Personality and Learning Theory and Related Assessments and Defense

Mechanisms
1) Temperament

Temperament: a childs personality which includes individual differences in

emotional, motor, attentional reactivity & self-regulation
Biopsychosocial Approach: integrative approach which contest that lifespan
development is the result of biological, psychological, and social factors which
interact to influence an individual; aka epigenetic view of development
Dimensions of Temperament
(Rothbart and Bates, 2006)

Negative emotionality: fear/sadness

Surgency/extraversion: positive approach
to others; high-intensity
Orienting/regulation: low-intensity pleasure;
soothability

Classification of Temperament
(Chess and Thomas Goodness of Fit
Theory)
Easy children: calm/relaxed; regulated
bodily functions (e.g., eating, sleeping)
Difficult children: restless/irritable;
irregular bodily functions
Slow-to-warm-up: low intensity of
reactions; somewhat negative mood

2) Personality Development

Is it continuous or changing?
Trait Theorists
Researchers who examine aspects of
personality by detailed questionnaires
(e.g., objective personality assessment)

Stage Theorists
Researchers who place personality
development within context/stage of change
(e.g., developmental/lifespan approach)

a) Continuous Traits Theory: Five Factor Model (McCrae and Costa)

Neuroticism
Extraversion
Openness to
experience
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness

Tendency to experience breakdown, e.g., sadness, depression,

guilt
Tendency to be outgoing and social
Lack of rigidity in terms of ideas, values, actions, feelings
Willingness to cooperate, demonstrate forgiveness/compliance
Strong sense of purpose with high expectations

b) Behavior and Learning Theory

Behaviorists reject the FFM and other trait approaches

They believe that behavior is influenced by environmental variables and individuals
behave differently across situations

Currently, they acknowledge the role of stable traits affecting behavior, which are
influenced by social learning (nurture) and biological factors (nurture); however,
behavior is often largely situationally based

c) Classical Conditioning

d) Operant Conditioning (aka instrumental conditioning)

Punishment: used to decrease behavior by presenting unpleasant stimuli

Extinction: process where conditioned responses are lost
Positive reinforcement: used to increase behavior by presenting pleasant
stimuli
Negative reinforcement: used to increase behavior by removing unpleasant
stimuli

e) Social Learning Theory (suggests that the info we glean from others influences
our behavior)

Modeling: demonstrating behavior (ex: wound care, deep breathing exercises, etc.)
Observational learning: process whereby we obtain information from observing
other lings, people, and events

3) Freuds Theories
a) Structure Theory

Id: Instinctual drives; goal = obtain pleasure/avoid pain

Ego: core of our personality; generally rational part; mediates between id and
superego
Superego: our conscience, moral compass, determines right from wrong

b) Drive Theory

Primary drives are sex and aggression

Primary (more primitive think id), secondary (more logical, rational; think ego)
processes
Guided by pleasure principle

c) Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development

Oral (Birth-18 mo.): pleasure center = mouth; sucking, eating, biting

Anal (18 mo. -3 yr): pleasure center = anus; goal = toilet training
Phallic (3-5 yr): pleasure center = genitals; goal = sexual curiosity
Latency (5-12yr): sexual desire dormant; cooties stage
Genital (12 yrs+): role of hormones/puberty: subconscious resurgence of phallic
stage

d) Conflict Theory and Defense Mechanisms

Conflict theory: intrapsychic conflict at core of personality development

Offers an explanation for the incorporation of defense mechanisms

Defense Mechanisms
Generally occurs at the subconscious level and are implemented to reduce anxiety

Rationalization

Intellectualizatio
n

Projection

Displacement

Repression

Suppression

Justifications/excuses to make
behavior seem logical

Emotionally detaching from situation

Placing (generally shortcomings) of

oneself onto others

Feelings toward one person is

transferred to another
Subconscious stuffing of emotions

Conscious stuffing of emotions

Reaction
formation

Portraying exact opposite of true

internal feelings

Sublimation

Channeling id like impulses into

socially acceptable activities

You avoid dating due to low

self-confidence but say that
you are avoiding dating to
focus on your career
You are diagnosed with a
terrible disease and focus on
learning everything about it
to remain distant from the
reality of the situation
You are angry at your
spouse for not listening
when it is really you that
doesnt listen
You are mad at your boss
but take it out on your
spouse
You were in a car accident
but cant remember
anything about it
You are attracted to
someone but say that you
are not
You act nice and friendly to
someone you really dislike
You re-direct your rage into
something like boxing
instead

5) Assessments vs Tests

Assessment: vast array of evaluative measures

Test: instruments that yield scores for a specific data set (a component of an
assessment)

General purposes of Assessment

1. To assess how well a student is learning (i.e. rule out a learning disorder)
2. To obtain clarification (e.g., Bipolar/ADHD/Anxiety)
3. To determine level impairment post-TBI (e.g. neuropsychological assessment)
4. To identify primary personality traits (e.g., MMPI-2, Rorschach)
5. To determine a childs readiness for the next grade
6. To determine parental fitness (e.g., custody evaluation)
7. To determine college/grad school readiness (both socially & cognitively)
8. To assist with career planning (e.g., CAI)

Aptitude

Achievement

Inherent cognitive ability, i.e. IQ, which is

mental age divided by chronological age
Ex: WPPSI-II, WISC-IV, WAIS-IV, StanfordBinet

Academic knowledge gained/acquired;

largely a product of effort, motivation, and
study skills
Ex: Woodcock-Johnson III, ACT, SAT, CAT

*Note: An aptitude-achievement discrepancy can denote a learning disorder.*

Objective Personality Tests
Pen-and-paper (or computerized) tests in
MC/TF formats which asses various aspects
of personality

Projective Personality Tests

Responses to various stimuli (like pictures)
are used to assess personality variables

Ex: MMPI-2, MCMI-III, PAI, MBTI, NEO-PI-R

Ex: Rorschach Inkblot Test, Bender GestaltII, Drawing tests (e.g. House-Tree-Person),
Kinetic Family Drawing, Sentence
Completion Tests

Purposes of IQ Assessment
1. Assess for mental retardation
2. Detect specific learning disabilities
3. Identify giftedness
4. Assess intellectual functioning posttrauma
5. Assist in placement for private/boarding
schools
6. Incorporation with personality testing in
order
to comprise a full scale psychological
assessment

Purposes of Personality Assessment

1. Enhance client insight
2. Assist in case conceptualization and
diagnosis
3. Assist in psychotropic medication
decisions
4. Assist in treatment planning
5. Assist in court decisions (forensic
evaluations)
6. Assist in job placement decisions
7. Assist in diagnostic decisions for
medical
Issues
8. Identify those at risk (e.g., suicide
potential)