Personality, 9e

Jerry M. Burger

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What is Personality?
Chapter 1
Chapter Outline
•The person and the situation
•Defining personality
•Six approaches to personality
•Personality and culture
•The study of personality: Theory,
application, assessment, and
research
1-3
The Person and the Situation
•Both the situation and the
person influence behavior
•Individual's personality
determines:
•How different he/she is from
others
•How he/she behaves in the
different situations 1-4
Personality
•Consistent behavior patterns and
intrapersonal processes
originating within the individual
•Consistent patterns of behavior
•To an extent, individual behavior is
consistent across time and situations
•Intrapersonal processes
•Emotional, motivational, and cognitive
processes that influence individual's
feelings and actions 1-5
Approaches to Personality
Psychoanalytic
• Unconscious mind is responsible for
important differences in behavior
styles

Trait
• An individual lies along a
continuum of various personality
characteristics
1-6
Approaches to Personality
Biological
• Inherited predispositions and
physiological processes contribute to
differences in personality
Humanistic
• Personal responsibility and feelings
of self-acceptance cause
differences in personality
1-7
Approaches to Personality
Behavioral/social learning
• Consistent behavior patterns are
the result of conditioning and
expectations

Cognitive
•People process information to
explain differences in behavior
1-8
 Aggression
•Psychoanalytic approach’s explanation
•People possess an unconscious
desire to self-destruct
•Self-destructive impulses are
expressed against others in the
form of aggression
•Aggression occurs when people are
blocked from reaching their goals
1-9
Aggression
•Trait approach’s explanation
•Focusses on individual differences and
the stability of aggressive behavior
• Aggressive children are most likely to become
aggressive adults
•Biological approach’s explanation
•Genetic predisposition towards
aggression
•Evolutionary theory
1 - 10
Aggression
•Humanistic approach’s explanation
•People are basically good
•Aggression arises when something
interferes with natural growth process
• Inadequate basic needs, poor self-image
•Behavioral/social approach’s
explanation
•People learn to be aggressive
•Aggressive behavior that is rewarded will
be repeated
1 - 11
Aggression
•Cognitive explanation
•Certain cues in the
environment trigger a
network of aggressive
thoughts and emotions
1 - 12
Depression
•Psychoanalytic approach’s explanation
•Depression is a result of holding
unconscious feelings of anger and
hostility
•Trait approach’s explanation
•Focuses on identifying depression-prone
individuals
•Person’s general emotional level at
present can indicate that person’s
emotions in the future
1 - 13
Depression
•Biological approach’s explanation
•Certain people inherit a genetic
susceptibility to depression
•Humanistic approach’s
explanation
•People frequently suffering from
depression are those who have
low self-worth
1 - 14
Depression
•Behavioral/social approach’s explanation
•Depression results from a lack of
positive reinforces in a person’s life
•Cognitive approach’s explanation
•Depression depends on how people
interpret their inability to control
events
•Certain individuals use a depressive
filter to interpret and process
information 1 - 15
Personality and Culture
•Cultural context influences an
individual’s personality
•Individualistic cultures: Emphasize
on individual needs and
accomplishments
•Individuals perceive themselves as
independent and unique
•Includes Northern European countries and
the United States
1 - 16
Personality and Culture
•Collectivist cultures: Emphasize on
belonging to a larger group
•Family, tribe, or nation
•Includes Asian, African, Central
American, and South American
countries
•Cultural context influences
interpretation of an individual's
behaviour 1 - 17
Study of Personality: Theory
•Genetic versus environmental influences
•Biological and trait theorists argue that
psychologists fail to recognize the
significance of inherited predispositions
•Psychoanalytic theorists emphasize
innate needs and unconscious behavior
patterns
•Humanistic, behavioral/social learning,
and cognitive theorists rarely emphasize
inherited influences on personality
1 - 18
Figure 1.1 - Position of the Six Approaches to
Personality on Three Theory Issues

1 - 19
Study of Personality: Theory
•Conscious versus unconscious
determinants of behaviour
•Psychoanalyst view asserts that
much of what people do is
without awareness
•Behaviour perspective asserts that
people assume they understand
the reasons for their actions but in
reality they do not 1 - 20
Study of Personality: Theory
•Trait and cognitive theorists
assume people can identify
and report their level of
social anxiety
•Humanistic theorists argue
that people do not
understand why they act the
way they do 1 - 21
Study of Personality: Theory
•Free will versus determinism
•Behaviorists argue that behavior is not
freely chosen but it is the result of
environmental forces and accumulated
history of experiences
•Psychoanalytic theorists emphasize innate
needs and unconscious mechanisms
•Humanistic theorists identify personal
choice and responsibility as the basis of
mental health
1 - 22
Study of Personality: Theory
•Trait theorists and biological
theorists emphasize genetic
predispositions
•Cognitive psychotherapists
encourage their clients to
recognize the cause of their
problems and help them to
develop strategies to avoid future
difficulties 1 - 23
Study of Personality: Application
•Psychoanalytic therapists attend to
unconscious causes of the problem
behaviour
•Humanistic therapists provide the
atmosphere for clients to explore
their feelings
•Cognitive therapists try to change
the way their clients process
information 1 - 24
 Study of Personality: Application
•Behaviorists structure the
environment to increase the
frequency of desired behaviors and
decrease undesired behaviors
•Personality theory and research is
used by psychologists in
educational, organizational, and
counseling settings
1 - 25
 Study of Personality: Assessment
•Researchers use self-report
inventories to measure personality
•Psychoanalytic psychologists focus on
learning unconscious thoughts
•Require test takers to respond to
ambiguous stimuli
•Behavioral psychologists observe
behavior to determine consistent
behavior patterns 1 - 26
Study of Personality: Research
•Test principles and assumptions of
certain researches are central to the
theory
•Few researches are focused on the
concepts introduced by personality
theory
•Psychology researchers employ
several methods to uncover
information about personality
1 - 27