Overview
This lecture explores the concept of personality—how we define, assess, and measure it, the main theories behind it, and methods for evaluating both ourselves and others.
Defining Personality
- Personality is a person's consistent predispositions to think, feel, and behave in particular ways.
- Psychologists define personality as enduring response patterns across various situations.
- Personality helps predict behavior, which is important for relationships and social interactions.
Assessing Personality
- We often judge personality with quick indicators like facial expressions, posture, tone, and room organization.
- Outward appearance (clothes, hair, tattoos) and one's social media may offer clues but are less reliable than behavioral patterns.
- Observing someone's environment (like their dorm room) can reveal more about their personality than brief face-to-face meetings.
Historical Context & Theories
- The word "personality" comes from "persona," Latin for the theatrical masks actors wore to display emotions.
- Ancient Greeks believed personality was influenced by body fluids or "humors" (e.g., melancholic, sanguine).
- Modern psychology recognizes genetic and environmental influences.
Major Theories of Personality
- Learning Theory: Personality is shaped by environmental rewards and punishments.
- Humanistic Theory: Focuses on conscious experience and feelings of personal growth.
- Trait Theory: Emphasizes enduring characteristics (traits), like those measured by tests such as Myers-Briggs.
- Cognitive Theory: Considers how thought patterns and interpretations affect personality.
- Psychoanalytic Theory: Attributes personality to unconscious motives and early childhood experiences.
The Big Five Personality Traits ("OCEAN")
- Openness: Imagination and willingness to try new things.
- Conscientiousness: Organization, dependability, and discipline.
- Extraversion: Sociability and outgoingness.
- Agreeableness: Trust, kindness, and cooperativeness.
- Neuroticism: Emotional instability and tendency toward anxiety.
Measuring Personality
- The Big Five Inventory is considered a reliable, research-backed tool for personality assessment.
- Observing behavioral “residue” (room organization, decorations) helps reveal traits, especially openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
- Projective tests (e.g., TAT, Rorschach Inkblot) involve interpreting ambiguous images, revealing unconscious aspects of personality.
- Objective tests (e.g., MMPI) use structured questions for a more standardized assessment.
Practical Uses of Personality Assessment
- Clinical psychologists use personality tests in therapy and diagnosis.
- Legal and government professionals use profiling to assess suspects or foreign leaders.
- Popular media (e.g., TV crime dramas) often depict profiling based on personality analysis.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Personality — Enduring response patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
- Trait — A stable characteristic influencing behavior.
- Big Five/OCEAN — Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
- Projective Test — Assessment method using ambiguous stimuli to reveal personality aspects.
- Objective Test — Standardized questionnaire to measure personality traits.
- Persona — The “mask” or face we present to others, originating from theater.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Read about Freud’s psychoanalytic approach to personality, focusing on the id, ego, and superego.
- Be prepared for a summary of Freud's theory and an introduction to psychological disorders next class.