Page 417 - Understanding Psychology

Figure 14.18 Theories of Personality
Theories of personality are used to organize personality characteris- tics, explain differences among individuals, explore how people con- duct their lives, and determine how life can be improved. Which the- ory do you think best describes your personality? Explain.
Theory Main Ideas
Behaviorist Theories
Social Learning Theories
Psychoanalytic Theories
Cognitive Theories Humanistic Theories
Trait Theories
focus on the way rewards and punishment shape our actions
cognitive-personal factors, our behaviors, and environmental factors interact to shape our personalities
emphasize the importance of early childhood experiences, repressed thoughts, and conflict between conscious and unconscious forces
our analysis of our own perceptions, thoughts, and feelings shape our personalities
emphasize our capacity for personal growth, development of our full potential, and freedom to make choices
focus on identifying, measuring, and classifying similarities and differences in per-
sonality characteristics or traits
Researchers also noticed that a person’s actions tend to elicit specific responses from other people. A behavior and its most likely response are said to be complementary. For example, most people will respond to a request for help (trusting) by offering advice (helping), regardless of how helpful they are as individuals. Thus, many behaviors result not simply from a person’s personality but also from that person’s social environment.
1. Review the Vocabulary What is the difference between cardinal and central traits? Between surface and source traits?
2. Visualize the Main Idea Using a dia- gram similar to the one below, list the traits that make up each of Eysenck’s three dimensions of personality.
Eysenck’s Dimensions of Personality
3. Recall Information What is the impor- tance of common traits in Cattell’s theory? What are Cattell’s source traits?
4. Think Critically Do the five factors of personality in the five robust factors describe you? If not, what other charac- teristics would you want to add?
5. Application Activity
Choose a character in a movie or television show you have recently
seen. Describe the character in terms of the per- sonality dimensions proposed by one of the trait theorists discussed in this section.
Assessment
Chapter 14 / Theories of Personality 403