Theories of Personality
- Compare the psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, and social-cognitive perspectives
- Explain key concepts such as the unconscious, self-actualization, and the Big Five
- Describe reciprocal determinism and locus of control
Psychodynamic and humanistic views
Sigmund Freud’s psychodynamic theory locates personality in the unconscious and a conflict among the id (pleasure-seeking drives), superego (moral ideals), and ego (the realistic mediator). He proposed defense mechanisms (like repression and projection) that protect the ego. The humanistic perspective rejected this dark view: Abraham Maslow described striving toward self-actualization atop a hierarchy of needs, and Carl Rogers argued people grow given unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy, developing a healthy self-concept.
Trait theory and the Big Five
The trait perspective describes personality by stable characteristics rather than explaining its origins. Modern research converges on the Big Five (OCEAN) dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (emotional instability). These traits are measured by objective inventories, are relatively stable across the lifespan, and predict real-world behavior. Trait theory is praised for its rigor but criticized for describing personality without explaining why it develops or how situations shift behavior.
The social-cognitive perspective
The social-cognitive perspective (Albert Bandura) emphasizes the interaction of thoughts, environment, and behavior. Reciprocal determinism holds that our personality, our behavior, and our environment all influence one another in a continuous loop. Julian Rotter’s locus of control distinguishes an internal locus (believing you control your own outcomes, linked to better coping) from an external locus (believing fate or luck controls you). Self-efficacy — belief in one’s ability to succeed at a task — shapes the goals people pursue and their persistence.
Two students fail a midterm. One says, "I didn’t study enough; I’ll change how I prepare next time." The other says, "The professor is out to get me and I’m just unlucky." Using a personality concept, contrast these two reactions and predict who is likely to cope better.
- 1.Analyze the first student: attributing the outcome to her own effort ("I didn’t study enough") means she believes she controls her results — an internal locus of control.
- 2.Analyze the second student: blaming the professor and bad luck means he believes outside forces control his outcomes — an external locus of control.
- 3.Apply Rotter’s theory: an internal locus is associated with taking initiative, better coping, and higher achievement.
- 4.Predict outcomes: the first student is likely to cope and improve because she believes her actions matter, while the second may feel helpless.
A counselor creates a warm, accepting environment and values her client no matter what he discloses, believing this acceptance frees him to grow. This approach most directly reflects the concepts of:
Memorize the Big Five with OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism. Note that Neuroticism is emotional instability — a high score means more anxiety and moodiness, not "neurotic" in the casual sense.
A psychologist argues that an aggressive teenager’s hostile personality leads him to pick fights, which in turn places him in rough environments that further reinforce his aggression — with personality, behavior, and environment all shaping one another. This idea is Bandura’s concept of:
Sort personality theories by their core question: psychodynamic = unconscious conflict (Freud), humanistic = growth and self-actualization (Maslow/Rogers), trait = describing stable dimensions (Big Five), social-cognitive = person × environment interaction (Bandura, Rotter).
Answer the 2 checkpoints as you read.
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