person will never think of her home
address at that moment but when her friend ask for
it, she can easily recall it)
• Unconscious
– Contains all the feeling, urges or instinct that are
beyond our awareness but it affect our expression,
17
feeling, action (E.g. Slip of tongue, dreams, wishes)
 Personality Structures
• Freud: Human mind is made up of three intrapsychic
forces:
• Consist of three parts
» Id
» Ego
» Superego
Assumption
• Which serves a different function and develops at
different times
• Interaction: one another determines the personality of
an individual.
• Any actions we take or problems we have results from
the interactions or degree of balance among these
systems. 18
 Ego: The Executive
Id: If It Feels Good, Do It Director
• First and most primitive • Second part of
part (infant/at birth) personality
• The Id is a Latin word that
means “it”
• Latin word for “I”,
• Unconscious amoral part of • Mostly conscious and
the personality is far more rational,
• Libido: instinctual energy logical and cunning
• Guided by pleasure than the id
principle (immediate
• Guided by reality
satisfaction of needs).
• Containing all of the basic
principles (balance
biological drives; hunger, between libido &
thirst, sex, aggression reality)
• It is oblivious to rules and • Serves as a referee or
regulations mediator 19
Superego: The Moral
Watchdog
• The third and final part of the personality
• Latin word, meaning “over the self”
• Guided by moral principles
• Includes all the moral codes (rules, customs, and
expectations) of society
•It aspires for and expects the individual to be
perfect.
• Ego-ideal is a kind of measuring device
(correct and acceptable behavior)
• Conscience -that makes people
pride/satisfaction/mental peace when they do
the right thing and guilt/shame/self-blame, or
moral anxiety when they do the wrong thing.
 Anxiety
• There are three types of Anxiety caused
by conflicts of Id, Ego & Super-Ego:
o Neurotic Anxiety: When people fear their
instincts will get out of control. That is, a
strong id dominates a weak ego.
o Moral Anxiety (guilt): Occurs when people
punish themselves for minor errors. That is,
a strong superego controls a weak ego.
o Objective Anxiety: Is when the ego
perceives a genuine danger in the real
world, or the external world.
21
22
 Defense Mechanisms
• Defense mechanism are invented by the
Ego in an attempt to resolve the
conflict between Id and Superego –
so that personality can operate in a
healthy manner
– It deny/distort reality while operating in
unconscious level
– If it is used once a while, the purpose of
using it is to reduce stress
– But if it is used frequently, it means the
individual are trying to avoid facing reality
23
 Cont.
• For Freud, our personality is the outcome of the continual
battle for dominance among the id, the ego, and the
superego.
• This constant conflict between them is managed by
psychological defense mechanisms.
– unconscious tactics that either prevent threatening
material from surfacing or disguise it when it does.
– refer to methods used by the ego to prevent anxiety
or threatening thoughts .
– Are useful to reduce anxiety and make us feel normal
again.
– They only become harmful if or when they are used
excessively.
– In order to justify one’s action which is wrong in the
eyes of the superego, the ego has to deny, distort24or
 Cont…
Repression
– Unpleasant experiences are stored deep in the
unconscious mind and can’t be access by the
conscious mind.
– banishing threatening thoughts, feelings, and
memories into the unconscious mind.
Denial
– Reality distorted to make it suit to the individual’s
wishes
– refusal to recognize or acknowledge a threatening
situation.
Regression
– involves reverting to immature behaviors that
have relieved anxiety in the past.
– Returning to a behavior pattern characteristic of 25
Rationalization
– Providing a reasonable explanation to make
undesirable behavior appear logical.
– giving socially acceptable reasons for one's
inappropriate behavior.
Displacement
– Redirecting the feelings of hostility and violent
action from self to another that is less threatening
from original source.
– involves expressing feelings toward a person who is
less threatening than the person who is the true
target of those feelings.
Projection
– involves attributing one's undesirable feelings to
other people.
– The attribution of one’s unacceptable urges or
qualities to others. 26
 Cont…
Reaction formation
– involves a tendency to act in a manner
opposite to one's true feelings.
– Thinking or behaving in a way that is the
extreme opposite to those that are of real
intention.
Sublimation
– involves expressing sexual or aggressive
behavior through indirect, socially
acceptable outlets.

27
 Psychosexual Stages
• Children progress through SIX psychosexual stages
during psychosexual development
• A person become ‘FIXATED’ or stuck in a stage when a
basic need is not met, therefore that person will face
difficulty in transiting to another stage
• During the five psychosexual stages, which are the oral,
anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages, the erogenous
zone associated with each stage serves as a source of
pleasure.

28
 Freud's Psychosexual Stages of
Development
• How does personality develop?
– According to the famous psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud, children go through a series of
psychosexual stages that lead to the development
of the adult personality.
– His theory described how personality developed
over the course of childhood
– Freud believed that personality developed through
a series of childhood stages in which the pleasure-
seeking energies of the id become focused on
certain erogenous areas.
– An erogenous zone is characterized as an area of
the body that is particularly sensitive to
stimulation. 29
 Cont…

• Psychoanalytic theory suggested that personality is mostly

established by the age of five.
– Early experiences play a large role in personality
development and continue to influence behavior later in
life.
• Each stage of development is marked by conflicts that can
help build growth or stifle development, depending upon
how they are resolved.
– If these psychosexual stages are completed
successfully, a healthy personality is the result.
• If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage,
fixations can occur.
– A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier
psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the
individual will remain "stuck" in this stage. A person
who is fixated at the oral stage, for example, may be
over-dependent on others and may seek oral 30
stimulation through smoking, drinking, or eating
31
 1. Oral Stage
• Birth to 18 months
• Pleasure centers (Erogenous Zone) on the mouth –
sucking, biting, & rooting reflex is especially important.
• The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives
pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying
activities such as tasting and sucking.
• Because the infant is entirely dependent upon
caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child),
the child also develops a sense of trust and
comfort through this oral stimulation. 32
 Cont.
• The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning
process--the child must become less dependent
upon caretakers.
• If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the
individual would have issues with dependency or
aggression.
• Oral fixation can result in problems with drinking,
eating, smoking, or nail-biting
• Fixation :
• 1. If the child is over stimulated in this stage,
as an adult she/he may become dependent on
cigarette or alcohol, become chatterbox, or
derive pleasure from acquiring
possessions(collect things)
• 2. If the child is under stimulated in this 33
 2. Anal Stage
• 18 months until 3 years
• Pleasure focuses (Erogenous Zone) on bowel
and bladder movement
(withholding/eliminating faeces)
• Freud believed that the primary focus of the
libido was on controlling bladder and bowel
movements.
• The major conflict at this stage is toilet training
—the child has to learn to control their bodily
needs. Developing this control leads to a sense
of accomplishment and independence.
– According to Freud, success at this stage is dependent
upon the way in which parents ​approach toilet training.
Parents who utilize praise and rewards for using the 34
 Cont…

• Freud believed that positive

experiences during the toilet training
stage serve as the basis for people to
become competent, productive, and
creative adults.
• However, not all parents provide the
support and encouragement that
children need during this stage. Some
parents punish, ridicule, or shame
a child for accidents.
35
 Cont.
Fixation :
• According to Freud, inappropriate parental
responses can result in negative outcomes.
– If parents take an approach that is too lenient or
if parents were negligent about potty training,
Freud suggested that an anal-expulsive
personality could develop in which the individual
has a messy, wasteful, or bad temper, cruelty,
messy disorderliness, and destructive
personality.
– If parents are too strict or begin toilet training
too early or over-emphasizing potty training,
Freud believed that an anal-retentive personality
develops in which the individual is stringent,
orderly, rigid, obstinate and obsessive. 36
 3. Phallic Stage
• 3 years to 6 years
• Pleasure zone (Erogenous Zone) is the sex
organ/genitals
• Freud suggested that during the phallic stage, the
primary focus of the libido is on the genitals.
• At this age, children also begin to discover the
differences between males and females.​
• Fixations:
– Oedipus complex in males / Electra complex in female:
– The boy will have the desire to posses his mother and displace
his father and the girl will want to posses the father and remove
her mother
– Child whom had been fixated in this stage will develop a phallic
character, such as reckless, proud and vain
– This conflict can also cause the child to be afraid of close
relationship and weak sexual identity
37
– Freud stated that fixation may be a root of homosexuality
 Cont…
• Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival
for the mother’s affections.
– The Oedipus complex describes these feelings of wanting to
possess the mother and the desire to replace the father.
However, the child also fears that he will be punished by the
father for these feelings, a fear Freud termed castration anxiety.
– The term Electra complex has been used to describe a similar
set of feelings experienced by young girls. Freud, however,
believed that girls instead experience penis envy.
• Eventually, the child begins to identify with the same-sex parent as
a means of vicariously possessing the other parent.
• For girls, however, Freud believed that penis envy was never fully
resolved and that all women remain somewhat fixated on this
stage.
• Psychologists such as Karen Horney disputed this theory, calling it
both inaccurate and demeaning to women. Instead, Horney
proposed that men experience feelings of inferiority because they
cannot give birth to children, a concept she referred to as womb
envy. 38
 4. Latency Stage
• 6 years to 11 years, until puberty
• Erogenous Zone: Sexual Feelings Are
Inactive
• During this stage, the superego continues to
develop while the id's energies are
suppressed. Children develop social skills,
values and relationships with peers and
adults outside of the family.
• No fixations occur as the child’s energy are
focused on peer activities and personal
mastery of learning and physical skills
39
 Cont.
• The development of the ego and superego contribute to
this period of calm. The stage begins around the time
that children enter into school and become more
concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other
interests.
• The latent period is a time of exploration in which the
sexual energy repressed or dormant. This energy is still
present, but it is sublimated into other areas such as
intellectual pursuits and social interactions. This stage
is important in the development of social and
communication skills and self-confidence.
• As with the other psychosexual stages, Freud believed
that it was possible for children to become fixated or
"stuck" in this phase. Fixation at this stage can result in
immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling
relationships as an adult. 40
 5. Genital Stage
• 12 years onwards
• Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual
Interests
• Sexual interest in opposite sex increase
• The child improve their personal
identities, develop caring feeling towards
others, establish loving and sexual
relationship and progress in successful
careers.
• Fixation: Frigidity, impotence and
unsatisfactory relationship
41
 Cont.
– The onset of puberty causes the libido to
become active once again.
– During the final stage of psychosexual
development, the individual develops a
strong sexual interest in the opposite sex.
– This stage begins during puberty but last
throughout the rest of a person's life.
• Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on
individual needs, interest in the welfare of
others grows during this stage.
• The goal of this stage is to establish a balance
between the various life areas.
42
 Cont..
• If the other stages have been completed
successfully, the individual should now be
well-balanced, warm, and caring.
– Unlike the many of the earlier stages of
development, Freud believed that the ego and
superego were fully formed and functioning at this
point.
– Younger children are ruled by the id, which
demands immediate satisfaction of the most basic
needs and wants.
• Teens in the genital stage of development are
able to balance their most basic urges against
the need to conform to the demands of reality
and social norms. 43
 The Trait Theory of Personality
• It is a combination of stable internal
characteristics that people display consistently
over time and across situations.
Assumptions
– Personality traits are relatively stable, across
situations, and therefore predictable, over
time.
– People differ in how much of a particular
personality trait they possess; no two people are
exactly alike on all traits.
– The result is an endless variety of unique
personalities.
– Personality is biologically based 44
 The Big five Theory
Robert McCrae and Paul Costa
is also known as the five factor
model
is known as OCEAN for short

45
 Cont…
Openness
– a person‘s willingness to try new things and be
open to new experiences.
– curiosity , flexibility and imaginative tendency
Conscientiousness
– a person‘s organization and motivation
– are careful about being in places on time and
careful with belongings as well.
– dependability and responsibility of the individual
Extraversion
– all people could be divided into two personality
types: extraverts and introverts (Carl Jung).
– Extraverts are outgoing , sociable, fun-loving,
whereas introverts are more solitary and dislike46
 Cont…
Agreeableness
– refers to the basic emotional style of a
person, who may be easygoing, friendly,
helpful, cooperative and pleasant (at the
high end of the scale) or grumpy, crabby,
hostile, self centered and hard to get along
with (at the low end).
Neuroticism
– refers to emotional instability or stability.
– People who are excessively worried,
overanxious and moody would score high on
this dimension, whereas those who are more
even-tempered and calm could score low. 47
48
 Humanistic theory of
personality
( Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow)
 Emphasize people‘s inherent goodness
and their tendency to move toward
higher levels of functioning instead of
seeing people as controlled by the
unconscious.
 Assume people have conscious, self-
motivated ability to change and
improve, along with people‘s unique
creative impulses
 is regarded as the third force in 49
 Carl Rogers and Self-Concept
Assumption
– human beings are always striving to fulfill their innate
capacities and capabilities and to become everything
that their genetic potential will allow them to
become.
– This striving for fulfillment is called self-actualizing
tendency.
– An important tool in human self-actualization is the
development of an image of oneself or the self-
concept.
– The self-concept is based on what people are told by
others and how the sense of self is reflected in the
words and actions of important people in one‘s life,
such as parents, siblings, coworkers, friends, and
50
teachers.
 Cont…
 The self concept is an important element in this
theory
 The real self
• One‘s actual perception of characteristics,
traits, and abilities that form the basis of
the striving for self-actualization
 The ideal self
 The perception of what one should be or
would like to be
 Rogers believed that when the real self and the
ideal self are very close or similar to each other,
people feel competent and capable. Otherwise
anxiety and neurotic behavior can be the result. 51
 Conditional and Unconditional
Positive Regard

• Conditional positive regard?

• Unconditional positive regard ?

• How do you explain the importance of

positive regard for personality
development?

– positive regard as warmth, affection, love, and

respect that comes from the significant others
in people‘s experience.
– Positive is vital to people‘s ability to cope with
stress and to strive to achieve self-actualization.52
 Cont…

• Rogers believed that unconditioned positive regard,

or love, affection and respect with no strings
attached, is necessary for people to be able to
explore fully all that they can achieve and
become.
• Unfortunately, some parents, spouses, and friends
give conditional positive regard, which is love,
affection, respect and warmth that depend, or seem
to depend, on doing what those people want.
• For Rogers, a person who is in the process of self-
53
54