PSY405 Personality Psychology
PSY405 Personality Psychology
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THE NATURE OF PERSONALITY THEORY
What
sort of creatures are we?”
1-Individual differences - Of the several billion
people who presently inhabit the earth, no two individuals are exactly alike
even the identical twins. Personality psychology is concerned with the
differences among the people
.Objectives of Personality Psychology
The personality psychology is directly concerned with the
problem of understanding human personality within the framework of the science
of psychology. Scientifically based concepts and methods of
personality psychology will ultimately prove to be of most value in
understanding the complex nature of human behavior.
- (1) To
have a general, integrated and clear concept about Personality
- (2) To
understand personality assessment
- (3) To
identify several important Theories of Personality
- (4) To
identify key themes in Theories of Personality.
What
makes personality psychology a science?
The process
of converting speculations or opinions or beliefs about human nature into
concepts that can be studied and tested empirically it is a process beset by
many hazards; indeed, efforts to establish a “science of
persons”. It may seem fascinating to try to gain insight into the causes of our
behavior and development. Psychologists resist to objectifying personality
within the field of psychology, because it undermines human uniqueness and
complexity instead, they concentrate on the qualities of human beings such as
literature, art, history and religion which may each provide valuable insights
into human behavior. A second objective of personality psychology is to help
people live their lives more fully and satisfyingly by finding ways to promote
more healthy patterns of growth. These efforts include new forms of psychotherapy, various special learning
programs, and changes in the psychological environment intended to permit
people to develop to their full potential.
Theories
of Personality
Different systems of consistent group of concepts
called theories of personality. Each theory is about human nature and the goal
of each theory is the understanding of the diversity and complexity of the
whole person functioning in the real world. Theory refers to unsubstantiated
hypothesis or speculation concerning reality that is not definitely known but
when a theory has confirmatory data or evidence it is a fact.
1. A
theory is useful when it can efficiently generate predictions and propositions
2. A
theory should contain two parts a cluster of relevant assumptions
systematically related to each other and a set of empirical definitions
What
purpose do theories of personality serve?
Theories of
personality represent elaborate speculation or hypotheses about why people
behave as they do and they serve the following functions
1. A
personality theory is descriptive. In other words, a theory provides a
meaningful framework (i.e. a kind of map) for simplifying and integrating all
that is known about a related set of events. A good personality theory, then,
provides a meaningful context within which human behavior can be consistently
described and interpreted.
2. A
theory should not only describe past and present events but also predict future
ones. The second function of a personality theory is therefore to provide a
basis for the prediction of events and outcomes that have not yet occurred.
3. This
purpose clearly implies that a theory’s concepts must be testable and capable
of being confirmed or disconfirmed. For example, a theory should furnish a
basis for predicting specific changes in Raymond’s behavior as a function of parental
treatment. What will happen if his mother actively encourages these feelings?
Not only should such general predictions be possible but, ideally, the concepts
of a theory should be formulated to permit rigorous and precise empirical
testing.
How
we can evaluate Personality Theories?
Given the
sheer number of alternative personality theories, how do we evaluate the
relative merits of each? The most puzzling question that comes to your mind is
what criteria can be used to evaluate a theory? We believe that six major
criteria can be employed to evaluate personality theories and each personality
theory should satisfy each of these criteria to some extent in order to receive
a positive and satisfactory evaluation. We will describe these criteria, compare
and contrast the theories in terms of these six criteria.
1. Verifiability:
A theory is positively evaluated to the degree that its concepts lend
themselves to verification by independent investigators. This means that a
theory must be stated in such a way that its concepts are clearly, explicitly
defined and logically related to one another so that the theory can be
empirically tested. This requirement has been exceedingly difficult for
personologists to demonstrate even a moderate amount of empirical validation
for their theoretical positions. A good theory should be empirically testable,
leading to modification of the theory if necessary.
2. Heuristic
Value: The degree to which a theory directly stimulates a
research. A theory by translating its core concepts into a form of
operationalization can allow for relevant research activity. Personality
theories differ immensely in their capacity to fulfill this goal. Some of the
most provocative theoretical formulations of personality (e.g., Maslow’s
self-actualizing theory) are practically devoid of empirical support. This
state of affairs usually results from the theorist’s failure to define his or
her concepts operationally i.e., in manner whereby they can readily be subjected to empirical test.
3. Internal
Consistency: This criterion stipulates that a
theory should not contradict itself that is a good theory is internally
consistent way. On the whole, theories of personality reasonably satisfy this
standard,
4. Parsimony
(simple): A theory may also be judged on the basis of the
number of concepts it requires to explain events within its domain. The law of
parsimony states that the preferred explanation is the one which demands the
fewest number of concepts, i.e., is most economical.
5. Comprehensiveness:
This criterion refers to the range and diversity of phenomena encompassed by a
theory. The more comprehensive a personality theory is the more behavioral
ground it covers. The theorist should include behavioral events such as
biological, emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural in human behavior. At
the same time, it must be recognized that no present theory can account for all
human functioning.
6.
Functional Significance:
Finally, a theory may be evaluated on the basis of how useful it is in helping
people to understand everyday human behavior. All of us are interested in
knowing more about ourselves and other people. Indeed, knowledge of the
personal and social insights provided by personality theorists can greatly help
one’s understanding and appreciation of human nature.
What
are the influences on Personality development?
1. Genetics
2. Environment
( learning)
3. Culture
and Society
4. Self-awareness
5. Traits
6. Unconscious
Mechanisms
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