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Introduction: Evaluating Personality Theories

This document provides an introduction to evaluating personality theories. It discusses key concepts like the definitions of personality and theory. It also outlines approaches to studying personality, including academic vs clinical approaches. Finally, it discusses how to evaluate personality theories based on their philosophical assumptions and scientific statements, thinking critically about criteria like coherence and verifiability. Personality theories are applied through research, assessment, and psychotherapy.

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573 views12 pages

Introduction: Evaluating Personality Theories

This document provides an introduction to evaluating personality theories. It discusses key concepts like the definitions of personality and theory. It also outlines approaches to studying personality, including academic vs clinical approaches. Finally, it discusses how to evaluate personality theories based on their philosophical assumptions and scientific statements, thinking critically about criteria like coherence and verifiability. Personality theories are applied through research, assessment, and psychotherapy.

Uploaded by

nickcupolo
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction: Evaluating Personality Theories

Chapter 1

Personality Opinion Survey


Define Personality What are some characteristics of people you know that give them their personality Define Normal Behavior Give the characteristics of a healthy personality When you first meet people, how do you characterize them and decide how to act around them? What gives a persons life meaning? What motivates our behavior? Do we have an unconscious? Is our behavior guided by it? Our we a product of our environment, or are we born different? What does a person have to do or be in order for you to believe he or she is abnormal, sick, or crazy?

What is Personality?
Personality is not a readily defined concept There is little common agreement among personality theorists

What is Theory?
A set of abstract concepts developed about a group of facts or events in order to explain them A theory of personality is an organized system of beliefs that helps us to understand human nature Macro theories versus Micro theories

Academic Vs Clinical Approaches to the Study of Personality

Evaluating Personality Theories


As philosophers, personality theorists seek to explore what it means to be a person As scientists, personality theorists hope to develop theories that will help us understand human behavior As artists, personality theorists apply what is known about people and behavior to actually helping them

Philosophical Assumptions
Freedom Heredity Uniqueness Proactive Optimistic Determinism Environmental Universality Reactive Pessimistic

Scientific Statements
Statements about the world based on observations arising from currently accepted paradigms Empirical observations based on objective or subjective data When observations coincide, a scientist may make a generalization Operational Definitions Scientific Constructs
trait

Thinking Critically
Evaluating Personality Theories Do our philosophical assumptions fulfill the criteria of philosophy? Coherence, relevance, comprehensiveness, compellingness Do our scientific statements fulfill the criteria of science? Verifiability, compatibility, usefulness predictive power, simplicity

Applying Personality Theories


Research The clinical approach The psychometric approach Correlation (+, -) Experiment Outcomes of research Assessment valid, reliable Psychometric tests Projective tests Psychotherapy

Projective Tests

See you next Personality week! Theory

Dr. Kerri Michalica Welcome to

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