What is personality?

Following early historical views, Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic perspective became a foundational modern theory, emphasizing the role of early childhood experiences. Subsequently, many other major theoretical perspectives emerged, often in reaction to the psychodynamic approach. These include the learning, humanistic, biological, trait, and cultural perspectives, each offering a different lens through which to understand personality.

Theories of Personality

Personality is defined as the long-standing traits and patterns that propel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways, making each person a unique individual with an enduring, stable pattern of interacting with others and the world.

Definition of Personality

Personality encompasses the enduring and unique set of traits and patterns that cause an individual to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways. It defines how a person interacts with the world and is generally considered to be long-term, stable, and resistant to change.

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Personality psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the unique patterns of thoughts and behaviors that distinguish one individual from another. A central goal of this field is to understand and explain how an individual's personality develops over time.

Personality Psychology

The term 'personality' originates from the Latin word 'persona.' In the ancient world, a persona was a theatrical mask used by an actor not to conceal their identity, but rather to represent or project a specific character trait.

Etymology of Personality

The enduring and maladaptive personality styles associated with personality disorders are deeply troubling and problematic for both the individuals and those around them. These styles often lead to interpersonal conflicts, hinder the formation and maintenance of social relationships, and obstruct the achievement of personal life goals.

Consequences of Maladaptive Personality Styles in Personality Disorders

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/ 

APA Dictionary of Psychology

Disorder Class: Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders

A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) of the following criteria in the past 12 months from any of the categories below, with at least one criterion present in the past 6 months:
1. Aggression to people and  animals
2. Destruction of property
3. Deceitfulness or theft
4. Serious violations of rules
 
The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.
 
If the individual is age 18 years or older, criteria are not met for Antisocial Personality Disorder
 
Specify age onset:  Individuals show at least one symptom characteristic of conduct disorder prior to age 10 years

[DSM-5] Conduct Disorder Criteria

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is primarily defined by a pervasive pattern of instability across interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood, combined with significant impulsivity. Individuals with this disorder often experience intense emotions and may engage in frantic behaviors to manage their profound fear of abandonment.

Borderline Personality Disorder

A personality disorder is defined by a pervasive and inflexible personality style that significantly deviates from cultural norms, causing problems for the individual and for others. This pattern typically emerges during adolescence or early adulthood and leads to significant distress or functional impairment.

Personality Disorders

Identity relates to things that we hold to be our most basic sense of self (e.g. goals, values, gender, and social roles). It involves a sense of continuity in our lives and helps take action for the future. Identity is one's definition of who they are. 

Aspects of Identity

Personality judgements occur when someone draws conclusions about an individual based on behaviors. These judgements may impact opportunities and expectancies for the target individual. 

Personality Judgements

Personality stability describes the belief that people generally maintain their personality and behaviors throughout life. 

Personality Stability

How personality affects an individual's behavior in an educational setting, thereby influencing their learning experience.

Personality Psychology in Education

Personality development describes changes in personality over time and across the lifespan. 

Personality Development 

Personality

- Organizations
- Books
- Journal Articles
-  Websites

References for Personality Psychology

Pathoplastic relationship is a term that describes a bidirectional relationship between psychopathology and personality in which they impact each other’s appearance, presentation, or expression. This means that the appearance of personality can be influenced by the existence of a psychopathology, and the psychopathology’s appearance can also differ depending on an individual’s personality traits. 

Pathoplastic Relationships

Personality psychologists can analyze several types of data to draw conclusions and test hypotheses.

 Common forms of data collection include:

- Self Reports

- Informant Reports

- Life Outcomes

- Behavioral Observations

Sources for Data in Personality Psychology

Important figures in personality psychology include: 
- Albert Bandura
- Julian Rotter
- Alfred Adler
- Erik Erikson
- Carl Jung
- Karen Horney
- Albert Bandura
- Julian Rotter
- Walter Mischel
- Abraham Maslow
- Carl Rogers
- Hans and Sybil Eysenck
- Raymond Cattell
- Gordon Allport

Important Figures in Personality Psychology

Carl Gustav Jung developed a "Neo-Freudian" theory surrounding Personalities. He describes the Psyche as the main part of his theory, with four different aspects going into it. First is the Psychic Energy, also known as “Libido.” Next, is the principle of opposites, followed by the principle of equivalence. Finally, there is the principle of entropy.

Jung's Theory of Personality

Reference for Pathoplastic Relationships 

A personality trait is a relatively consistent and enduring pattern of thought and behavior that an individual exhibits across various situations and throughout their lifespan. Modern personality research focuses on identifying and measuring these traits to predict behavior.

Personality Trait

From the perspective of a psychologist studying personality, what is the primary flaw in the classmate's conclusion? Explain your reasoning.

Analyzing Behavioral Patterns

The divergent life paths of half-brothers Bill and Roger Clinton serve as a compelling case study. Despite being raised by the same people—their mother and an abusive, alcoholic stepfather—their lives took radically different paths. Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States, while Roger Clinton faced numerous arrests and jail time for drug charges. This stark contrast highlights fundamental questions about why individuals make different choices and what internal forces shape their decisions, which are core inquiries that personality psychology seeks to answer.

The Clinton Brothers: A Case Study in Personality Psychology

Social-personality psychology is an emergent subfield of psychology dedicated to studying the intricate interaction between internal factors, such as personality, and situational factors that collectively influence human behavior.

Social-Personality Psychology

In contrast to early theories that attempted to explain how personality arises, modern personality psychology often takes a quantitative approach. This approach focuses on identifying, measuring, and determining how specific personality traits interact in different contexts to predict how a person will behave.

Quantitative Approach to Personality Psychology

Personality psychology is the branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation among individuals, focusing on understanding how individual differences develop over time (e.g., focusing on individuals' unique patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion).

Definition of Personality Psychology

This image displays three nearly identical theatrical masks, which illustrate the concept of a 'persona.' Subtle differences in their expressions are created by altering the angle at which they are viewed. The first mask is tilted down with downcast eyes, the second is straight on with a slightly raised gaze, and the third is tilted up with an upward gaze. This variation shows how such masks were used to project specific character traits.

Theatrical Masks Illustrating Persona

Personality disorders tend to be ego-syntonic while other mental disorders are more ego-dystonic. 

Ego-syntonic individuals believe they are normal. They do not think that anything is wrong and sometimes even value aspects of their disorders. This can easily lead to lack in motivation to be treated, failure of diagnosis, and other social problems. Individuals with antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders are more likely to be ego-syntonic.

Ego-dystonic individuals are well-aware of their own illnesses and actively seeking cure and treatment. These individuals are more easily diagnosed and are cooperative in treatment. Individuals with mood disorders and anxiety disorders are more likely to be ego-dystonic.

Self-Awareness in Personality Disorders

Analyze the following scenario. Based on the enduring patterns of thinking and behavior described, what is the most likely long-term consequence for this individual's personal and professional life? Explain your reasoning.

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