Welcome to lesson eight of the Introduction to Psychology course! You've come a long way in your exploration of psychology. So far you have covered a wide range of topics including psychology history, states of consciousness, memory and learning. In this lesson, we'll focus on one of the largest and most popular topics in psychology – personality!
Our personality touches every aspect of our daily life, so it's little wonder that the study of personality is one of the largest topics within psychology. For this lesson, we will look at some of the major theories that have emerged to explain and understand human personality.
syllabus for this week: What is personality? Freud's theory of personality Maslow's hierarchy of needs Self-efficacy and personality Trait theory of personality What Is Personality?
Almost everyday we describe and assess the personalities of the people around us. Whether we realize it or not, these daily musings on how and why people behave as they do are similar to what personality psychologists do.
While our informal assessments of personality tend to focus more on individuals, personality psychologists instead use conceptions of personality that can apply to everyone. Personality research has led to the development of a number of theories that help explain how and why certain personality traits develop.
Components of Personality
While there are many different theories of personality, the first step is to understand exactly what is meant by the term personality. A brief definition would be that personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors that make a person unique. In addition to this, personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life.
Some of the fundamental characteristics of personality include:
Consistency- There is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways or similar ways in a variety of situations.
Psychological and physiological- Personality is a psychological construct, but research suggests that it is also influenced by biological processes and needs.
It impacts behaviors and actions- Personality does not just influence how we move and respond in our environment; it alsocausesus to act in certain ways.
Multiple expressions- Personality is displayed in more than just behavior. It can also be seen in our thoughts, feelings, close relationships and other social interactions. Freud's Theory of Personality
Famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud suggested that there are three critical elements of personality - the id, the ego, and the superego. Learn more about how these elements work together to influence behavior
According to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements. These three elements of personality--known as the id, the ego and the superego--work together to create complex human behaviors.
The Id
The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality.
The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant's needs are met. If the infant is hungry or uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met.
