Personality is made up of the characteristics that make someone unique such as thoughts feelings or behaviors. Research has shown that many external forces can influence the way that a personality is formed. One a persons personality is created there is little to no change throughout their life. So many people are interested in looking at how and why a certain personality is created that there is an entire branch of psychology dedicated to understanding it.
A number of different psychologists including Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson came up with theories that attempt to further understand personality and how it develops. There is a biological theory, psychodynamic theory and behavioral theory.
-Biological Theory: Biological approaches state that genes control the way a personality develops within a person. This ties back to the nature-nurture debate I talked about last week leaning more toward the nature side of the debate. Biologists or any scientist for that matter tends to lean more toward the biological theory because it is backed by science. There is so much evidence in heritability that it creates a link between genetics and personality traits.
-Behavioral Theory: Behavioral approaches suggest that personality is a result of the interaction between an individual and their environment. Behavioral theorists such as B.F. Skinner and John B. Watson study observable and testable behaviors, rejecting theories that take feelings into account.
-Psychodynamic Theory: Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences on personality. Freud believed the three components of personality were the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is responsible for all needs and urges, while the superego for ideals and morals. The ego moderates between the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. Freud suggested that children progress through a series of stages in which the id's energy is focused on different erogenous zones.
TRAIT THEORY
A number of different psychologists including Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson came up with theories that attempt to further understand personality and how it develops. There is a biological theory, psychodynamic theory and behavioral theory.
-Biological Theory: Biological approaches state that genes control the way a personality develops within a person. This ties back to the nature-nurture debate I talked about last week leaning more toward the nature side of the debate. Biologists or any scientist for that matter tends to lean more toward the biological theory because it is backed by science. There is so much evidence in heritability that it creates a link between genetics and personality traits.
-Behavioral Theory: Behavioral approaches suggest that personality is a result of the interaction between an individual and their environment. Behavioral theorists such as B.F. Skinner and John B. Watson study observable and testable behaviors, rejecting theories that take feelings into account.
-Psychodynamic Theory: Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences on personality. Freud believed the three components of personality were the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is responsible for all needs and urges, while the superego for ideals and morals. The ego moderates between the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. Freud suggested that children progress through a series of stages in which the id's energy is focused on different erogenous zones.TRAIT THEORY
The trait theory approach is one of the most prominent areas within personality psychology. According to these theories, personality is made up of a number of broad traits. A trait is basically a relatively stable characteristic that causes an individual to behave in certain ways. Some of the best known trait theories include Eysenck's three-dimension theory and the five factor theory of personality.
Eysenck utilized personality questionnaires to collect data from participants and then employed a statistical technique known as factor analysis to analyze the results. Eysenck concluded that there were three major dimensions of personality: extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
During his initial examination, he described two major dimensions of personality which he referred to as Introversion/ Extroversion and Neuroticism/Stability. Extroversion and introversion related to how people tend to interact with the world while neuroticism and stability related to emotionality.
Eysenck believed that these dimensions then combine in different ways to form an individual's unique personality. Later, Eysenck added the third dimension known as psychoticism, which related to things such as aggression, empathy, and sociability.
Later researchers suggested that there are five broad dimensions that make up people's personalities. Often referred to as the Big 5 theory of personality, this theory suggests that the five major personality dimensions are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, sometimes identified with the useful acronym OCEAN.
Hey Kourtney! This was a very detailed and enjoyable blog! I also included Sigmund Freud's theories in my blog. A few things I might suggest is to be careful when you highlight, I am not entirely sure but it seems like the highlighting might have covered up some of the wording. Also be sure to proofread before publishing your blog. Other than that, keep up the good work! I enjoy reading your blogs.
ReplyDeleteKourtney, I think you did a really good job on this post. It was very detailed and informative. It helped me get a better understanding of the topic. It shows that you had a great grasp on the subject. Only suggestion add some more pics to brighten it up a bit. Overall, great blog!
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