A General Framework for Personality Psychology Life Events and Broad Social Contexts Parents, peers, teachers, School board, SES, Culture (via conditions)

•Latent/Enduring Dispositions

Traits – the broad strokes of how we differ from each other, eg N, E, O, A, C (& H?) Biology Brain Anatomy, Biochemicals, Genes

“In the Moment”

Occurrent Cognitions

Objective Environmental Properties

Social and Behavioral Events

Perceived Environmental Properties

Occurrent Emotions

Cognitive Approach to Personality: How personality works Contextually-tuned dispositions to think, perceive, feel, etc.

3 Parts I. Roots of Cognitive Approach II. Basic cognitive concepts & ideas III. The Self

Roots of Cognitive Approach • Needs, motivation • Identity and Self-concept • Conscious vs unconscious processing • Thinking, interpretation, perception • Contextual effects on behavior Psychodynamic perspectives (e.g., Freud, Jung) Humanistic perspectives (e.g., Fromm, Maslow) Behaviorist perspectives & social learning theory

What’s going on with this guy? Come back to this…..

Why talk about the “roots”? Deeper understanding of contemporary concepts Enduring impact on society and culture Eg, Freud: Therapy, Art, Literature, Sociology, Religion, Politics, etc.

Why talk about the “roots”? Enduring impact on society and culture

Interpretation of Dreams - 35th most influential event of the millennium

Psychodynamic Perspective What makes us do what we do? Can you even know why you do what you do? Can your mind fool itself? If so, why? Do we have free will? Freud in particular - sex, aggression, irrationality, determinism, unconscious, internal conflicts, early experiences, parental conflicts, etc.

Psychoanalytic Perspective (Freud) Outline • • • •

Topographical model of the mind Thin line between conscious and unconscious Defense mechanisms Internal structure of the mind (id, ego, superego) - book • Contemporary Psychoanalytic perspectives

Psychoanalytic Perspective Topographical Model of the Mind

Psychoanalytic Perspective Topographical Model of the Mind Unconscious – the vast, deep layers of the personality. • Material that’s deeply hidden from our awareness. • Thoughts, motivations, desires, fears, feelings • Information that would be painful to realize about the self • The real motivations for our behavior

Psychoanalytic Perspective Thin line Between the conscious and unconscious

Sometimes our unconscious thoughts, etc slip into the conscious. How? • • • • •

Free Association Dreams (manifest content vs. latent content) “Freudian slips” Humor

Dreams – Experimental study of thought suppression and dreams Wegner, D. M., Wenzlaff, R. M., & Kozak, M. (2004). Dream rebound: The return of suppressed thoughts in dreams. Psychological Science, 15, 232-236.

“Wishes suppressed during the day assert themselves in dreams” (Freud, 1900) Hypothesis – information that’s suppressed in waking life should emerge in dreams Don’t think about a white bear Don’t think about sex

Dreams N = 330 Given materials to complete at night and in morning. Presleep task (5 min): • Think of two people – crush and noncrush – one was the “target” • Stream of consciousness task (write about thoughts) – 3 conditions – Suppression of thoughts about target – Expression of thoughts about target – Mention – supply target’s initials, but write about anything

Morning task: • Rated how much had dreamt about crush • Rated how much had dreamt about noncrush • Write all dreams for night – content analysis done later to code for # of mentions of crush and noncrush

Dreams

Dreams

Dreams Implications? Seems that… We have a tendency to dream about material that has been suppressed in our waking life more that material that has been expressed. Sexuality does not seem to play a role in this – no difference were found when the “crush” was the target versus the “non-crush”

Defense Mechanisms The conscious mind defends itself from material that would be threatening, damaging, distressful to your self-concept. To avoid anxiety, ego distorts reality – keep “true” thoughts/feelings out of awareness

Psychoanalytic Perspective Defense mechanisms

Repression - keep the material out of awareness Projection – You believe that another person has the feelings/beliefs that you’re repressing. Reaction Formation – You express the opposite of your true (unconscious) thoughts (eg, American Beauty)

Reaction formation The Top 16 Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay

Reaction formation Homophobia and Latent Homosexuality Matthew Shepard 1998 Did McKinney Have a Secret Sex Life? From ABC’s 20/20 Nov 26, 2004 O'Connor had known Aaron McKinney for years. In flush times, McKinney partied in O'Connor's limos, and, in fact, McKinney and his girlfriend lived for a while in an apartment on O'Connor's property. O'Connor says he never heard McKinney express any anti-gay attitudes. In his interview with Vargas, O'Connor reveals his belief that McKinney is bisexual. "I know of an instance where he had a three-way, two guys and one gal," he said. "Because he did it with me." O'Connor added, "I know he's bisexual. There ain't no doubt in my mind. He is bisexual." McKinney's former girlfriend Price says she now believes that as well. "He was always into trying to talk me into having a three-way with one of his guy friends," she said. In her prison interview with McKinney, Vargas asked McKinney directly whether he had had any sexual encounters with men. McKinney said no.

Reaction formation Homophobia and Latent Homosexuality Adams HE, Wright LW Jr, Lohr BA. Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? J Abnorm Psychol. 1996 Aug;105(3):440-5.

Two groups of males - low homophobic and highhomophobic (n=60) Watched 3 erotic videotapes Do they exhibit arousal to homosexual stimuli? Penile plethysmograph

Reaction formation Homophobia and Latent Homosexuality Videotape

Low homophobic

High Homophobic

M&F

High aroused

High aroused

F&F

High aroused

High aroused

M&M

Not aroused

Medium aroused

Alternative interpretations?

Contemporary Psychoanalysis “Orthodox” Freudian Theory has been severely criticized as... • • • • •

Non-scientific Derived from clinical observations Sexist & culturally limited Just plain wrong! Among other things....

Contemporary Psychoanalysis 5 Basic postulates of “comtemporary” Psychoanalytic theory D. Westen (1998), Psychological Bulletin

Contemporary Psychoanalysis 5postulates of contemporary psychoanalytic theory D. Westen (1998), Psychological Bulletin

1) Unconscious plays a large role in life

Contemporary Psychoanalysis 5 Basic postulates of “contemporary” Psychoanalytic theory 1) Unconscious plays a large role in life – example 2) Behavior often reflects compromises in conflicts between mental process 3) Childhood is important in personality development 4) Mental representations of the self and relationships guide our interactions with others 5) Personality development means moving from an immature, dependent relationship style to a mature, independent relationship style.

What’s going on with this guy?

Psychodynamic Freud was first. Others moved in different directions Jung, Adler, Horney, Erikson, etc.

“Neo-analytic” perspectives Revise/extend Freud’s original ideas –Less about sex –Less about unconscious (except Carl Jung) –More about social relationships & self concept

1955

Carl Jung Notable ideas: • Collective Unconscious • Archetypes • Extroversion-Introversion • Individuation Taken in direction of mysticism http://www.folkstory.com/reso urces.html

1955

Jung – levels of consciousness Conscious Personal unconscious Collective unconscious (archetypes)

Jung - Archetypes Archetype emotional imagery, memories, symbols common to all people, derived from common ancestral heritage -Hero, Shadow, magician/sage, anima/animus, individuation

Expressed in myth, art, literature, religion, dreams

Jung - Archetypes

Jung - Archetypes Archetypes in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. Hero Old wise man/Magician/Sage Shadow (alter-ego) Anima/Animus (gendered alter-ego) Self, Individuation

Jung – Archetypes right and wrong about these examples?

Jung - Individuation Individuation – the process of self-development. In the words of a Jungian Psychotherapist:

Jung - Individuation Symbols of individuation Mandala Sanskrit – “healing circle” or “whole world” Tibetan Buddhism Universal? Native American, Europe, etc Jung – the symbol itself has deep psychological meaning.

Jung – Individuation (Mandala)

Jung – Individuation (Mandala)

Jung – Individuation (Yin and Yang)

Jung – Individuation

Contemporary interest in archetypes - example “A brand’s meaning—how it resonates in the public heart and mind—is a company’s most valuable competitive advantage. Yet, few companies really know how brand meaning works, how to manage it, and how to use brand meaning strategically. Written by best-selling author Carol S. Pearson (The Hero Within) and branding guru Margaret Mark, this groundbreaking book provides the illusive and compelling answer. Using studies drawn from the experiences of Nike, Marlboro, Ivory and other powerhouse brands, the authors show that the most successful brands are those that most effectively correspond to fundamental patterns in the unconscious mind known as archetypes. The book provides tools and strategies to: • Implement a proven system for identifying the most appropriate and leverageable archetypes for any company and/or brand • Harness the power of the archetype to align corporate strategy to sustain competitive advantage

Neo-Analytic Approaches Jung, Horney, Erikson Revise/extend Freud’s original ideas – Less about sex – Less about unconscious – More about social relationships & self concept

Motivations/needs Distress, Anxiety

Karen Horney

Karen Horney Neuroses (anxiety, psychological distress, and maladaptive behavior/relationships) “Basic Anxiety” – feelings of being alone and helpless in a potentially hostile world

Horney – Anxiety & Neuroses Where does basic anxiety come from? What are its effects? Where does basic anxiety come from? Early relationships with parents – inconsistent or absent warmth, love, support, involvement, respect. Beginning of interest in parenting styles

Horney – Anxiety & Neuroses What are the effects of basic anxiety? Basic anxiety affects how a person relates to others - Neurotic coping strategies (trends) Compulsive movement…. •

Towards people – pleaser, submissive

•

Against people – aggressive, exploitative

•

Away from people – emotional distance

Horney – Anxiety & Neuroses Parenting

Basic Anxiety

Neurotic Coping Strategy Maladaptive Behavior and Relationships Note the importance of interpersonal relationships

Roots of Cognitive Approach • Needs, motivation • Identity and Self-concept • Conscious vs unconscious processing • Thinking, interpretation, perception • Contextual effects on behavior Psychodynamic perspectives (e.g., Freud, Jung, Horney, Erikson) Humanistic perspectives (e.g., Maslow, Kelly) Behaviorist perspectives & social learning theory

Erik Erikson Psychosocial Theory of Identity Development “Life-span” perspective Focus on identity & self-concept Eight stages/crises – throughout life, we have social/psychological/emotional situations that we need to resolve. e.g., 5th Stage “Identity vs Role confusion”, 12-20 yrs – who am I and what do I value?

Our view of ourselves (identity) depends on how successfully we resolve these crises, which usually concern self in relation to others/society

Roots Psychodymanic Behaviorist • Pavlov, Skinner, John Watson • One’s behavior is strongly affected by the environment (stimuli, reinforcements, punishments, etc.) • At an extreme - any role of personality at all in driving behavior? Humanistic

Roots Psychoanalytic/Neo-analytic Behaviorist Humanistic • Emphasizes free will, meaningfulness in life, fulfillment, connecting with one’s own experiences (existentialism)

Humanistic perspective Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Humanistic perspective Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• We have a set of fundamental needs, and we are motivated to fulfill these needs. • Satisfy one level of needs, then move to the next

Maslow – needs/motivation What is “self-actualization”? • • • • • • • • • • • •

Comfortable with oneself - despite any unconventional tendencies Not susceptible to social pressures - non-conformist Fair and non-discriminating - embracing all cultures, races, and individual styles See problems in terms of challenges and situations requiring solutions, rather than see problems as personal complaints or excuses Need for privacy and comfortable being alone Socially compassionate Accepting others as they are, not trying to change people A few close intimate friends rather than many surface relationships Sense of humor directed at self or the human condition, not at the expense of others Creative, inventive and original Seek peak experiences that leave a lasting impression 1% of population (eg Ghandi, MLK, T. Jefferson, etc)

Humanistic perspective Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Cultural Impact

Maslow's Hierarchy of Motivational Strategies

Humanistic perspective Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Online Need Assessment Think about your “scores” • Do you agree with the assessment?

• Do you think the items reflect the concepts behind each need? • What are you doing to try to satisfy the need with the highest percentage? Do you feel that these things are working? • How do you think you will feel when you have satisfied this need? Do you think you will progress to Maslows’ nest level?

Roots of Cognitive Approach • Conscious vs unconscious processing • Needs, motivation • Thinking, interpretation, perception • Contextual effects on behavior • Identity & self-concept Psychodynamic perspectives (e.g., Freud, Jung. Horney, Erikson) Humanistic perspectives (e.g., Maslow, Kelly) Behaviorist perspectives & social learning theory