L4 Theories of Personalities

EDU4055EP
Self understanding
and Personal
efficacy
L4 Theories of Personality
Learning
objectives
 Psychoanalysis theory
 Trait Theory – Big Five

Approach
Theories of Personality
● " Personality is the dynamic organization
within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determine his
characteristics behavior and thought"
(Allport, 1961, p. 28).
● “The characteristics or blend of

characteristics that make a person unique”
(Weinberg & Gould, 1999).
Psychoanalysis
theory
Theories of
Personali
Sigmund Freud
ty Carl Rogers
Carl Jung
Alfred Adler
Rogers was a
Jung and Adler were “Neo-Freudians”, “Humanistic” theorist
who used some Freudian ideas but with a completely
developed many ideas of their own... different approach.
Freud’s
Psychoanalytic
Theory
Three Main Components
Thoughts and behavior are guided mainly by the
unconscious part of the mind.
Sexual motivation plays a central role in everyday
life.
Concept of “infantile sexuality”: erotic experiences
in infancy and early childhood shape personality in
adulthood.
Freud’s
Psychoanalytic
Theory
Three Levels of the Mind
Conscious: everything we are aware of at the moment;

just
the “tip of the iceberg”.
Preconscious: memories that we can bring to
consciousness.
Unconscious: memories, wishes, and instincts (desires)
that are too threatening or painful to bring to
Freud’s
theory
According to Freud, much of what people do,
think
and feel is really a way of avoiding anxiety.
Anxiety is the way the body signals us that

we face a threatening situation.
For Freud, the threat comes from the

unconscious: an unacceptable sexual or
aggressive impulse.
Freud’s
theory
Protecting ourselves from this anxiety is
normal and natural. Carried to an extreme,
it becomes a psychological disorder:
Neurosis: a disorder in which one’s efforts to
avoid anxiety interfere with or limit normal
human functioning; it involves self-
punishing, self-defeating behavior, and
emotional or physical symptoms.
Freud’s
theory
Freud based his theory mainly on a small number of
neurotic patients. He assumed that they were like
normal individuals; they just went too far in their
efforts to avoid anxiety.
The theory is harder to apply to a more severe type of

disorder:
Psychosis: an extreme mental disturbance
involving distorted perceptions of reality and irrational
behavior; basically, a complete break with reality.
Freud’s
theory
Freud said that personality is divided into 3
parts,
ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO.
They are always in conflict but most of the time

the conflict is unconscious.
The
● Idhunger, thirst, etc.) and
Contains life instincts (sex,
death
instincts (aggressive, destructive tendencies).
● Libido: sexual energy that fuels the entire
personality; needed
for everyday life.
● Pleasure Principle: seeks immediate gratification of
impulses regardless of consequences.
● Pleasure = reduction in tension. Tension increases if
we don’t
release energy from impulses.
Everything in the id is unconscious (intensity of desires,

The
● Logical, rational. Ego
● Executive of personality: determines where, when,
and how impulses are expressed.
● Goal: to satisfy the id in ways that are socially and
morally
acceptable. This requires use of the...
● Reality Principle: tendency to delay gratification of
impulses until they can be expressed in socially and
morally acceptable ways.
The ego is part conscious and part unconscious.
The unconscious part distorts our perceptions of
reality (including ourselves).
The
Superego
Contains moral values; doesn’t care
not rational; consequences about
(like id).
Consists of two parts:
Conscience: memories of behaviors that have been
punished; if we repeat these actions, we feel guilty.
Ego Ideal: memories of behaviors for which we have

been praised or rewarded;
repeating them gives us feelings of pride.
The superego is part conscious and part

unconscious; if we feel guilty and don’t know why, it’s caused
Jungian Archetypes
Carl Jung
Jung claimed to identify a large number of

archetypes but paid special attention to four.
Jung labeled these archetypes the Self, the

Persona, the Shadow and the Anima/Animus.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html
Jungian Archetypes
The Persona
The persona (or mask) is the outward face we present to the world. It
conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the “conformity” archetype.
This is the public face or role a person presents to others as someone
different to who we really are (like an actor).
The Anima/Animus
Another archetype is the anima/animus. The “anima/animus” is the mirror
image of our biological sex, that is, the unconscious feminine side in males
and the masculine tendencies in women.
Each sex manifests attitudes and behavior of the other by virtue of

centuries of living together. The psyche of a woman contains masculine
aspects (the animus archetype), and the psyche of a man contains
feminine aspects (the anima archetype).
Jungian Archetypes
The Shadow
Next is the shadow. This is the animal side of our personality
(like the id in Freud). It is the source of both our creative and
destructive energies. In line with evolutionary theory, it may
be that Jung’s archetypes reflect predispositions that once
had survival value.
The Self
Finally, there is the self which provides a sense of unity in
experience. For Jung, the ultimate aim of every individual is to
achieve a state of selfhood (similar to self-actualisation), and
in this respect, Jung (like Erikson) is moving in the direction of
a more humanist orientation.
Outward
face
Id
mirror
image
Projective
drawing
Dynamic
family
Draw your
family
Activity 2
Draw a
person
a tree
a house
Trait Approach to
Personality
Trait Approach to Personality
• This approach assumes behavior is determined by
relatively stable traits which are the fundamental
units of one’s personality.
• These theories are sometimes referred to a

psychometric theories, because of their emphasis
on measuring personality by using psychometric
tests. Trait scores are continuous (quantitative)
variables. A person is given a numeric score to
indicate how much of a trait they possess.
Eysenck’s Personality
• Theory
Eysenck (1952, 1967, 1982) proposed a
theory of personality based on biological
factors, arguing that individuals inherit a
type of nervous system that affects their
ability to learn and adapt to the
environment.
• He used a technique called factor analysis.
This technique reduces behavior to a
number of factors which can be grouped
together under separate headings, called
dimensions.
● Theory
Eysenck (1947) found that their behavior
could be represented by two dimensions:
Introversion / Extroversion (E); Neuroticism /
Stability (N). Eysenck called these second-
order personality traits.
Theory
● Neuroticism/stability
A person’s level of neuroticism is determined by the
reactivity of their sympathetic nervous system. A
stable person’s nervous system will generally be
less reactive to stressful situations, remaining calm
and level headed.
Someone high in neuroticism on the other hand will be

much more unstable, and prone to overreacting to
stimuli and may be quick to worry, anger or fear.
They are overly emotional and find it difficult to
calm down once upset. Neurotic individuals have an
Big Five personality test
• traits the Big Five traits
In contemporary psychology,
of personality are five broad domains which
define human personality and account for
individual differences.
• Human resources professionals often use the

Big Five personality dimensions to help place
employees. That is because these dimensions
are considered to be the
underlying traits that make up an individual’s
overall
Personality
Openness
•willingness to try new activities.
•are amenable to unconventional ideas and
beliefs, including those which challenge their

existing assumptions.
•enjoy artistic and cultural experiences,
Personality
Conscientiousness
•are more aware of their actions and the
consequences of their behavior than people who

are unconscientious.
•like to keep a tidy environment and are well-
organized.
•more goal-oriented behavior.
Personality
Extraversion
•outgoing, socially confident behavior.
•are sociable, talkative and often forward in
social situations.
•seek external stimulation in the form of
socially engaging behavior

•psychic energy - outwards, towards other
people
Personality
Agreeableness
•friendly and co-operative.
•Often considered more likeable by their peers
and colleagues,
•more altruistic, willing to help others during
times of need.
•dislike being involved in arguments, conflict
with
others and other forms of confrontation.
Personality
Neuroticism
•are often persistent worriers.
•are more fearful and often feel anxious, over-
thinking their problems and exaggerating

their significance.
•Rather than seeing the positive in a situation,
they may dwell on its negative aspects.

Personality
Activity
●https://psychcentral.com/personality-test/start.
php
●What is your personality? Do you agree ?
Why or
why not?
● Any implication on your Personality?

Thank
s

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EDU4055EP

 Trait Theory – Big Five

● “The characteristics or blend of

Conscious: everything we are aware of at the moment;

Anxiety is the way the body signals us that

For Freud, the threat comes from the

The theory is harder to apply to a more severe type of

They are always in conflict but most of the time

Everything in the id is unconscious (intensity of desires,

Ego Ideal: memories of behaviors for which we have

The superego is part conscious and part

Jung claimed to identify a large number of

Jung labeled these archetypes the Self, the

Each sex manifests attitudes and behavior of the other by virtue of

• These theories are sometimes referred to a

Someone high in neuroticism on the other hand will be

• Human resources professionals often use the

•are amenable to unconventional ideas and

beliefs, including those which challenge their

consequences of their behavior than people who

•are sociable, talkative and often forward in

socially engaging behavior

•Often considered more likeable by their peers

•are more fearful and often feel anxious, over-

thinking their problems and exaggerating

they may dwell on its negative aspects.

● Any implication on your Personality?

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