WISDOM DEGREE COLLEGE CHANNAN.
Presentation of psycology.
Presented by:
Group no 4: Khadija Siddiq(leader) , Zunaira Javed ,
khadija Akhtar , Maria Arif , Esha mustafa,Umm e Rubab.
Department: Psycology (SEM-1)
Submitted to: Mam Tasmia Ijaz.
Topic no 1:
Definition of humanistic theory:
Humanistic personality theory states that
people have self-motivation to achieve their potentialities and have a free will.
Such a theory analyzes an individual as an organized whole having unique
potentialities.
Explanation:
Humanistic personality theory relates to human
experiences, uniqueness, freedom of choice, and meaning. It claims
that human beings have the self-determination, free will, and do not
behave in a determined manner all the time. Thus, they are vital agents
who carry the ability to determine their own development and have the
willingness to become what they want to. That is, human beings are
self-reliant and capable of positive self-direction.
Accordingly, the humanistic theory of personality development as
opposed to the psychoanalytic or behaviorist view of personality
development. It extended its influence during the 1970s and 1980s.
Freudian psychoanalysis claimed that childhood experiences and
unconscious drives influenced human personality. However, other
psychologists criticized the theory on the grounds that it gives too
much importance to the deterministic roles of biology and the
unconscious. In other words, it did not consider the influence of the
conscious mind on personality development.
Whereas, behaviorism believes that the environment in which human
beings grow makes them who they are. Behaviorism is the oldest
theory of personality that dismisses the internal workings of human
beings. Accordingly, it assumes that human beings are not moral
thinking entities and do not have free will.
Psycologist’s Contibutions:
The humanistic psychologists, Abraham Maslow
and Carl Rogers, claimed that humans possess self-motivation. Hence, they can
achieve personal growth and fulfillment. In other words, humans seek
psychological growth and continuous self-improvement.
However, both Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow gave different ways in which
humans seek self-actualization.
Carl Rogers Humanistic Theory of Personality
Carl Rogers was a well-known humanistic psychologist who was part of the humanist
movement of the 1960s. Both Rogers and Maslow emphasized on the change and growth
potential of healthy human beings.
As humanistic psychologists, both Maslow and Rogers claimed that humans have free will.
However, both were critical about biology being deterministic, which was the primary
characteristic of both psychoanalysis and behaviorism.
In other words, both focused on humans having free choice and self-determination to become
the best individuals they can become.
However, Rogers believed that for a person to grow into a healthy personality, he needs a
genuine, accepting, and empathetic environment.
In other words, an open environment can help the individual to self-disclose. Further, such an
environment must positively regard the individual, understand him, and hear his side of the
story.
In the absence of these things, it is not possible for a person to have a healthy personality and
relationships.
He was of the view that people can become whatever they wish to. They can achieve their goals
and desires in life. And if they are able to do so, they achieve self-actualization.
This was one of the important contributions that Carl Rogers made.
Personality characteristics of the humanistic theory:
The five core values of the humanistic theory are as follows:
• Human beings supersede sum of their parts.
• Each one has a unique existence.
• They are conscious beings, that is aware about themselves and others.
• Human beings have free will, choice, which brings responsibility.
• They are intentional, goal-oriented, and aware that they cause future events. Further, they
seek meaning, creativity, and value.
Critism on Humanistic theory:
• Its concepts are vague and subjective. Critics argue that subjective ideas
such as authentic and real experiences are difficult to objectify; an
experience that is real for one individual may not be real for another
person.The emphasis on the self encourages selfishness in individuals.
• Humanism fails to appreciate the reality of evil in human behavior.
Topic no:02
What is a trait?
A trait is a personality characteristic that meets three criteria: it must be
consistent, stable, and vary from person to person. 1 Based on this definition, a
trait can be thought of as a relatively stable characteristic that causes individuals
to behave in certain ways.
Trait theory of personality:
The trait theory of personality suggests that people have certain basic traits and it
is the strength and intensity of those traits that account for personality
differences. The way psychologists have thought about personality-defining traits
has evolved over time.
Explanation:
Trait theories of personality seek to avoid the limitations of type systems by
accounting for both the diversity of human behavior and the behavioral
consistencies within the individual.
Trait theories state that personalities consists of broad enduring dispositions that
tend to lead to characteristic responses. In other words people can described in
terms of the basic ways they behave, such as whether they are shy, friendly,
assertive, dominant or aggressive. These theories agree that traits are
fundamental building blocks of personality.
Unlike many other theories of personality, such
as psycoanalytic or humanistic theories, the trait approach to personality is
focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of
various traits form a personality that is unique to each person. Trait theory is
focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics.
Allport’s Trait Theory
In 1936, psychologist Gordon Allport found that one English-language dictionary
contained more than 4,000 words describing different personality traits. He
categorized these traits into three levels:
• Cardinal Traits.
• Central Traits.
• Secondary Traits.
1: Traits:
Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and dominating,
usually developing later in life. They tend to define a person to such an extent
that their names become synonymous with their personality.
2:Central Traits:
General characteristics form basic personality foundations.
While central traits are not as dominating as cardinal traits, they describe the
major characteristics you might use to describe another person. Descriptions such
as "intelligent," "honest," "shy," and "anxious" are considered central traits.
3:Secondary Traits:
Secondary traits are sometimes related to attitudes or
preferences. They often appear only in certain situations or under specific
circumstances. Some examples include public speaking anxiety or impatience
while waiting in line.
Cattell’s 16-Factor Personality Model
Trait theorist Raymond cattell reduced the number of main personality traits from
Allport’s initial list of over 4,000 down to 171. He did so primarily by eliminating
uncommon traits and combining common characteristics.
Next, Cattell rated a large sample of individuals for these 171 different traits.
Using a statistical technique known as factor analysis, he then identified closely
related terms and eventually reduced his list to 16 key personality traits. Among
them are dominance, perfectionism, reasoning, and self-reliance.
According to Cattell, these 16 traits are the source of all human personalities. He
also developed one of the most widely used personality assessments. the 16
Personality Factor Questionnaire.
He divided these sources of information about human behaviour into three types:
• L-data
• Q-data
• T-data
L-data:
L-data comes directly from the person understudy and from his life records which
is generally supplied by individuals who have observed the subject and wo can
provide information about the individual behavior.
Q-data:
It consists of the subject's answer to question about himself.
T-data:
It consists of scores on standardized, objective tests.
Eysenck’s 3 Dimensions of Personality
British psychologist Hans Eysenck developed a model of personality based on just
three universal traits,which are as follows:
• Introversion/Extraversion
• Neuroticism/Emotional Stability
• Psychoticism
1:Introversion/Extraversion:
Introversion involves directing attention to inner experiences,
while extraversion relates to focusing attention outward, onto other people and
the environment. A person high in introversion might be quiet and reserved,
while an individual high in extraversion (often spelled "extroversion") might be
sociable and outgoing.
2:Neuroticism/Emotional Stability:
This dimension of Eysenck’s trait theory is related to moodiness versus even-
temperedness. Neuroticism refers to an individual’s tendency to become upset or
emotional, while stability refers to the tendency to remain emotionally constant.
3:Psychoticism:
Later, after studying individuals suffering from mental illness, Eysenck added a
personality dimension he called psychoticism to his trait theory. Individuals who
are high on this trait tend to have difficulty dealing with reality and may
be antisocial, hostile, non-empathetic, and manipulative.
Five-Factor Model of Personality
Both Cattell’s and Eysenck’s theories have been the subject of considerable
research. This has led some theorists to believe that Cattell focused on too many
traits, while Eysenck focused on too few. As a result, a new trait theory often
referred to as the "Big Five" theory emerged.
This five-factor model of personality represents five core traits that interact to
form human personality. While researchers often disagree about the exact labels
for each dimension, the following are described most commonly:
• Agreeableness: level of cooperation and caring for others.
• Conscientiousness: level of thoughtfulness and structure.
• Extraversion: level of socialness and emotional expressiveness.
• Neuroticism: level of mood stability and emotional resilience.
• Openness: level of adventure and creativity.
Criticisms of Trait Theory
Most theorists and psychologists agree that people can be described based on
their personality traits. Yet, theorists continue to debate the number of basic
traits that make up human personality. While trait theory has an objectivity that
some personality theories lack (such as Freud’s psychoanalytic theory), it also has
weaknesses.
