Unit 6: Personality
In the last unit, you learned about several theories of human development. However, these did not speak about our long-term traits, or the characteristics that make us unique human beings. In this unit, we will focus on personality psychology, which is the study of how our personalities develop and how they are shaped by our experiences and circumstances. We'll examine some of the development theories a bit deeper and also look at how psychologists assess personality traits.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- define personality and describe early theories of personality;
- describe and differentiate the theories of Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Carl Jung, and Karen Horney;
- describe behaviorist, cognitive, and social learning approaches, as well as humanistic and biological perspectives on personality development; and
- explain the uses and utility of personality assessment methods.
6.1: Personality Psychology
Watch this lecture on personality to understand how personality is defined and measured as well as the history of this line of inquiry. Pay attention to the Big Five Personality test, and consider taking it yourself!
Read this section. Think about how personality is defined and the role it plays in your everyday life and interactions. Pay attention to the historical context, particularly Galen's theory on the 4 underlying temperaments, which was dominant for almost 1,000 years. Can you relate to these 4 temperaments?
6.2: Perspectives and Approaches
Read sections 11.2 through 11.6 to learn about the various perspectives of personality development. Much emphasis is placed on Sigmund Freud's influential and deterministic theory which highlights sexual and aggressive drives. The next section discusses the Neo-Freudian approaches like that of Carl Jung who placed emphasis on the idea of a collective unconscious. Think about how these theories differ and build on each other as psychologists try to understand how personality is developed. The final part of this reading examines social situations and outside influences on our personality development. Can you relate to the work by Albert Bandura and Julian Rotter who coined the terms self efficacy and locus of control, respectively? This reading concludes with an examination of biological factors in personality development, specifically the similarities (and differences) in personality among identical and fraternal twins who were raised apart.
Watch this video on Freud's psychoanalytic theory, which describes the first dominant and complete theory of personality development.
Watch this video explaining the humanistic approaches of personality development as introduced by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Watch this video to learn about the biological role of personality development.
6.3: Personality Traits and Assessment
Read sections 11.7 through 11.9. These begin with a discussion of personality traits or characteristics that shape our behaviors, thoughts, and actions. Pay attention to how personality traits differ from temperament. The sections conclude with a brief overview of personality assessment strategies and tools. Do you think these are good methods for assessing personality? If not, how do you think they should be improved?
Watch this video on trait theorists like Gordon Allport, Raymond Cattell, and Hans Eysenck, and their personality assessment techniques.
Read this article, which describes personality traits and the Five-Factor Model.
Read this article on personality assessments. What are some strengths and limitations within each approach?
Unit 6 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.