Personality Theories

Personality is...

• inconsistent over your lifespan

• is an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

• how an individual changes their thinking, feeling, and acting often

How does Psychodynamic theory explain personality?

• That personality mainly originates in your subconscious

• That personality is attributed to 5 main traits

• That personality is mainly found in our conscious

The theory where Freud compared the human mind to a big iceberg consisting of three regions: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious

• Iceberg Theory

• Trait Theory

• Social-Cognitive Theory

thoughts and feelings were aware of

• conscious mind

• preconscious mind

• unconscious mind

region of the mind holding information that is not conscious, but it retrievable into conscious awareness

• conscious mind

• preconscious mind

• unconscious mind

region of the mind holding mostly inaccessible thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

• conscious mind

• preconscious mind

• unconscious mind

present at birth, consists of unconscious energy and strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. It operates on the pleasure principle, it demands immediate gratification.

• Id

• Ego

• Superego

consists of internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement. It develops in childhood and it is the voice saying what we should do. If you have a weak superego, you will let your Id take over.

• Id

• Ego

• Superego

the ego negotiates amongst the demands of the id, the superego and reality. It operates from the reality principle. The ego represents good sense and reason.

• Id

• Ego

• Superego

 protective methods of reducing anxiety by distorting reality.

• defense mechanisms

• iceberg theory

• projective tests