Personality

Outlines
• Study of Personality
• Definition of Personality
• Individual Differences
• Determinants of Personality
• Theories of Personality
• Types of Personality
• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
• Motivation
 Why Study Personality?
• To Explain the behavior of people,
• to explain the unexpected reactions,
• to be able to measure,
• to be able to analyze,
• to be able to predict.
 Study of “Personality”
The study of personality focuses on two
broad areas:
▪ One is understanding individual differences
in particular personality characteristics, such
as sociability.
▪ The other is understanding how the various
parts of a person come together as a whole.
 Definition of “Personality”
❑ Personality can be defined as consistent
behavioral patterns and intrapersonal
processes originating within the individual.

❑ Personality refers to individual differences in

characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling
and behaving.
 Individual Differences
Individual differences refer to
ways in which each person is
not like other people (e.g.,
extraverts, sensations-seekers,
high self-esteem persons)
 Individual Differences
(continued)
Group differences refer to ways in
which the people of one group
differ from people in another group
(e.g., cultural differences, age
differences).
 Determinants of Personality
Heredity
Biological factors ( Age, Sex ,Immune system)
Physiological factors (Blood Pressure, Body
Temperature)
Genetic effects (Inherited Traits, Family History)

Environment
Social exposures (Social Support, Peer Pressure)
Socioeconomic factors (Income, Access to
Healthcare)
Psychological factors (Coping Strategies, Stress)
 Theories of Personality
Personality theories can be grouped
under four basic perspectives:
The psychoanalytic perspective –
emphasizes the importance of unconscious
processes , and the influence of early
childhood experiences.
Psychoanalytic theories are heavily
influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud.
 Theories of Personality
(continued)
The behavioral perspective – suggests
that personality is a result of interaction
between the individual and the
environment. It is a theory of learning
based upon the idea that all behaviors are
acquired through conditioning.
The Behavioral theorists study observable
and measurable behaviors and they include
B. F. Skinner and John B. Watson.
 Theories of Personality
(continued)
The humanistic perspective –
represents an optimistic look at
human nature, emphasizing the
concept of self-actualization, the
importance of free will and individual
experience in the development of
personality and the fulfillment of a
person’s unique potential.
Human theorists include Carl Rogers
and Abraham Maslow.
 Theories of Personality
(continued)
The trait perspective – emphasizes the
description and measurement of specific
personality differences among individuals.
According to this theory, personality is made up of
a number of broad traits. A trait is basically a
relatively stable characteristic that causes an
individual to behave in certain ways.
Some of the best known trait theories include
Eysenck’s three-dimension theory and the five
factor theory of personality.
 Types of Personality
Extraversion
• Is one of the basic personality types.
• Extraverts tend to enjoy human interactions
and to be enthusiastic, talkative, assertive,
sociable , and action-orientated. They are
energized and enjoy being around other
people. They take pleasure in social activities,
and also tend to work well in groups.
 Types of Personality
(continued)
Neuroticism
• Is a fundamental personality type characterized by
anxiety, fear, moodiness, worry, envy, frustration,
jealousy, shyness, and loneliness.
• Individual with neuroticism respond more poorly
to stressors, are more likely to interpret ordinary
situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as
hopelessly difficult.
 The Trait Perspective on
Personality
The five-factor model
The consensus among many trait researchers is
that the essential building blocks of personality
can beconscientiousness
described in terms of five basic personality
dimensions, sometimes called the “Big Five”
The five-factor model of personality represents the
structural organization of personality traits

The most commonly accepted five factors are:

extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness,
conscientiousness, and openness to experience
 The 5 Factor Theory

Extraversion
Outgoing Withdrawn

Neuroticism
Stable Unstable
 The 5 Factor Theory

Agreeableness
Low High

Conscientiousness
Undependable Dependable
 The 5 Factor Theory

Openness to Experience
Closed Open
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1. All humans acquire a similar set of motives
through genetic endowment and social
interaction.
2. Some motives are more basic or critical than
others.
3. The more basic motives must be satisfied to a
minimum level before other motives are
activated.
4. As the basic motives become satisfied, the more
advanced motives come into play.
Maslow’s
Hierarchy
of Needs
Self-Actualisation
(Self-fulfillment)

Ego Needs
(Prestige, status, self esteem)

Social Needs
(affection, friendship, belonging)

Safety and Security Needs

(Protection, order, stability)

Physiological Needs
(Food, water, air, shelter, sex)
 Motivation
Motivation is a need or desire that
energizes behavior and directs it
towards a goal.
 Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is something within
the person that energizes behavior:
interest, curiosity, personal challenge
and improvement.

Extrinsic motivation is something

outside the person that energizes
behavior : Money, fame, power.
Questions