Personality Psychology: Understanding
Yourself and Others
Chapter 1
Understanding Yourself and
Others
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Psychology Personality Notes for the class pertaining to it.
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Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others
Chapter 1
Understanding Yourself and Others
Learning Objectives
1.1 Define personality and describe its history and scope. 1.2 Describe various contexts in which personality might appear. 1.3 Describe the two sides of the person–situation debate, how the debate was resolved, and the conditions under which personality can best predict behavior. 1.4 Discuss some of the major topics in personality psychology.
Defining Personality
Someone’s usual pattern of behavior, feelings, and thoughts
- (^) For example, someone being late to most things is a better indicator of their personality than being late to something important once
- (^) “usual” is an important qualifier: trait vs. state Includes tendencies all humans humans and also individual differences
- (^) Some personality differences are obvious; others less so
- (^) This definition is so broad that virtually anything could become an aspect of “personality”
What determines our personality? Personality is complex and shaped by many factors, including genetics, parenting, relationships with peers and the larger culture.
Figure 1. The History Tree of Personality Psychology
ASSESSMENT
- (^) Measuring personality traits
- (^) How “extraverted” are you?
- (^) Important for WWI
- (^) personal Data Sheet (Woodrow, 1917)
- (^) firstpersonality measure
PSYCHODYNAMIC
- (^) Aim is to describe the whole person
- (^) Unconscious drives
- (^) Impulses
- (^) Desires
- (^) Fears
- (^) Etcetera
PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSONALITY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
What Is Personality? (3 of 3)
Personality Psychology as a Hub Field
- (^) Personality is a hub topic, at the center of various subareas within psychology - (^) developmental psychology - (^) Neuroscience - (^) Clinical psychology - (^) Industrial/organizational psychology - (^) Social psychology
Figure 1.2 The Personality Hub
Differences in Personality
Steve Jobs was known for having a more extraverted personality, while Bill Gates is introverted. Sources: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images (Jobs); Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images (Gates)
Where Can We See
Personality?
Personality is everywhere and can be “assessed” somewhat without formal measures
- (^) Social interaction
- (^) Social media use
- (^) Choice of product and features
- (^) Offices and bedrooms
- (^) facial expressions and mannerisms
Person–Situation Debate
Debate over whether personality truly exists at all.
- (^) Theorists were split into two camps
- (^) Person side
- (^) Situation side This argument differs substantially from nature versus nurture which focused on the origins/causes of personality.
Person–Situation Debate
Person Argument
- (^) On one side, the view that stable personality traits predict behavior - (^) An individual’s personality is a better predictor of what they will do, regardless of the situation. Situation Argument
- (^) On the other side, the view that situation is much more important, and personality doesn’t really exist - (^) The situation is a better predictor of what an individual will do, regardless of their personality. - (^) Stanley Milgram’s shock experiment