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Personality Psychology PSY 405

Lesson 43

THE GRAND THEORY OF PERSONALITY

A question posed by one of the students is that I have used the term first, second and the third force in

psychology.

What do we mean by it?

Can we classify all the 17 theories of personality under the banner of first, second and third force of

personality psychology?

Some 17 Theories of Personality

1- Freud

2- Jung

3- Adler

4- Karen Horney

5- Erickson

6- Maslow

7- Rogers

8- Murray

9- Sheldon

10- Sullivan

11- Allport

12- Cattle

13- Dollard and Miller

14- Bandura

15- Skinner

16- Ellis

17- Kelly

There are three forces in Psychology.

1- The first force is Psychoanalysis or Psychodynamic or intra-psychic

2- The second force is Behaviorism

3- The third force is Phenomenology or Humanistic Psychology.

There are a number of theories of personality that come under each banner.

1- The first force is Psychoanalysis or Psychodynamic it includes:

Freud's theory

Jung's theory

Adler's theory

Karen Horney's theory

Erikson's theory

2- The second force is Behaviorism. It includes:

Dollard and Miller's theory

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Skinner's theory

Bandura's theory

Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike work

3- The third force is Phenomenology or Humanistic Psychology. It includes:

Adler's theory

Kelly's theory

Murray's theory

Maslow's theory

Roger's theory

Allport's theory

Cattle's theory

Sullivan's theory

There are three forces in Psychology

1- The first force is Psychoanalysis or Psychodynamic. It includes:

Freud's theory

Jung's theory

Adler's theory

Karen Horney's theory

Erickson theory

Freud's theory includes the following:

Levels of Consciousness

Analysis of Mental Structures

Psychosexual Stages of Development.

Defense Mechanisms

Means of Tapping the Unconscious

Instinct is an Inherited Condition that gives our Behavior Direction

Two kinds of Instincts:

1. Life instinct or Eros: bodily needs, survival, pleasure (libido)

2. Death instinct or Thanatos: aggression, self-destructiveness

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Each stage has typical problem.

At each stage, the "right amount" of libidinal satisfaction must occur.

Danger of fixation or regression.

Basis of Character Types

Major event is Oedipal Complex

Anxiety = threat

Reality: danger in external world

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Neurotic: fear of id out of control

Moral: fear of conscience

Ego defends against anxiety--often unconscious, more and less mature/primitive

Jung's Theory

The Personal Un-conscious consists of repressed or forgotten or not very vivid or clear memories. It

consists of clusters of emotionally loaded thoughts which Jung labeled as complexes.

A complex is a cluster of ideas connected together by a common feelings or emotions.

The Collective Un-conscious It refers to our ancestral experiences, memories from untold millions of years,

so it is fragments of all human history that we inherit from our forefathers. Jung labeled these ancestral

experiences as archetypes.

Persona

Anima

Animus

Shadow

Self

The Psychological Types

Psychological Types refer to orientation or the way an individual interacts with other people. Introverts

Extroverts

Stages of Development

Childhood

Young Adulthood

Middle Ages

Life after Retirement

Individual Psychology

Adler's theory

The term individual psychology refers to the fact that individuals are unique, they are characterized by

inner harmony and a striving force to cooperate with fellow humans. It does not mean that human beings

are selfish, aggressive and motivated to satisfy their own biological motives.

1-Adler proposed feelings of inferiority as the driving force behind personality

2-and he developed birth order theory.

Karen Horney's theory

Horney developed a theory based on two concepts

1- Basic Anxiety

2- Neurotic Personality

In 1937, Karen Horney wrote a book called "The Neurotic Personality of our Time" in this book, Karen

Horney tried to discuss that a child has two basic needs, which are safety and satisfaction.

In 1945, Karen Horney in her book "Our Inner Conflicts" classified ten neurotic needs in three categories.

1- Moving Towards People

2- Moving Against People

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3- Moving Away from People

Relationship between Real Self and Ideal Self

The real self represents all those things that are true about an individual, the ideal self reflects what one

would like to become.

Erikson's theory

1- According to Erickson biology or genetics is one strong determinant of personality but culture is another

important determinant.

2- Thus biologically determined differences between the two sexes can be explained as result of social

expectations or cultural expectations.

Ego Psychology

It is Ego's job to organize one's life and to assure continuous harmony with one's physical and social

environment.

Erikson stressed the autonomy and role of ego, we call his theory as Ego psychology.

Psychosocial Stages of Development

According to Erikson, every individual passes through eight stages of development and sequence of the

eight stages is genetically determined and it is unchangeable.

Each stage of development is characterized by crisis which can have a positive or a negative resolution.

A positive resolution strengthen the ego makes it stronger and helps the individual in the adaptation

process.

On the other hand a negative resolution weakens the ego and hinders or inhibits the adaptation process.

Identity crises the crises in fifth stage of development where an individual gains either positive or negative

identity.

Negative identity an identity that is contrary to the goals of society.

All those thing that child is warned not to become.

2- The second force is Behaviorism. It includes:

Dollard and Miller's theory

Skinner's theory

Bandura's theory

Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike work

The Stimulus Response Theory Of Dollard and Miller

1-Habit is the key concept in the theory by Dollard and Miller.

2-A habit is a link or association between a stimulus (cue) and a response.

For learning (desired behavior) to take place within the subject:

1- One must want something (Drive)

2- Notice something (Cue-Stimulus)

3- Do something (Response)

4- Get something (Reward)

Skinner's Theory of Personality

Radical Behaviorism is the brand of Psychology that is practically synonymous with Skinner's name.

Skinner's Radical Behaviorism

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He rejected the use of inner states such as anxiety as the explanation of our overt / observable behavior.

Skinners Use of the Term "Operant."

An operant is a response that operates on the environment and changes it. The change in the environment

affects the occurrence of the response.

When an operant response is conditioned, it is essential that the reinforcement be presented after the

occurrence of the response. Only in this way does the frequency of the response increase.

So rewards and punishments mold the behaviors of animals as well as humans

Teachers, judges and employers rely on connection between actions and consequences to shape behavior.

Operant conditioning is concerned with effect of certain kinds of consequences on the frequency of

behavior.

A consequence that increases the frequency of a behavior is called reinforcement.

A consequence that decreases the frequency of a behavior is called punishment.

Skinner discovered two basic reinforcement strategies for increasing the frequency of behavior

1- Positive reinforcement the behavior increases because it is followed by reward

2- The frequency of a behavior can increase with the negative reinforcement or with the removal or

lessening of an unpleasant stimulus.

Skinner discovered two basic reinforcement strategies for decreasing the frequency of undesired behavior

1-Extinction is where we stop the reinforcement and the behavior will be extinguished.

2- Punishment

The frequency of behavior is reduced when it is followed by an aversive stimulus

Bandura's Theory

1- Bandura suggests most human behavior is learned by observation. In Modeling we observe the behavior

of others and use this information as a guide for our own behavior.

2- Bandura and his colleagues have demonstrated that subjects allowed to observe a set of responses

performed by another individual (the model) tend to exhibit these same responses (observed model) when

placed in a similar setting.

Example

All films, Television dramas and cartoons where models behave aggressive they are teaching observers to

be aggressive and violent.

Albert Ellis is of the view that irrational beliefs are basis of all of our maladjustments.

These irrational beliefs are learned through socialization from

Parents, teachers, peers, friends, religious, political leaders,

Books, films, media etc.

1- The Rational Emotive Behavior A-B-C Theory Personality

"A" refers to an activating event.

"B" refers to the belief system of the individual.

"C" refers to the consequence.

Now in this A-B-C model of Personality quite later Ellis's added D and the E component as well so it is A-

B-C-D-E.

Where "D" refers to Disputing or debating or challenging the irrational beliefs

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"E" refers to the Effect or impact of the debate on minimizing irrationality in one's attitude.

There are three forces in Psychology

3- The third force is Phenomenology or Humanistic Psychology.

Adler's theory

Kelly's theory

Murray's theory

Maslow's theory

Roger's theory

Allport's theory

Cattle's theory

Maslow's theory

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) postulated a hierarchy of needs beginning with physiological needs at the

bottom and self actualization at the top. An individual must meet the basic needs before trying to meet the

higher needs.

The triangle or pyramid has a broad base and narrow top, so majority of individuals are involved at

fulfilling basic needs and only few reach the top i.e. self actualization means that we can reach our highest

potential in all areas of functioning if we have freedom to grow. Majority of the people are involved in

fulfilling the needs at the lower level and it is very few who reach the top. Examples

Quaid-e-Azam,

Javed Miandad,

Imran Khan,

Adur Satter Edhi.

Roger's theory

1- Phenomenological theory of personality is that a person's behavior is obtained through observation of

his internal frame of reference. why an individual thinks, feels, and behaves in a given way, it is necessary

to know how that person perceives and interprets the world.

He puts the emphasis on positive aspects of life, free choices and personal growth experiences.

Actualizing Tendency

An innate need to survive, grow and enhance one's self.

4- Fully Functioning Person

It is a term used by Rogers to designate individuals who are using their capacities and talents, realizing

their potentials.

Kelly's theory

Kelly argued that personality is by its very nature embedded in a person's interpersonal relationships.

For Kelly's an individual's personality is nothing more or less than his or her construct system.

Sullivan's theory

For Sullivan personality is embedded in a person's interpersonal relationships.

The personality develops as result of interpersonal situations and events.

Cattle's theory

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For Cattell factor analysis is a method used to discover traits which he considers the building blocks of

personality. An ability discovered in such a cluster is called a factor and in Cattell's theory, the term factor

is equated with the term trait.

Murray's theory

Personality reflects novel, unique, recurrent and enduring patterns of behaviors.

Personality functions are to reduce conflicts, satisfy individual needs and to make plans for attainment of

future goals.

Evaluation

There are three forces in Psychology.

1- The first force is Psychoanalysis - it reduces humans to levels of animals (concept of instincts)

2- The second force is Behaviorism it reduces humans to stimulus-response level.

3- The third force is Phenomenology it restores human beings to their actual level

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