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PYC2601 Summary of textbook
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
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- Personology
summary of prescribed chapters 1,3,10,11,12,14,17
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Chapter 1: key conceptsWhat is Personology?
Personology can be regarded as a kind of extension of our everyday knowledge of human nature.
What is everyday knowledge of human nature?
This is the ability to judge, understand, explain and predict the behaviour of one’s fellow human
beings (Schneewind, 1982).
Definition of Personology
The branch of psychology which focuses on the study of the individual’s characteristics and of
differences between people. It therefore covers the same ground as everyday knowledge of human
nature, namely those abilities which enable us to say that we know someone well.
The scientific counterparts or comprehensive elements of personology are to be found in the form of
personality theories.
Definition of Personality Theory
The outcome of a purposeful, sustained effort to develop a logically consistent conceptual system
for describing, explaining and/or predicting human behaviour.
Whilst the nature and purpose of this conceptual handling of human functioning differs from theory
to theory, several of the following are usually included:
An underlying view of the person
Certain proposals about the structure of personality, and how this structure functions
Ideas about what motivates human behaviour
A description of human development, and propositions of ideal human development
Reflections on the nature and cause of behavioural problems (or psychopathology)
An explanation of how human behaviour might be controlled or possibly changed
Ideas about how to study, measure and predict behaviour.
Human behaviour is complex, the following factors have an influence on human behaviour:
Biological factors (nervous system/hormones)
The food one eats
Environmental circumstances (weather)
Environmental stimuli (the things other people say)
Social factors (other people’s expectations)
The social milieu and culture in which one lives
Psychological and spiritual factors (emotions, habits, attitudes, religious convictions, values
and goals)
The determinist position
The view that people’s behaviour is really determined by forces beyond their control.
The humanist/existentialist position
People’s behaviour is not determined by forces beyond their control, but by their own free will.
,Various theorists will focus solely on psychic determinism, others environmental determinism, yet
others on free will has given rise to a variety of personality theories.
Key concepts basic to the study of personology
Person: refers to an individual human being you can act independently.
Humanistically-orientated theories believe:
People lead a physical existence (certain biological characteristics)
People lead a psychological existence (conscious and unconscious needs that are not
physical)
People lead a spiritual existence (religious beliefs or attributes about worship).
Personality: the constantly changing, but relatively stable organisation of all physical, psychological
and spiritual characteristics of the individual which determine his/her behaviour in interaction within
the context in which the individual finds him/her self.
Distinguish personality from the related concepts of character, temperament, nature and self.
Whilst all are different concepts, temperament and nature refer to the inherited, biological aspects
of the person, whereas character refers to elements determined by socialisation and education.
Opinions about Personality
Personism: behaviour is influenced chiefly by the individual’s personality, with individuals having
certain fixed characteristics or behavioural tendencies that distinguish them from each other.
Situationalism: the situation is the only/most important determinant of behaviour i.e. different
people will behave in similar ways in the same situation and their behaviour will vary in similar ways
from one situation to another.
Interactionalism: behaviour is the outcome of the interaction between the individual’s
characteristics and the situation in which the behaviour occurs.
Personality theories
Depth psychological approaches: behaviour is determined by forces within the person of
which he/she is mostly unaware.
Behavioural and learning theoretical approaches: here the focus is on observable
behaviour, and learning and environmental influences are considered to be the most
important determinants of human behaviour.
Person-orientated approaches: focus is on the inclusion of all aspects of the person.
Alternative perspectives (African): views of human functioning are embedded in religious
and other cultural traditions.
Personality theories include the following:
, The view of the person underlying the theory: each theory has certain assumptions about
the nature and existence of the person.
The structure of the Personality: theorists use structural concepts/hypothetical basic
units/working parts to explain how the person functions as a whole (for example, Freud’s id,
ego and superego).
The dynamics of the personality: what is the motivating energy/drive that enables the
person to function?
The development of the personality: i.e human development – how the structural and
dynamic aspects of the person develop; and how children’s behaviour gradually changes
until they reach adulthood.
Optimal development: the full realisation of the individual’s life goals.
Views on psychopathology: explanations about pathological and maladaptive behaviour
Chapter 3: The Psychoanalytical Theory of Sigmund Freud OR (psychosocial conflict theory)
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