Lecture Notes: Personality Theory

Introduction to Rorschach Test

• Rorschach's belief: answers to inkblots reveal personality traits.
• Hermann Rorschach: Swiss psychoanalyst fascinated by inkblots (klecksography).
• Inspired by Carl Jung's word association techniques.
• Controversial nature of the Rorschach test as a diagnostic tool.
• Rorschach test as part of the broader quest to understand personality.

Defining Personality

• Definition: Distinctive and enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
• Two broad approaches to studying personality:
  1. Understanding specific characteristics (e.g., introvertedness vs. extrovertedness).
  2. Examining how various traits combine to form individuality.
• Competing perspectives on personality theory:
  • Psychoanalytic perspective (Freud).
  • Other perspectives to be explored in future lectures.

Psychoanalytic Perspective (Sigmund Freud)

• Freud's theory: existence of the unconscious mind.
• Unconscious as a reservoir of unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and desires.
• Personality shaped by conflicts between impulses and social control.
• The mind divided into three parts:
  1. Id: Primitive, instinctive part (pleasure principle).
  2. Ego: Conscious, realistic part managing id's desires.
  3. Superego: Moral conscience, representing ideals.
• Anxiety results from conflicts among id, ego, and superego.

Defense Mechanisms

• Egos use defense mechanisms to protect against anxiety:
  • Repression: Banning thoughts causing anxiety to the unconscious.
  • Regression: Retreating to infantile behaviors under stress.
  • Reaction Formation: Expressing opposite of unacceptable impulses.
  • Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable impulses to others.
  • Rationalization: Justifying behaviors with excuses.
  • Displacement: Redirecting impulses towards a less threatening target.
  • Denial: Refusing to accept reality or painful truths.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

• Freud's five stages:
  1. Oral Stage: Pleasure from eating.
  2. Anal Stage: Focus on control of bowel movements.
  3. Phallic Stage: Awareness of sexuality; Oedipus complex.
  4. Latency Stage: Dormant sexual feelings (age 6 to puberty).
  5. Genital Stage: Mature sexual interests.
• Fixation: Trouble resolving conflicts can lead to personality issues later in life.

Neo-Freudians and Critiques

• Neo-Freudians build on but disagree with Freud:
  • Karen Horney: Critiqued penis envy; proposed womb envy.
  • Carl Jung: Suggested collective unconscious and archetypes.
  • Alfred Adler: Focused on social tensions and inferiority complexes.
• Freud's ideas remain controversial; some have been disputed.

Humanistic Perspective

• Focus on the inherent goodness of people and personal growth.
• Abraham Maslow: Hierarchy of needs; self-actualization at the top.
  • Self-Actualization: Reaching one's full potential.
  • Self-Transcendence: Finding meaning beyond oneself.
• Carl Rogers: Person-centered perspective; importance of a growth-promoting environment.
  • Three conditions for personal growth:
    1. Genuineness: Openness and transparency.
    2. Acceptance: Non-judgmental support.
    3. Empathy: Understanding and reflecting others' feelings.

Conclusion

• Psychoanalytic and humanistic theories set the foundation for personality understanding.
• Future lectures will cover modern perspectives and empirical standards in personality measurement.
• Acknowledgment of contributors to the lecture, including writers, editors, and the graphics team.