WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT; METHODS AND APPLICATIONS
Different fun types of personality test
- DOPE test (bird personality test)
• Dove, Owl, Peacock, Eagle
- The toothpaste personality test
• Squeeze the middle (impulsive, life of the party)
• Roll from the bottom (thrifty, prone to depression)
• Squeeze the top (stubborn, slow witted)
• Don’t use it (antisocial, bad breath)
The important message – With personality, looking at it from an evidence-based perspective, we’re trying to define inner
characteristics of people but in a practical sense. Essentially extrapolating from those inner characteristics to people’s behaviour.
Personality
- A dynamic organisation, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of
behaviour, thoughts and feelings (Gordon Allport, 1961)
- Stability and consistency – not rigidity
- Everyday meaning:
• Typically characterises specific personalities
• Typically characterises specific people
Common phrase – “someone has a great personality” – very vague, can have various meanings in different context. Everyday
meaning is not useful but might be useful in a social context for describing people, however, for a deeper meaning, need to dig
deeper = understanding personality construct. Can be used to characterised people.
- Formal meaning:
• Abstract construct
• Broadly applicable
Construct has no physical form. It is an idea, a notion that a human has constructed (made up) to describe something – reflect
reality but is not real. Abstract construct is not tangible.
Why use the construct?
- Conveys a sense of consistency or continuity
• Across time
• Across situation
- Suggests internal origins of thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• Two sources of influence
Person – personality psychology emphasises the role of person variables on behaviour = behaviour
Situation = behaviour
- Helps in predicting and understanding behaviour
Relationships – the more we know about someone and what drives them, the more we can understand them and can better predict
their behaviours. If we had no concept of personality and the inner drives of people, we wouldn’t know how to predict or
understand people.
- Captures a sense of personal distinctiveness
Might have the same 5 factors underling our behaviour but within those 5 factors, everyone sits in at a different spot on those 5
continuums (everyone is different). The combination of those 5 factors goes towards describing our personality.
Fundamental issues in personality psychology
- Individual differences
• Represent differences in people
• Examples: aggressiveness, sociability, optimism
Personality traits. If we can measure these personality traits, they are more likely to act more in align with that differences that
they have than not act in alignment.
- Intrapersonal functioning
• Represents stable processes that underlie thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
• Examples: goal or motivational processes
Our goals or motivations are what drives us to act in a certain way.
Theory in personality
- Purpose of a theory
• Explain what is known
E.g., theory of cognitive schemas: helps explain differences in response to stress
A theory is only useful, if it explains what is already known. If it does not align with what we already know, then it is a poor
theory.
, • Predict new information or events
E.g., biological theories of personality: sensation-seekers more likely to try new drugs
Interplay between theory and research
- THEORY (theory guides research) RESEACH (research tests theory: verifies, suggests changes) THEORY
Ideally, we begin with the theory (can think of it as a hypothesis). If we find that our theory is not supported by our data or
research, then we will need to go back to theory and rejig the theory, so it does make sense.
What characterises a good theory?
1. Explains what is known
2. Predicts what will happen (testable)
3. Is based on multiple sources of information
4. Is frugal in assumptions (parsimony)
Perspectives on personality
- Individual theories of personality
• Attempt to describe human nature
• Have different orienting assumptions
• May be grouped by metatheoretical perspective
• May have overlapping connections
• May be limited in scope (intentionally)
Specific perspectives
Perspective Focus
Trait Stable qualities in people
Motive Motives that underlie behaviour
Inheritance and evolution Personality is genetically based
Biological process Personality reflects the boy and brain
Psychoanalytic Competition and conflict among internal forces
Psychosocial Social relationships are paramount
Social learning Change as a result of experience
Self-actualisation Natural tendencies toward self-perfection
Cognitive Mind imposes organisation on experience
Self-regulation People are complex psychological systems that move toward
goals
Methods in the study of personality
- Informal sources of information
• Observation of self-introspection, self-reflection, self-attention
Bias, black of self-awareness
This is done automatically. We think about who we are majority of the time. The problem with that is that there is an inherence
bias because you are exposed to information that no one else has and more likely to bias positively in your behaviour and thoughts
of who you are. Lack of self-awareness – people with higher levels of narcissism, have the inability to be self-aware of who they
are.
• Observations of others
Possibility of misinterpretation
This is done all the time. We observe others’ behaviour, and we infer from their behaviour back to their personality. There is flaw
in this logic because behaviour is not necessary, in a social situation, what their personality is.
- Formal methods
• Case study
Intensive examination of a single person
We follow that person either through observations or by using objective personality test over a period of time.
• Experience sample
Use self-reports
Conducted across extended periods of time
• Generalisability
• Correlational studies
Direction, strength, significance
Predict scores on one variable from known score on another variable
Often the only method available
Limitations? Yes, because we can’t measure every variable
• Experiments
Different fun types of personality test
- DOPE test (bird personality test)
• Dove, Owl, Peacock, Eagle
- The toothpaste personality test
• Squeeze the middle (impulsive, life of the party)
• Roll from the bottom (thrifty, prone to depression)
• Squeeze the top (stubborn, slow witted)
• Don’t use it (antisocial, bad breath)
The important message – With personality, looking at it from an evidence-based perspective, we’re trying to define inner
characteristics of people but in a practical sense. Essentially extrapolating from those inner characteristics to people’s behaviour.
Personality
- A dynamic organisation, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of
behaviour, thoughts and feelings (Gordon Allport, 1961)
- Stability and consistency – not rigidity
- Everyday meaning:
• Typically characterises specific personalities
• Typically characterises specific people
Common phrase – “someone has a great personality” – very vague, can have various meanings in different context. Everyday
meaning is not useful but might be useful in a social context for describing people, however, for a deeper meaning, need to dig
deeper = understanding personality construct. Can be used to characterised people.
- Formal meaning:
• Abstract construct
• Broadly applicable
Construct has no physical form. It is an idea, a notion that a human has constructed (made up) to describe something – reflect
reality but is not real. Abstract construct is not tangible.
Why use the construct?
- Conveys a sense of consistency or continuity
• Across time
• Across situation
- Suggests internal origins of thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• Two sources of influence
Person – personality psychology emphasises the role of person variables on behaviour = behaviour
Situation = behaviour
- Helps in predicting and understanding behaviour
Relationships – the more we know about someone and what drives them, the more we can understand them and can better predict
their behaviours. If we had no concept of personality and the inner drives of people, we wouldn’t know how to predict or
understand people.
- Captures a sense of personal distinctiveness
Might have the same 5 factors underling our behaviour but within those 5 factors, everyone sits in at a different spot on those 5
continuums (everyone is different). The combination of those 5 factors goes towards describing our personality.
Fundamental issues in personality psychology
- Individual differences
• Represent differences in people
• Examples: aggressiveness, sociability, optimism
Personality traits. If we can measure these personality traits, they are more likely to act more in align with that differences that
they have than not act in alignment.
- Intrapersonal functioning
• Represents stable processes that underlie thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
• Examples: goal or motivational processes
Our goals or motivations are what drives us to act in a certain way.
Theory in personality
- Purpose of a theory
• Explain what is known
E.g., theory of cognitive schemas: helps explain differences in response to stress
A theory is only useful, if it explains what is already known. If it does not align with what we already know, then it is a poor
theory.
, • Predict new information or events
E.g., biological theories of personality: sensation-seekers more likely to try new drugs
Interplay between theory and research
- THEORY (theory guides research) RESEACH (research tests theory: verifies, suggests changes) THEORY
Ideally, we begin with the theory (can think of it as a hypothesis). If we find that our theory is not supported by our data or
research, then we will need to go back to theory and rejig the theory, so it does make sense.
What characterises a good theory?
1. Explains what is known
2. Predicts what will happen (testable)
3. Is based on multiple sources of information
4. Is frugal in assumptions (parsimony)
Perspectives on personality
- Individual theories of personality
• Attempt to describe human nature
• Have different orienting assumptions
• May be grouped by metatheoretical perspective
• May have overlapping connections
• May be limited in scope (intentionally)
Specific perspectives
Perspective Focus
Trait Stable qualities in people
Motive Motives that underlie behaviour
Inheritance and evolution Personality is genetically based
Biological process Personality reflects the boy and brain
Psychoanalytic Competition and conflict among internal forces
Psychosocial Social relationships are paramount
Social learning Change as a result of experience
Self-actualisation Natural tendencies toward self-perfection
Cognitive Mind imposes organisation on experience
Self-regulation People are complex psychological systems that move toward
goals
Methods in the study of personality
- Informal sources of information
• Observation of self-introspection, self-reflection, self-attention
Bias, black of self-awareness
This is done automatically. We think about who we are majority of the time. The problem with that is that there is an inherence
bias because you are exposed to information that no one else has and more likely to bias positively in your behaviour and thoughts
of who you are. Lack of self-awareness – people with higher levels of narcissism, have the inability to be self-aware of who they
are.
• Observations of others
Possibility of misinterpretation
This is done all the time. We observe others’ behaviour, and we infer from their behaviour back to their personality. There is flaw
in this logic because behaviour is not necessary, in a social situation, what their personality is.
- Formal methods
• Case study
Intensive examination of a single person
We follow that person either through observations or by using objective personality test over a period of time.
• Experience sample
Use self-reports
Conducted across extended periods of time
• Generalisability
• Correlational studies
Direction, strength, significance
Predict scores on one variable from known score on another variable
Often the only method available
Limitations? Yes, because we can’t measure every variable
• Experiments
