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Chapter 1 notes for introduction to personality
- Institution
- McGill University (Mcgillu)
Lecture notes of 2 pages for the course at Mcgillu (Notes)
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Six approaches to personality:o psychoanalytic approach: people’s unconscious minds are largely responsible for
important differences in their behavior styles.
o trait approach: identify where a person might lie along a continuum of various
personality characteristics.
o biological approach: point to inherited predispositions and physiological processes to
explain individual differences in personality.
o humanistic approach: identify personal responsibility and feelings of self-acceptance as
the key causes of differences in personality.
o behavioral /social learning approach: explain consistent behavior patterns in terms of
conditioning and expectations.
o cognitive approach: look at differences in the way people process information.
Two Examples: Aggression and Depression
o Aggression:
- The classic psychoanalytic explanation of aggression points to an unconscious
death instinct (page 6). Other psychoanalysts argue that aggression results when
we are blocked from reaching our goals.
- Personality theorists who follow the trait approach focus on individual
differences and the stability of aggressive behavior (experiment on book, page
6).
- Personality psychologists from the biological perspective point to a genetic pre-
disposition to act aggressively.
the fact that men tend to be more aggressive than women might be
explained by the male’s inherited need to exercise control over rivals so
that he can survive and pass along his genes.
Other researchers from this approach look at the role hormones and
neurotransmitters play in aggressive behavior.
- Psychologists who take a humanistic approach to personality deny that some
individuals are born to be aggressive. They believe that problems develop when
something interferes with this natural growth process.
- According to the behavioral/social learning approach, people learn to be aggressive
the same way they learn other behaviors.
- Cognitive psychologists focus on the way aggressive people process information.
Certain cues in the environment, such as images of guns and fighting, often trigger a
network of aggressive thoughts and emotions.
o Depression:
- According to Sigmund Freud, the founder of the psychoanalytic approach,
depression is anger turned inward.
- Trait theorists are concerned with identifying depression-prone individuals.
- Biological personality psychologists point to evidence that some people may
inherit a genetic susceptibility to depression.
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