DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY

Personality – includes the individual’s biological and intellectual endowment, the attributes that had been acquired through experience, and his conscious and unconscious reactions and feelings.

FREUDS PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL (1856 – 1939)

It was Freud who first proposed that childhood experiences are crucial in the development of personality and that personality is primarily shaped during childhood. Freud also believed that at each stages of personality development, the libidinal energy is focused at certain areas of the body. The person derives pleasure and expresses needs through the area of the body where the libidinal energy is concentrated.

Levels of consciousness (Freud) Conscious – part of the mind that is aware of the here and now as it relates to the

individual and his environment. It only functions when the individual is awake. It is concerned with thoughts, feelings and sensations.

Preconscious and subconscious – is that part of the mind in which ideas and reactions are stored and partially forgotten – it is not economical for human beings to burden the conscious mind with a multitude of facts that are infrequently used and currently not in demand.

Unconscious – largest part of the mind and is sometimes compared to the large hidden part of an iceberg that floats under the water. It is the storehouse for all the memories, feelings and responses experienced by the individual during his entire life.

Structure of Personality (Freud) Id

Is part of and derived from the unconscious. It is unlearned, primitive, selfish and the source of all psychic energy. It contains the instinctual drives, included in which we are the drive for self-preservation, the drive to reproduce and the drive for group association.

When the new individual is born he is said to be a bundle of id, seeking only to satisfy his needs and to find release for psychological tensions

It operates on the basis of pleasure principles, that is to say, the id presses for avoidance of pain at all cost and seeks to maintain pleasure.

Primary process according to Freud is the translation of need to drive. When a hungry person wishes for food or fantasizes food, that person is engaging in primary process thinking.

Ego It promotes the individual’s satisfactory adjustment in relation to his

environment. Its main function is to effect an acceptable compromise between

Freud did not exactly invent the idea of the conscious and subconscious. But it was him who made them famous and he added another part of the mind, which is the unconscious.

the crude pleasure – seeking strivings of the id and the inhibitions of the superego.

The means through which ego achieve this goal is reality testing, meaning the ego deals with the demands of reality as it strives to control and derive satisfaction from the environment. This states that, “take care of a need as soon as an appropriate object is found.”

Secondary process is the problem solving mechanism of the ego. The ego controls the demands of and mediates between the id and superego according to the demands of the reality.

Superego The last to develop. Its development is partially a result of the socialization

process that the child undergoes. The superego incorporates the taboos, prohibitions and ideals and standards of parents and the other significant adults with whom the child associates. It refers to the blindly rigid, strict moralistic part of the mind, which can be as relenting and ruthless as the id.

It operates mostly on the unconscious levels and at this level is an inhibitor of the Id. At the conscious levels it may be regarded as the voice of the conscience or the phase of personality that is keenly sensitive to the demands of strict convention.

Ego ideal- one aspect of the superego which directs behavior to simulate that of the individuals the person admires and wishes to emulate.

Life and death Instincts

According to Freud there are two instincts;1. Life Instincts

These instincts perpetuate : The life of the individual by motivating him or her to seek food and

water. The life of the species, by motivating him or her to have sex.

These life instinct is also referred to as LIBIDO meaning “I desire.”2. Death Instincts

Every person has an unconscious wish to die. Death provides escape from all these pain and struggle. The day-to-day

evidence of the death instinct is in our desire for peace, for escape from stimulation, our attraction to alcohol and narcotics, our penchant for escapist activity, etc. (cited by Sia, 2008: Boerce, 1997).

It is important to note that the rewarding and punishing of the superego is based on the internalized standards of right and wrong and not reality.

We direct death in a way of aggression, cruelty, murder and destructiveness.

ANXIETY

A person experiences anxiety when his very person is threatened. The ego has to constantly create a balance between the forces of reality, id and superego. When those forces make conflicting demands, the ego could get into trouble and the person feels threatened.

Freud said that the goal of therapy is simply, “ to make the unconscious conscious.” Some major points:

Relaxed Atmosphere – providing a relaxed couch, dim lights, quiet, sound proof walls and the reassurance that everything he says is confidential.

Free Association – allowing the client to talk about anything. Resistance – exhibited by complete blank, falls asleep, comes in late, or skips an

appointment altogether. Dream analysis – in sleep we are somewhat resistance to our unconscious and we will

allow a few things, in symbolic form, to come to our awareness. Parapraxes – Slip of the tongue. Often referred to as Freudian Slip. Transference – occurs when the client projects feeling towards the therapist. Catharsis – sudden and dramatic outpouring of emotion that occurs when the trauma is

resurrected. Insight – being aware of the source of the emotion, of the original traumatic event.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERSONALITY

Freud’s Psychosexual Stageso Authored by Sigmund Freudo Theorized that the development of personality was intimately involved with the

maturation of the libidinal drives as they focused first upon the self and the later upon other appropriate persons in the environment.

o Primary narcissism – a process wherein the infant directs his libidinal drives towards him or referred also as self-love.

Age FREUD Points To Remember

Infancy(1-1 1/2

years old)

Oral The child’s whole being is focused upon the mouth and its function.

The total being of the infant is focused upon fulfilling the demands of the id, which insist on relief from hunger, cold or tension.

Tensions are relieved by breastfeeding, nursing a bottle, or sucking a thumb.

The lips, mouth, tongue and skin are the areas of an infant’s body from which he receives pleasures.

Development of the “good me” and the “bad me”o Good me – see himself as a worthwhile

individualo Bad me – begins to see self as not

worthwhile. Trust and security develops Orally aggressive: Signs include chewing gum or ends

of pens. Orally Passive: Signs include

smoking,eating,kissing,fellatio,cunnilingus Fixation at this stage may result in passivity,

gullibility, immaturity and manipulative personalityToddler(11/2 and 3 years)

Anal Also known as habit – training period Period when the mothering person insists that the

infant achieve sphincter control and begin to communicate through the use of language.

The child freely gratifies his love of self with the pleasurable sensations involved in evacuating the bladder and bowels naturally and without restriction.

Although the mouth remains as an important zone of pleasure, the infant derives much pleasure from the anus and the urethra during these early years.

To retain his mother’s love the child must learn to postpone the immediate pleasure of urinating or evacuating until the appropriate time and place.

Independence and control. Anal retentive: Obsession with organization or

excessive neatness Anal expulsive: Reckless, careless, defiant,

disorganized, CoprophiliacPreschool(3-6 years old)

Phallic Period of family triangle Focus of pleasurable sensations has shifted from the

mouth and excretory organs to the genitalia and that the child begins to identify with parent of the same sex and to unconsciously wish to replace that parent in the family situation.

Castration fears – anxiety of boys about the loss of his sexual organs.

Penis envy – attitude of girls to conclude that her penis is lost.

Oedipus complex – attachment of boys to his mother Electra complex – attachment of girls to the father

(develop by Carl Jung) Sexual identity is developed

School age (6-12 years old)

Latency During this period the child represses sexual thoughts and channels his libidinal energies into the pursuit of intellectual interests.

The child begins the process of emancipating himself from the family by seeking security and companionship from peer group of the same sex.

Gang formation and fierce gang loyalties. Normal homosexual relationship because groups of

boys cling together and shun girls. In the same way, groups of girls band together and declare they despise boys.

Puberty (12 – 18)

Genital In this stage the focus is again on the genitals, like in the phallic stage, but this time the energy is expressed with adult sexuality.

Another crucial difference between these two stages is that, while in the phallic gratification is linked with satisfaction of the primary drives, the ego in the genital stage is well-developed, and so uses secondary process thinking, which allows symbolic gratification.

The symbolic gratification may include the formation of love relationships and families, or acceptance of responsibilities associated with adulthood.

Heterosexual relationship may occur.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Develop Genetic epistemology, which is the study of the nature of thought, especially development thinking. He believed that an individual has a genetically predetermined intellectual or cognitive potential. This intellectual potential develops according to the quality of the child’s interaction with the environment.

o It deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come gradually to acquire it, construct it, and use it.

o Schema – innate knowledge of every person that is being born.o According to him, cognitive development occurs by adding new knowledge to the old

schema and adjusting the schema to accommodate the new arrivals: Assimilation – incorporation of new knowledge to the existing knowledge Accommodation – modification of the existing body of knowledge in a person

based on the newly acquired knowledge. The existing body of knowledge may be changed, refined o0r reinforced.

Adaptation - learning

Age Stage Points to Remember

Birth-2 years

Sensorimotor "Coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors". Three primary reflexes are described by

Piaget: sucking of objects in the mouth, following

moving interesting objects with the eyes (doll’s eye

reflex) closing of the hand when an object makes

contact with the palm (palmar grasp). Over the first six weeks of life, these reflexes

begin to become voluntary actions; for example, the palmar reflex becomes intentional grasping.).

An infant progresses from reflexive, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought toward the end of the stage."

2-6 years old

Pre-operational stage

During this stage, the child learns to use and to represent objects by images, words, and drawings.

Thinking is still egocentric: The child has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others. Two substages can be formed from preoperative thought:

Animism is the belief that inanimate objects are capable of actions and have lifelike qualities.

Centration is the act of focusing all attention on one characteristic compared to the others.

7-12 years old

Concrete Operational Stage

Characterized by the appropriate use of logic Important processes in this stage:

o Seriation—the ability to sort objects in an order according to size, shape, or any other characteristic. For example, if given different-shaded objects they may make a color gradient.

o Transitivity- The ability to recognize logical relationships among elements in a serial order, and perform 'transitive inferences' (for example, If A is taller than B, and B is taller than C, then A must be taller than C).

o Classification—the ability to name and identify sets of objects according to appearance, size or other characteristic, including the idea that one set of objects can include another.

o Decentering—where the child takes into account multiple aspects of a problem to solve it. For example, the child will no longer perceive an exceptionally wide but short cup to contain less than a normally-

wide, taller cup.o Reversibility—the child understands that

numbers or objects can be changed, then returned to their original state. For this reason, a child will be able to rapidly determine that if 4+4 equals t, t−4 will equal 4, the original quantity.

o Conservation—understanding that quantity, length or number of items is unrelated to the arrangement or appearance of the object or items.

o Elimination of Egocentrism—the ability to view things from another's perspective (even if they think incorrectly). For instance, show a child a comic in whom Jane puts a doll under a box leaves the room, and then Melissa moves the doll to a drawer, and Jane comes back. A child in the concrete operations stage will say that Jane will still think it's under the box even though the child knows it is in the drawer.

Reversibility and spatiality occurs, concrete thinking

11 years old- onwards

Formal Operation

Abstract and logical thinking develops Verbal problem solving ability Adolescent Egocentrism governs the way that

adolescents think about social matters and is the heightened self-consciousness in them as they are which is reflected in their sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility.

2 forms of Adolescent Egocentrismo imaginary audience that involves

attention getting behavioro Personal fable which involves an

adolescent's sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility.

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Explain eight stages ( also referred to as “EIGHT AGES OF MAN”) through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each stage the person confronts, and hopefully masters, new challenges. Each stage builds on the successful completion of earlier stages. The challenges of stages not successfully completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the future.

o Development functions by the epigenetic principle

This principle says that we develop through a predetermined unfolding of our personalities in eight stages.

Age Stages Points to Remember

Infancy(0-1 year)

Trust vs. Mistrust

Virtue: Hope The major developmental task in infancy is to

learn whether or not other people, especially primary caregivers, regularly satisfy basic needs.

If caregivers are consistent sources of food, comfort, and affection, an infant learns trust- that others are dependable and reliable.

If they are neglectful, or perhaps even abusive, the infant instead learns mistrust- that the world is in an undependable, unpredictable, and possibly dangerous place.

Maladaptations and malignancies: sensory distortion and withdrawal

Toddler(2-3 years)

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

"Can I do things myself or must I always rely on others?"

Virtue: Will The parents' patience and encouragement helps

foster autonomy in the child. Highly restrictive parents, however, are more

likely to instill the child with a sense of doubt and reluctance to attempt new challenges.

Maladaptations and malignancies: impulsitivity - compulsion

Preschool(4-6 years)

Initiative vs. Guilt

"Am I good or am I bad?" Virtue: Purpose/courage The child learns to take initiative and prepare for

leadership and goal achievement roles. If discourage by adults by the pursuit of

independent activities or dismiss them as silly and bothersome guilt may occur.

Maladaptations and malignancies: ruthlessness - inhibition

School age(7-12 years)

Industry vs. Inferiority

"Am I successful or worthless?" Virtue: Competence Children at this age are becoming more aware of

themselves as individuals. Erikson viewed the elementary school years as

critical for the development of self-confidence. Industry is achieved if child gets rewards and

recognition for hard work being done. However, inferiority occurs when a child is being

ridiculed or punished. Maladaptations and malignancies: Narrow

virtuosity - inertiaAdolescent(13-19 years old)

Identity vs. Role Confusion

"Who am I and where am I going?" Virtue: Fidelity/ loyalty Sexuality identity is being developed. Most adolescents achieve a sense of identity

regarding who they are and where their lives are headed.

Maladaptations and malignancies:Fanaticism - repudiation

Young Adult(20-34 years)

Intimacy vs. Isolation

"Am I loved and wanted?" or "Shall I share my life with someone or live alone?"

Virtue: Love Intimacy- close personal association and

belonging together. Isolation – feeling of being alone Erikson also argues that "Intimacy has a

counterpart: Distantiation: the readiness to isolate and if necessary, to destroy those forces and people whose essence seems dangerous to our own, and whose territory seems to encroach on the extent of one's intimate relations"

Maladaptations and malignancies: Promiscuity - exclusivity

Middle Adulthood(35 – 65 years old)

Generativity vs. Stagnation

"Will I produce something of real value?" Virtue: Care Generativity is the concern of establishing and

guiding the next generation. Stagnation is dissatisfaction with the relative lack

of productivity. Maladaptations and malignancies:

Overextension - rejectivityOld Old(Seniors)65 onwards

Ego integrity vs. Despair

"Have I lived a full life?" Vitue: Wisdom It is during this time that we contemplate our

accomplishments and are able to develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.

Despair occurs when we become dissatisfied with life.

Maladaptations and malignancies: Presumption - despair

MNEMONICS: TAIIIIGE-T

Harry Stack Sullivan: Interpersonal Theory

The focus of his theory is the influence of social and environmental factors on personality development.

o He labeled personality as a self – sytem. This is organized into 3 Personifications of Self: Good me – compose of those experiences and behaviors when anxiety is

reduced and satisfaction and security is experienced. Bad me – when anxiety is not reduced and tension is experienced Not me – when severe anxiety occurred causing confusion and the individual is

unable to learn and integrate information into the personality.o Three experience modes of the cognitive process

Protaxic Characterized by sensations, feelings and fleeting fragmented images,

occurs during the early months of infancy. Expressions are primitive and logically disconnected, and provide a

backdrop for the next level Normal in infancy, but associated with floridly psychotic states when

present in other age groups. Parataxic

Also illogical in nature. Illustrate, events occurring simultaneously or in close approximation to

each other are considered casually related. Example: a child who has experienced losses of several significant

others through death could erroneously conclude that all people entering a hospital die.

Syntaxic The most developed level of experience characterized by logical

thinking which emerges in juvenile stage as the young person engages in the process of consensual validation.

o He believed that personality does not exist without interpersonal relations.o Healthy development of personality requires the ability to establish intimacy with

people. Anxiety can interfere with satisfying interpersonal relationships at any age...o Preadolescence is the most important period because intimate relationships are

possible without the added complication of lusto Achievement of psychological health comes with the ability to have both intimate and

lustful relationship with another person.o Four important behavior patterns that characterize a person throughout time:

Malevolence – doing bad or evil towards others Intimacy – grows from need for tenderness but involves a close personal

relationship between two people who are more of less of equal status. Lust – an autoerotic phenomenon since it requires no other person for its

satisfaction.

Self – system - most complex dynamism which includes behaviors that maintain our interpersonal security by protecting us from anxiety by learning which behaviors increase or decrease anxiety.

INTERPERSONAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

INFANCY The infant is dependent on others to meet his needs, when needs are satisfied; the

infant develops a sense of basic trust, security and self worth. Mothering one – the primary caregiver of the infant. Empathic linkages,a symbolic

emotional umbilical cord that makes the infant and the mothering one highly sensitive to each other’s feeling, must be establish.

Self – concept begins at this stage. Security Operations – mechanism develop by infants with bad caregivers.

Somnolent detachment – sleeping Apathy – emotional detachment or numbing Selective inattention – tuning out details or information that causes anxiety Dissociation – detachment from self to prevent anxiety from integrating into

conscious awareness Anger – directed towards to provide a temporary feeling of power.

Repeated use of security of security operations prevents the child from using and mastering:

Focal awareness – the ability to grasp all the details and meaning of situations or experiences

Consensual validation – the ability of verifying the accuracy of one’s perceptions with others involved in the situation.

CHILDHOOD (18 months – 6 years) Early childhood or toddler

Sense of power is being developed as the child attempts to control himself and the environment.

Preschool Consensual validation – enable the child to check out his perceptions and

feelings with others. The child learns to accept delayed gratification of needs and wish fulfillment.

Juvenile (6 – 9 years) The child learns to relate to peers, compete, compromise and cooperate in the process. Gang Formation – as the child turns to peers of the same sex to provide the sense of

satisfactionPreadolescence (9-12 years)

Chum relationship occurs (love relationship), a person that the child perceives as very similar to himself.

The child learns to be concerned with another individual and puts the need of that individual ahead of him.

Early Adolescence (12-14 years) Independence and how to relate to opposite sex is being developed. Lust comes in ( experiences sexual urges).

Late adolescence (14 – 20 years) Develops intimate relationship with opposite sex. Major task: incorporation of intimacy that develops in preadolescence with lust that

develops in early adolescence.Young Adulthood ( 20 -40 years)

Adapts of becoming economical, intellectual and emotionally self- sufficient

Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages, each more adequate at responding to moral dilemmas than its predecessor.

o Six Developmental Stage according to Kohlberg:A. LEVEL 1 ( Pre-conventional Stage)

Obedience and Punishment Driven - individuals focus on the direct consequences of their actions on themselves. The worse the punishment for the act is, the more "bad" the act is perceived to be EXAMPLE: "The last time I did that I got spanked so I will not do it again."

Self – Interest Driven - espouses the "what's in it for me" position, in which right behavior is defined by whatever is in the individual's best interest.

LEVEL 2 (Conventional Stage)3. Interpersonal accord and conformity driven - Individuals are receptive

to approval or disapproval from others as it reflects society's accordance with the perceived role. They try to impose Good boy or good girl image.

4. Authority and social order obedience driven - it is important to obey laws, dictums and social conventions because of their importance in maintaining a functioning society.

Level 2 (Post Conventional or Principled Level)5. Social Contract Driven - the world is viewed as holding different

opinions, rights and values. Those which do not promote the general welfare should be changed when necessary to meet "the greatest good for the greatest number of people".

6. Universal ethical principles driven -Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice, and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust laws.