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