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Chapter 2. Personality Development. How is Personality Formed?. Heredity : Some personality traits seem to be inborn. Passed down from parent to child. Environment : Others seem to be shaped by a person’s physical and social environment.
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Chapter 2 Personality Development
How is Personality Formed? • Heredity: Some personality traits seem to be inborn. Passed down from parent to child. • Environment: Others seem to be shaped by a person’s physical and social environment. • Most traits are influenced by a combination of both hereditary and environment
Heredity • Personality traits can be seen at an early age. • Psychologists are not sure which personality traits are influenced by heredity and which are not. • EX: Shyness and aggressiveness may be inherited. • Talents may be partly inherited; it is what you do with your ability that determines how they will develop during your life.
Environment • Personality traits are modified by a person’s environment. • Friends • Family • School • Culture • Experiences during childhood influence our personality. • Modeling – Children copy behavior of others. • Learn about feelings, attitudes, and appropriate ways of behaving from people close to them. • Children learn desirable behavior be receiving rewards, and undesirable behavior through punishment.
Environmentcont • Teenagers spend more than half their time with others, leading to a huge influence on personality development. • These friends, who are about the same age and share the interests, are known as a peer group. • A peer group gives you a chance to learn about yourself and to get along with others. • Being part of a healthy peer group is likely to have a positive influence on your personality. • By young adulthood, your personality traits are fairly well established. It is possible to change traits that you are dissatisfied with.
Theories of Personality Dev. • People’s personalities change as they grow and are exposed to new ideas, attitudes, and behaviors. Psychologists have several theories to explain how and why the human personality develops. • We will discuss the three most important and recognized theories. • Sigmund Freud • Erik Erickson • Abraham Maslow
Sigmund Freud • Late 1800’s Austrian Physician who specialized in mental illness. • He believes that an individual’s personality is made up of three parts. • Id - consists of biological urges. (Hunger and thirst) • Ego - Thoughtful, decision making part of personality (The Id urged you to eat, the ego helps you find food) • Superego - Part of personality that judges right from wrong. Also known as conscience. (Superego would direct you not to steal the food that your Id urges you to eat)
Sigmund Freud • Freud believes that our minds operate at 2 thought levels: • Conscious – Thoughts that we are aware of • Unconscious – Thought we are not aware of having • It is believed that a person pushes unpleasant or frightening thoughts into the unconscious. • These unconscious thoughts help influence our personality, even though we may not be aware of their effects • Freud believes that adult personalities are shaped mainly by early childhood experiences. These memories are stored in the unconscious. • He states inner conflicts can be resolved through psychoanalysis – treatment technique that brings memories into the conscious.
Erik Erickson • Follower of Freud but believes an individual’s personality continues to be influenced by experiences beyond childhood. • Erickson believes people continue to develop socially and psychologically until death. • Devised eight-stage theory of personality development.
Ericksons’ 8 Stages of Development • 1st stage – Trust vs. Mistrust - A child that is cared for is likely to develop a secure personality • 2nd stage – Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt – Children who are encouraged to become independent tend to develop confident personalities. • 3rd stage – Initiative vs. Guilt – Develop a sense of right and wrong through role-playing. • 4th stage – Industry vs. Inferiority - Learn how to accomplish real tasks, develop a feeling of competence. • 5th stage – Identity vs. Role Confusion – Search for identity. Questions everything: Religion, sex, family teachings • 6th stage – Intimacy vs. Isolation – Development of lasting relationships • 7th stage – Generativity vs. Stagnation – Passing along life learned lessons to younger people. • 8th stage - Ego Integrity vs. Despair – Reflects and accepts life led.
Abraham Maslow • Believes everyone has a basic drive to achieve his/her fullest potential. • Maslow used the term self-actualization to describe the process by which each person strives to be all that he/she can be. • Maslow found that very few people ever reach their full potential. He developed a theory that suggests that before people could achieve self-actualization, their basic needs had to be met. He put these needs in ascending order called the hierarchy of needs.
Coping Strategies Defense Mechanisms
Recognizing Emotions • Recognizing your emotions is an important 1st step in dealing with them in healthful ways. • Next time you have a strong emotion, pause and put a name on the emotion. Then try to determine what event triggered the emotion.
Coping with Your Emotions • When emotions become too much to handle, it is important to have several coping strategies. • A Coping strategy is a way of dealing with an uncomfortable or unbearable feeling or situation. • One type of coping strategy is to use Defense Mechanisms. Defense mechanisms are the ways people defend themselves against difficult feelings. • Freud believes defense mechanisms occur on an unconscious level, meaning we may not be aware of them. • These mechanisms, if used in moderation, can cause you to experience a feeling of temporary relief, allowing you to put off the dealing with the problem until you can handle it.
Harmful ways of coping • Strong emotions can cloud a person’s sense of judgment. Causing us to choose faulty coping strategies, worsening the problems. • Examples are using drugs, alcohol, acting out in violent ways, or withdrawing from family and friends. • If you find that you resort to harmful coping strategies, it may be time to ask for help. Family, friends, teacher, coaches, or counselors are people you can talk to.
