Psychology 8. Personality

University:
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Course:
PSY-113 | General Psychology
Academic year:

2021
Views:

227

Pages:

2
Author:

Alma Hester

PERSONALITY SHELDON'S SOMATOTYPESSomatotype is a taxonomy developed in the 1940s by American psychologist William Herbert Sheldon to categorize the human physique according to the relative contribution of three fundamental elements which he termed 'somatotypes', classified by him as 'ectomorph', 'mesomorphic' and 'endomorphic'. STUDYING PERSONALITYProfessionals who study personality psychology seek to understand how personality develops and influences our thoughts and behavior. They observe how personality varies among individuals, as well as its similarity. They also assess, diagnose, and treat personality disorders. FREUD’ STAGES OF DEVELOPMENTFreud proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place during five psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the body. EGO, ID, SUPEREGOEGO: The ego is the component of the personality that is our conscious decision-making process. The id forms the instinctual, biological component of our personality, and the superego is the social aspect of our personality and conscience. ID: The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It forms the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche, which responds to basic urges, needs, and desires. A newborn child is only composed of id, and later they develop the ego and superego. SUPEREGO: The superego is the ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates. The superego is composed of various parts. These parts, criticisms, prohibitions, and inhibitions, form our conscience, and our positive aspirations and ideals represent our idealized self-image, or “ego ideal.” DEFENSE MECHANISMSDefense mechanisms are strategies that are used unconsciously to protect an individual person from anxiety-inducing, unacceptable thoughts and/or feelings. NEO-FREUDIANSNeo-Freudian psychologists were thinkers who agreed with many of the fundamental tenets of Freud's psychoanalytic theory but changed and adapted the approach to incorporate their own beliefs, ideas, and opinions. EYSENCK & NORMANEYSENCK: Eysenck's theory of personality focuses on the two dimensions of higher-order traits, extraversion vs. introversion and emotional stability vs. neuroticism, or emotional instability. Extraverts are commonly known as being loud and outgoing while introverts are often thought of as quiet and reserved NORMAN: Traits typically assigned to Normans include unequaled capacity for rapid movement across land and sea, use of brutal violence, and a precocious sense of the use and value of money. HUMANISTIC THEORYHumanistic psychologists try to see people's lives as those people would see them. Human psychologists tend to have an optimistic perspective on human nature. They focus on the tendency of human beings to think consciously and rationally, control their biological urges, and to achieve their full potential.