...Personality Danielle Taliaferro PSY 211 June 5, 2013 Andrea Mc Lellan, MA, MFT Personality The study of personality is one of the major topics of interest within psychology. Each of us, as human beings, influences much that is within us and around us. Each person has many psychological attributes; feelings, thoughts and motivations. It is our personality that orchestrates our psychological qualities. Some individuals cannot help but wonder how the personality works, how it came to be and what it might mean for their future. Some also wonder about the personalities of others; how they are the same or different from them. Although these questions are intriguing, the question that must be answered first is the most basic: “What is personality?” Personality encompasses the many characteristics that arise from within an individual. It is what makes an individual unique. Researchers have developed four different perspectives on personality. Each of these perspectives attempts to describe different patterns in personality, including how these patters form and how people differ on an individual level. Psychoanalytic Perspective emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences and the unconscious mind. This perspective was created by psychiatrist Sigmund Freud who believed that things hidden in the unconscious could be revealed in a number of different ways, including through dreams, free association and slips of the tongue. Freud’s work shaped the fields of clinical...
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...Personality Analysis PSY/ 405 April 29, 2013 Dave Brueshoff Personality Analysis In this paper I will compare and contrast dispositional, humanistic and existential theories of personality. I will also give the basic underlying assumptions of each of these approaches to personality and analyze the characteristics to each of these theories. I will also explain the interpersonal relational aspects that are associated with these theories. According to aboutpsychology.com Humanistic theories of personality stress the basic goodness of human beings and the need to achieve one's full potential. Learn more about some of the major humanistic theories of personality. Comparing and Contrasting When looking at the humanistic and existential theories of personality these theories the individual on a holistic sense. Humanistic and existential theories and dispositional theories are all similar because they all search for an understanding the importance of behavior based on the individuals personal perception of life. All these theories focus on conscious decision making, free will and abilities. According to Abraham Maslow he looked at the humanistic approach to personality as taking full advantage of opportunities available to them and explores new ideas that would improve their life. Maslow also believed that there are many opportunities to people but first they have to be self-actualized. Maslow referred to these qualities in those who are self-actualized, as B-values (Feist...
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...My idea, my notion, my concept, my theory of Personality PSY 243 Professor Cronin May 15, 2013 Keily A. Perdomo Abstract What is meant by personality? It is the inner quality of a person, the sum of their life experiences, the way the environment affects a persons’ outlook and a conscious choice. Personality is not better or worse than any other person’s. Scientifically, we all have a personality and each one is different. In this paper it will express my ideas, perceptions, notions and essentially my theory of personality. Following with actually theories and theorist’s view I perceive to be similar to mine; along with support as to why. In closing it will be indicated which theory I sense most differs from my own. Section 1 Personality is something we all carry, little things that define us and make us unique. It can also be viewed how as well as why people are the way they are. Qualities we possess, show, and analyze to fully understand what in addition to who we are up against. These traits can allow us to be very open with individuals, in an environment, or situation. On the other hand they can also brand one to be very cryptic, the type that only distribute so much of them to be noticed but still have so much to them underneath their disguise. Qualities that give someone "character" can allow them to be what others look for. It can also be viewed as somewhat of energy, someone’s personality can be felt in many ways such as: writing, music, and most commonly...
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...The theories of personality make for an interesting topic of discussion. It has become known that traits and characteristics individuate personality. However, there is single way to describe someone’s personality. Comparing and contrasting Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung; each has perspectives with different and similar basic or underlying assumptions, describing the relationship between deterministic and free will concepts of humanity, and motives for behavior such as awareness of self. Each proposes strengths and limitations within the theory they describe as well. Underlying Assumptions When explaining concepts of personality, one cannot turn a blind eye to Sigmund Freud as he was an innovative mastermind in psychodynamic theory; better known as psychoanalysis. It is a form of theory as well as therapy for individuals to motivate behavior. He treated neurotic disorders for which there were no physical causes leading him to discover psychic determinism. This is an idea that exhibited behavior and personality are determined by psychological factors rather biological conditions or current life events (Westmont Psychology, 2002). He also believes that the unconscious mind controls part of someone’s personality. He explains that the unconscious psychological process determines thought, feelings, and behavior. Thus he created methods for exploring the unconscious known as free association, and analysis of dreams. Two cornerstones of psychoanalysis are sex and aggression because Freud...
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...Running head: BIOLOGICAL AND HUMANISTIC THEORIES Biological and Humanistic Theories Victor Bell University Of Phoenix Psychology of Personality Psy 250 Byron Pettit, M.A. Due July 29, 2009 Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Understanding the wide range and the development of personalities within our culture has been an ongoing challenge for hundreds of years. Within this document we will consider why people have completely different personalities even in the case of identical twins. Although Freud’s believed that people were basically born with their personality intact, many different theories have developed over the years in direct contrast to Freud’s. I will also consider the impact of genetics, environment and the role they play in reference to the biological aspect of personality development. Two of the more popular personality theories today are Biological and Humanistic; I will analyze and compare both theories to demonstrate an understanding of the differences and similarities between them. The Biological factor determines our physical make-up the color of our eyes, hair how tall we will grow as adults, and our overall body type. Base on society standards our appearance will affect the way we are viewed and treated by others from childhood into adulthood. The preferential treatment that one may receive due to their physical appearance will create a superior level of confidence and self-worth that in most cases will continue throughout...
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...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality PSY/250 September 2, 2014 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was a very interesting topic that I learned quite a bit about. He wanted to understand what motivates people, motivation is what drives people to accomplish goals in their lives or better yet set them. Maslow’s Needs are set at 5 levels and when unmet the physical body as well as mental has some type of reaction. The lower basic needs to be met before climbing the ladder to higher needs. Maslow put his research and findings in to easier terms for me to understand, so I feel as though I can talk about it a little better than trying to explain other theorists’ theories. There are 5 stages within the hierarchy needs which include: biological and physical needs, safety needs, love and belongingness, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs. Our basic needs in life like sleep, water, air food, and shelter fall under the biological and physical needs without these it would be hard for us to meet any needs throughout life, we would probably be dead or laying in a hospital somewhere with tons of tubes hooked up to our bodies. Love and belongingness is the intimacy, affection, friendship, and love portion of our lives. As Freud discussed these types of things start happening around the age of 6 in which he explained was our social relations. Safety needs cover law, order, freedom of fear, and stability. We all have to have some type of structure to follow for our lives or...
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...Personality Overview Kimberly Hayes August 4, 2013 Dr. Bernard Wakley There are many different personality theories that differ from one another and offer different perspectives. Being able to understand personality’s helps with a better understanding of what motivates people. Though there is no set definition of personality many theorists have different theories to explain it and understand it better. The purpose of this paper is to choose two theories of personality, analyze the strengths and limitations, and also compare and contrast them. According to (Feist & Feist, (2009), Freud believed that unconscious contained all of the instincts, urges, and drives that were beyond awareness, but could motivate actions, words, and feelings. But one question that came up was how one could really know if the unconscious exists when it is not available to the conscious mind. His answer was that repression, the meanings behind dreams, and even when there is a slip of the tongue explained it. The first of the modern theories of personality was developed by Sigmund Freud. His theory was called the psychoanalytic theory. According to (Feist & Feist, (2009), this theory is the most famous of all of the personality theories. Freud used his experiences with patients, and his own dreams to get his understanding of personality. Freud’s greatest contribution to the theory of personality was his belief that individuals were motivated by drives which he believed were divided...
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...Learning Personality Theories Bob Smith PSY405 The learning theories in psychology give us the insight into how we learn and how we interact with other people. Our personalities are what people see us as. They make a determination of our personality based on how we act towards others. We all learn in different ways and this is what makes us unique in our ability to do so. We have different learning styles and they show us what type of personality we carry as well. Our interpersonal relationships are also very important. They are impacted by the way we interact with others. If we tend to stay away from people, then our relationships suffer or we may have none. The whole idea here is to see how the learning theories help us figure out what kind of personality we have and the ability to connect with others. Individual personalities are affected by learning theories and many other factors. It was explained by Skinner that psychology must avoid internal mental factors and confine itself to observable physical events (Feist, & Feist, 2009). Theories are invested and developed through the outside world and our environment. We take in information through observing the things in the world around us. People tend to pick these behaviors up from parents, family members, friends, caregivers and media outlets. These behaviors shape the human mind and alter the individual’s personality. As children we learn a lot by observing our parents and adults closest to us. One of the many examples...
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...Levosky Biological and Humanistic Approach He or she can commonly recognize the aspects of Freudian psychology is the presence of the Id, Ego, and Superego. In knowing this Freud says, there are levels of consciousness that shape human personality. With the knowledge of the most basic is the Id, which can make us realize what our most basic human instincts are.The Ego is responsible for taking care of our most basic needs and the Superego dictates how we address those needs in a manner consistent with social norms. Freud also believed that sex-drive, or libido, does more to shape our personality and interactions than anything else does. He or she who is being honest with themselves could agree that sexual desires can shape our personality. Most people’s instinct to reproduce is certainly one of the greatest forces that drives anyone, or any living being. One certain instinct that is a greater force in the world, is the need to survive. Abraham Maslow is a famous psychologist who stated that people have different levels of needs that must be fulfilled before the next, higher, level of needs can be achieved (Friedman &Schustack, 2009). This is called Maslow’s Hierarchy. Maslow stated that one’s physiological needs are the most basic. Some of these needs are to survive; the need for food and water. As soon as people have these needs they feel safer, this is Maslow’s second level in his hierarchy. The next three levels have to deal with people’s social needs and their...
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...ESSAY “Biological theories of major personality traits have been highly speculative with at least as much disconfirming evidence as confirming” The first who attempt to describe personality traits was the ancient Greek philosopher- Aristotle, he identified three personality traits such as, modesty, bravery and vanity. He was followed by Hippocrates who provided the idea that physical illness it is caused by the balance of bodily fluids; such as blood, black bile, phlegm and yellow bile. He argued that if a person had an excess of black bile than that person would have a melancholic temperament; underlined by the feeling of depressed mood. Those with phlegmatic temperament were described by being very calm and those with sanguine temperament were confident ant optimistic. Another great philosopher who wrote about personality traits was the German Immanuel Kant, who argued the fact that there are four types of personality and those personality traits were underlined by how active the person was and his individual's feelings. These philosophers were focusing about types of personality and not the personality traits. Trait theorists are aiming to find the basic structure of personality and to produce reliable ways of measuring personality differences. Gordon Alport identified 18000 words of which 4500 described personality traits. Alport conceptualised human nature as normally being rational creative, active and self-reliant...
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...and the psyche the psyche is both conscious and the substantial unconscious aspect of personality, more in as a complex personally disturbing a constellation of ideas. A complex has a very disproportionate influence on behavior. It occurs over and over again in our life. Such in a mother complex will spend time related to the idea of mother whereas the same in a father as in sex, power, money or any other complex. Jung didn't believe that the stages of development where important such as Freud. Jung defined the stages in terms of the focus of libidinal energy. Jung disagreed with Freud about the nature of the libido. Freud believed that the libido was mainly sexual in nature and how it was invested within the five years of life was determined by a large extent on what a individual adult personality would be like. He also believed that libidinal energy was directed simply toward whatever was important to the individual at the time and what was important changed as a function of a person's maturation. Jung believed that the libido as general biological life energy that is concentrated on different problems as they arise. Libido is the driving force behind the psyche which is focused on the various needs either biological or spiritual. The value of something is determined by how much libidinal energy is put into. Jung also believed that the Libido was the driving force for the personality of a person, and however much energy is put behind the force is how well the person’s...
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...Answer any five of the following questions. 2. What is the General Adaptation Syndrome, explain with an example. Scientist Hans Selye (1907-1982) introduced the General Adaptation Syndrome model in 1936 showing in three phases what the alleged effects of stress has on the body. In his work, Selye - 'the father of stress research,' developed the theory that stress is a major cause of disease because chronic stress causes long-term chemical changes. He observed that the body would respond to any external biological source of stress with a predictable biological pattern in an attempt to restore the body’s internal homeostasis. This initial hormonal reaction is your fight or flight stress response - and its purpose is for handling stress very quickly! The process of the body’s struggle to maintain balance is what Selye termed, the General Adaptation Syndrome. Pressures, tensions, and other stressors can greatly influence your normal metabolism. Selye determined that there is a limited supply of adaptive energy to deal with stress. That amount declines with continuous exposure. Going through a series of steps, your body consistently works to regain stability. With the general adaptation syndrome, a human’s adaptive response to stress has three distinct phases: ALARM STAGE - Your first reaction to stress recognizes there’s a danger and prepares to deal with the threat, a.k.a. the fight or flight response. Activation of the HPA axis, the nervous system (SNS) and the adrenal glands...
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...PERSONALITY THEORIES CAROL TRIPP BEH/225 August 30, 2014 Christina Ashley In this paper I will talk about personality traits from different theories, how each one them have different studies about what they think about personality, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Carol Rogers, and Abraham Maslow. Personality is totality of qualities and traits, as of character or behavior, which are peculiar to a specific person. The set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving, etc. that makes a person different from other people. ***SIGMUND FREUD: Freud believes that behavior and personality derives from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness: the preconscious, conscious, and the unconscious. *Preconscious mind – is the part of the mind that represents ordinary memory. *Conscious mind – includes everything we are aware of. *Unconscious mind – is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. According to Freud the mind can be divided into three different levels. Freud likened these three levels of mind to an iceberg. The part of the iceberg that you can see above the water represents the conscious mind. The part of the iceberg that is submerged below the water but is still visible is the preconscious; the bulk of the iceberg lies unseen beneath the waterline and represents the unconscious. According to Sigmund Freud psychoanalytic theory of...
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...Personality Overview December 9, 2013 Lori McClaskey University of Phoenix Psy-405 Stephen Brown When you watch your child grow from a very needful infant in to a productive member of the community you witness the development of his/her personality. How does one explain where a personality comes from? Several theorist have given their answer to this question based on their own life experience. In this paper I will review and compare two personality theories. I will review the strengths and weaknesses each one presents from my own perspective. I will also see how they relate to the conscious and unconscious mind. Psychoanalytic Social Theory Karen Horney made assumptions and based on her assumptions Psychoanalytic theory was born. This theory was based on childhood experiences, social and cultural conditions causing the personality to get its form. Basically, if one does not have all the needs met in childhood such as love, acceptance then the person forms hostility toward their parents. This also led to basic anxiety. Horney theorized that people combat basic anxiety by adopting one of three fundamental styles of relating to others: (1) moving toward people, (2) moving against people, or (3) moving away from people (Feist &Feist, 2009). Karen Horney used her life as a guide for her theory ad she is well known for her work with Neurotic personality. People can protect themselves from basic anxiety through a number of protective devices, including (1) affection...
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...Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Kris Ruth PSY/250 Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality Understanding the Biological and Humanistic Approaches to Personality can help an individual determine the reason for their personalities. Every person has his or her unique personality about himself or herself. Our personality is what makes each individual different from one another. Personalities controls out emotion, unconscious feeling, and behavior making it difficult to determine how a person will react to certain situation. Using the Maslow’s Hirarchy needs can help demonstrate the reason for humanistic approaches and the growth influence of each individual personality. Using the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs growth influence personality based on five major categories of each individual. The first is physiological needs such as food, clothing, sleep, oxygen, and shelter. To get through life individuals personality has to encounter the physiological need in order to live as a human. The second level is safety and security, each individual has a sense that he or she feels he or she has to be protected from others in certain circumstances. Having that pride makes the individual feel secure. Once an individual develops a since of security the third category includes needs, such as sense of belonging and loved. These feelings formatted as a cycle; while an individual feels secure, the feeling of wanting to be love and feeling of being accepted come...
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