DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY

Personality includes the individuals biological and intellectual

endowment, the attributes that had been acquired through experience, and
his conscious and unconscious reactions and feelings.
FREUDS PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL (1856 1939)

It was Freud who first proposed that childhood experiences are crucial in the
development of personality and that personality is primarily shaped during
childhood. Freud also believed that at each stages of personality development, the
libidinal energy is focused at certain areas of the body. The person derives pleasure
and expresses needs through the area of the body where the libidinal energy is
concentrated.

Levels of consciousness (Freud)

Conscious part of the mind that is aware of the here and now as it
relates to the individual and his environment. It only functions when
the individual is awake. It is concerned with thoughts, feelings and
sensations.
Preconscious and subconscious is that part of the mind in which
ideas and reactions are stored and partially forgotten it is not
economical for human beings to burden the conscious mind with a
multitude of facts that are infrequently used and currently not in
demand.
Unconscious largest part of the mind and is sometimes compared to
the large hidden part of an iceberg that floats under the water. It is the
storehouse for all the memories, feelings and responses experienced
by the individual during his entire life.

Structure of
Id

Freud did not exactly invent the idea of the

conscious and subconscious. But it was him who
made them
famous and he added another part of
Personality
(Freud)
the mind, which is the unconscious.
Is part of and derived from the unconscious. It is unlearned,
primitive, selfish and the source of all psychic energy. It contains
the instinctual drives, included in which we are the drive for selfpreservation, the drive to reproduce and the drive for group
association.
When the new individual is born he is said to be a bundle of id,
seeking only to satisfy his needs and to find release for
psychological tensions
It operates on the basis of pleasure principles, that is to say,
the id presses for avoidance of pain at all cost and seeks to
maintain pleasure.

Primary process according to Freud is the translation of need

to drive. When a hungry person wishes for food or fantasizes
food, that person is engaging in primary process thinking.

Ego

It promotes the individuals satisfactory adjustment in relation to

his environment. Its main function is to effect an acceptable
compromise between the crude pleasure seeking strivings of
the id and the inhibitions of the superego.
The means through which ego achieve this goal is reality
testing, meaning the ego deals with the demands of reality as
it strives to control and derive satisfaction from the
environment. This states that, take care of a need as soon as
an appropriate object is found.
Secondary process is the problem solving mechanism of the
ego. The ego controls the demands of and mediates between
the id and superego according to the demands of the reality.
Superego
The last to develop. Its development is partially a result of the
socialization process that the child undergoes. The superego
incorporates the taboos, prohibitions and ideals and standards of
parents and the other significant adults with whom the child
associates. It refers to the blindly rigid, strict moralistic part of
the mind, which can be as relenting and ruthless as the id.
It operates mostly on the unconscious levels and at this level is
an inhibitor of the Id. At the conscious levels it may be regarded
as the voice of the conscience or the phase of personality that is
keenly sensitive to the demands of strict convention.
Ego ideal- one aspect of the superego which directs behavior to
simulate that of the individuals the person admires and wishes
to emulate.
It is important to note that the rewarding and punishing of the
superego is based on the internalized standards of right and
wrong and not reality.

Life and death Instincts

According to Freud there are two instincts;

1. Life Instincts
These instincts perpetuate :
The life of the individual by motivating him or her to seek
food and water.
The life of the species, by motivating him or her to have
sex.

 These life instinct is also referred to as LIBIDO meaning I

desire.
2. Death Instincts
Every person has an unconscious wish to die.
Death provides escape from all these pain and struggle. The
day-to-day evidence of the death instinct is in our desire for
peace, for escape from stimulation, our attraction to alcohol and
narcotics, our penchant for escapist activity, etc. (cited by Sia,
2008: Boerce, 1997).
We direct death in a way of aggression, cruelty, murder and
destructiveness.
ANXIETY

A person experiences anxiety when his very person is threatened. The ego
has to constantly create a balance between the forces of reality, id and
superego. When those forces make conflicting demands, the ego could get
into trouble and the person feels threatened.
Freud said that the goal of therapy is simply, to make the unconscious
conscious.
Some major points:
Relaxed Atmosphere providing a relaxed couch, dim lights, quiet,
sound proof walls and the reassurance that everything he says is
confidential.
Free Association allowing the client to talk about anything.
Resistance exhibited by complete blank, falls asleep, comes in late,
or skips an appointment altogether.
Dream analysis in sleep we are somewhat resistance to our
unconscious and we will allow a few things, in symbolic form, to come
to our awareness.
Parapraxes Slip of the tongue. Often referred to as Freudian Slip.
Transference occurs when the client projects feeling towards the
therapist.
Catharsis sudden and dramatic outpouring of emotion that occurs
when the trauma is resurrected.
Insight being aware of the source of the emotion, of the original
traumatic event.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERSONALITY

Freuds Psychosexual Stages

o Authored by Sigmund Freud
o Theorized that the development of personality was intimately involved
with the maturation of the libidinal drives as they focused first upon

the self and the later upon other appropriate persons in the
environment.
Primary narcissism a process wherein the infant directs his libidinal
drives towards him or referred also as self-love.
Age
FREUD
Infancy Oral
(1-1 1/2
years
old)

Toddler
(11/2 and
3 years)

Anal

Points To Remember
The childs whole being is focused upon the
mouth and its function.
The total being of the infant is focused upon
fulfilling the demands of the id, which insist
on relief from hunger, cold or tension.
Tensions are relieved by breastfeeding,
nursing a bottle, or sucking a thumb.
The lips, mouth, tongue and skin are the
areas of an infants body from which he
receives pleasures.
Development of the good me and the bad
me
o Good me see himself as a
worthwhile individual
o Bad me begins to see self as not
worthwhile.
Trust and security develops
Orally aggressive: Signs include chewing
gum or ends of pens.
Orally
Passive:
Signs
include
smoking,eating,kissing,fellatio,cunnilingus
Fixation at this stage may result in passivity,
gullibility, immaturity and manipulative
personality
Also known as habit training period
Period when the mothering person insists
that the infant achieve sphincter control and
begin to communicate through the use of
language.
The child freely gratifies his love of self with
the pleasurable sensations involved in
evacuating the bladder and bowels naturally
and without restriction.
Although the mouth remains as an important
zone of pleasure, the infant derives much
pleasure from the anus and the urethra
during these early years.
To retain his mothers love the child must
learn to postpone the immediate pleasure of
urinating or evacuating until the appropriate
time and place.
Independence and control.
Anal
retentive:
Obsession
with


Prescho
ol
(3-6
years
old)

Phallic

School
age (612
years
old)

Latenc
y

Puberty
(12

18)

Genital

organization or excessive neatness

Anal expulsive: Reckless, careless, defiant,
disorganized, Coprophiliac
Period of family triangle
Focus of pleasurable sensations has shifted
from the mouth and excretory organs to the
genitalia and that the child begins to identify
with parent of the same sex and to
unconsciously wish to replace that parent in
the family situation.
Castration fears anxiety of boys about the
loss of his sexual organs.
Penis envy attitude of girls to conclude
that her penis is lost.
Oedipus complex attachment of boys to his
mother
Electra complex attachment of girls to the
father (develop by Carl Jung)
Sexual identity is developed
During this period the child represses sexual
thoughts and channels his libidinal energies
into the pursuit of intellectual interests.
The
child
begins
the
process
of
emancipating himself from the family by
seeking security and companionship from
peer group of the same sex.
Gang formation and fierce gang loyalties.
Normal
homosexual
relationship
because groups of boys cling together and
shun girls. In the same way, groups of girls
band together and declare they despise
boys.
In this stage the focus is again on the
genitals, like in the phallic stage, but this
time the energy is expressed with adult
sexuality.
Another crucial difference between these
two stages is that, while in the phallic
gratification is linked with satisfaction of the
primary drives, the ego in the genital stage
is well-developed, and so uses secondary
process thinking, which allows symbolic
gratification.
The symbolic gratification may include the
formation of love relationships and families,
or acceptance of responsibilities associated
with adulthood.
Heterosexual relationship may occur.

Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development

Develop Genetic epistemology, which is the study of the nature of thought,
especially development thinking. He believed that an individual has a genetically
predetermined intellectual or cognitive potential. This intellectual potential develops
according to the quality of the childs interaction with the environment.
o
o
o

It deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come
gradually to acquire it, construct it, and use it.
Schema innate knowledge of every person that is being born.
According to him, cognitive development occurs by adding new
knowledge to the old schema and adjusting the schema to
accommodate the new arrivals:
Assimilation incorporation of new knowledge to the existing
knowledge
Accommodation modification of the existing body of
knowledge in a person based on the newly acquired knowledge.
The existing body of knowledge may be changed, refined o0r
reinforced.
Adaptation - learning
Age
Birth-2
years

Stage
Sensorimot
or

2-6
years
old

Preoperational
stage

Points to Remember
"Coordination of sensation and action through
reflexive behaviors". Three primary reflexes are
described by Piaget:
sucking of objects in the mouth,
following moving
interesting objects with the eyes (dolls
eye reflex)
closing of the hand when an object
makes contact with the palm (palmar
grasp).
Over the first six weeks of life, these
reflexes begin to become voluntary
actions; for example, the palmar reflex
becomes intentional grasping.).
An infant progresses from reflexive,
instinctual action at birth to the
beginning of symbolic thought toward
the end of the stage."
During this stage, the child learns to use
and to represent objects by images,
words, and drawings.
Thinking is still egocentric: The child has
difficulty taking the viewpoint of others.
Two substages can be formed from
preoperative thought:

7-12
years
old

Concrete
Operationa
l Stage

Animism is the belief that inanimate

objects are capable of actions and have
lifelike qualities.
Centration is the act of focusing all
attention on one characteristic compared
to the others.
Characterized by the appropriate use of
logic
Important processes in this stage:
o Seriationthe ability to sort
objects in an order according to
size,
shape,
or
any
other
characteristic. For example, if
given
different-shaded
objects
they may make a color gradient.
o TransitivityThe
ability
to
recognize
logical
relationships
among elements in a serial order,
and perform 'transitive inferences'
(for example, If A is taller than B,
and B is taller than C, then A must
be taller than C).
o Classificationthe
ability
to
name and identify sets of objects
according to appearance, size or
other characteristic, including the
idea that one set of objects can
include another.
o Decenteringwhere the child
takes
into
account
multiple
aspects of a problem to solve it.
For example, the child will no
longer perceive an exceptionally
wide but short cup to contain less
than a normally-wide, taller cup.
o Reversibilitythe
child
understands that numbers or
objects can be changed, then
returned to their original state. For
this reason, a child will be able to
rapidly determine that if 4+4
equals t, t4 will equal 4, the
original quantity.
o Conservationunderstanding

11
years
oldonward
s

Formal
Operation

that quantity, length or number of

items
is
unrelated
to
the
arrangement or appearance of the
object or items.
Elimination of Egocentrism
the ability to view things from
another's perspective (even if they
think incorrectly). For instance,
show a child a comic in whom Jane
puts a doll under a box leaves the
room, and then Melissa moves the
doll to a drawer, and Jane comes
back. A child in the concrete
operations stage will say that Jane
will still think it's under the box
even though the child knows it is
in the drawer.

Reversibility and spatiality occurs,

concrete thinking

Abstract and logical thinking develops

Verbal problem solving ability
Adolescent Egocentrism governs the way
that adolescents think about social
matters and is the heightened selfconsciousness in them as they are which
is reflected in their sense of personal
uniqueness and invincibility.
2 forms of Adolescent Egocentrism
o imaginary audience that involves
attention getting behavior
o Personal fable which involves an
adolescent's sense of personal
uniqueness and invincibility.

Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Theory

Explain eight stages ( also referred to as EIGHT AGES OF MAN) through which a
healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each
stage the person confronts, and hopefully masters, new challenges. Each stage
builds on the successful completion of earlier stages. The challenges of stages not
successfully completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the future.
o

Development functions by the epigenetic principle

 This principle says that we develop through a predetermined

unfolding of our personalities in eight stages.
Age
Infancy
(0-1
year)

Stages
Trust vs.
Mistrust

Toddler
(2-3
years)

Autonomy
vs.
Shame
and
Doubt

Preschoo
l
(4-6
years)

Initiative
vs. Guilt

School
age
(7-12
years)

Industry
vs.
Inferiority

Points to Remember
Virtue: Hope
The major developmental task in infancy
is to learn whether or not other people,
especially primary caregivers, regularly
satisfy basic needs.
If caregivers are consistent sources of
food, comfort, and affection, an infant
learns trust- that others are dependable
and reliable.
If they are neglectful, or perhaps even
abusive, the infant instead learns
mistrust- that the world is in an
undependable,
unpredictable,
and
possibly dangerous place.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
sensory distortion and withdrawal
"Can I do things myself or must I always
rely on others?"
Virtue: Will
The
parents'
patience
and
encouragement helps foster autonomy in
the child.
Highly restrictive parents, however, are
more likely to instill the child with a
sense of doubt and reluctance to attempt
new challenges.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
impulsitivity - compulsion
"Am I good or am I bad?"
Virtue: Purpose/courage
The child learns to take initiative and
prepare
for
leadership
and
goal
achievement roles.
If discourage by adults by the pursuit of
independent activities or dismiss them
as silly and bothersome guilt may occur.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
ruthlessness - inhibition
"Am I successful or worthless?"
Virtue: Competence
Children at this age are becoming more
aware of themselves as individuals.
Erikson viewed the elementary school

Adolesce
nt
(13-19
years
old)

Identity
vs.
Role
Confusion

Young
Adult
(20-34
years)

Intimacy
vs.
Isolation

Middle
Adulthoo
d
(35 65
years
old)

Generativ
ity
vs.
Stagnatio
n

Old Old
(Seniors)
65
onwards

Ego
integrity
vs.
Despair

years as critical for the development of

self-confidence.
Industry is achieved if child gets rewards
and recognition for hard work being
done.
However, inferiority occurs when a child
is being ridiculed or punished.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
Narrow virtuosity - inertia
"Who am I and where am I going?"
Virtue: Fidelity/ loyalty
Sexuality identity is being developed.
Most adolescents achieve a sense of
identity regarding who they are and
where their lives are headed.
Maladaptations
and
malignancies:Fanaticism
repudiation
"Am I loved and wanted?" or "Shall I
share my life with someone or live
alone?"
Virtue: Love
Intimacy- close personal association and
belonging together.
Isolation feeling of being alone
Erikson also argues that "Intimacy has a
counterpart: Distantiation: the readiness
to isolate and if necessary, to destroy
those forces and people whose essence
seems dangerous to our own, and whose
territory seems to encroach on the
extent of one's intimate relations"
Maladaptations and malignancies:
Promiscuity - exclusivity
"Will I produce something of real value?"
Virtue: Care
Generativity
is
the
concern
of
establishing and guiding the next
generation.
Stagnation is dissatisfaction with the
relative lack of productivity.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
Overextension - rejectivity
"Have I lived a full life?"
Vitue: Wisdom
It is during this time that we contemplate
our accomplishments and are able to

develop integrity if we see ourselves as

leading a successful life.
Despair occurs when we become
dissatisfied with life.
Maladaptations and malignancies:
Presumption - despair

MNEMONICS: TAIIIIGE-T

Harry Stack Sullivan: Interpersonal Theory

The focus of his theory is the influence of social and environmental factors on
personality development.
o

He labeled personality as a self sytem. This is organized into 3

Personifications of Self:
Good me compose of those experiences and behaviors when
anxiety is reduced and satisfaction and security is experienced.
Bad me when anxiety is not reduced and tension is
experienced
Not me when severe anxiety occurred causing confusion and
the individual is unable to learn and integrate information into
the personality.
Three experience modes of the cognitive process
Protaxic
Characterized by sensations, feelings and fleeting
fragmented images, occurs during the early months of
infancy.
Expressions are primitive and logically disconnected, and
provide a backdrop for the next level
Normal in infancy, but associated with floridly psychotic
states when present in other age groups.
Parataxic
Also illogical in nature.
Illustrate, events occurring simultaneously or in close
approximation to each other are considered casually
related.
Example: a child who has experienced losses of several
significant others through death could erroneously
conclude that all people entering a hospital die.
Syntaxic
The most developed level of experience characterized by
logical thinking which emerges in juvenile stage as the
young person engages in the process of consensual
validation.

o
o

o
o
o

He believed that personality does not exist without interpersonal

relations.
Healthy development of personality requires the ability to establish
intimacy with people.
Anxiety can interfere with satisfying
interpersonal relationships at any age...
Preadolescence is the most important period because intimate
relationships are possible without the added complication of lust
Achievement of psychological health comes with the ability to have
both intimate and lustful relationship with another person.
Four important behavior patterns that characterize a person
throughout time:
Malevolence doing bad or evil towards others
Intimacy grows from need for tenderness but involves a close
personal relationship between two people who are more of less
of equal status.
Lust an autoerotic phenomenon since it requires no other
person for its satisfaction.
Self system - most complex dynamism which includes
behaviors that maintain our interpersonal security by protecting
us from anxiety by learning which behaviors increase or
decrease anxiety.

INTERPERSONAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

INFANCY
The infant is dependent on others to meet his needs, when needs are
satisfied; the infant develops a sense of basic trust, security and self
worth.
Mothering one the primary caregiver of the infant. Empathic
linkages,a symbolic emotional umbilical cord that makes the infant and
the mothering one highly sensitive to each others feeling, must be
establish.
Self concept begins at this stage.
Security Operations mechanism develop by infants with bad
caregivers.
Somnolent detachment sleeping
Apathy emotional detachment or numbing
Selective inattention tuning out details or information that
causes anxiety
Dissociation detachment from self to prevent anxiety from
integrating into conscious awareness
Anger directed towards to provide a temporary feeling of
power.
Repeated use of security of security operations prevents the child from
using and mastering:

Focal awareness the ability to grasp all the details and

meaning of situations or experiences
Consensual validation the ability of verifying the accuracy of
ones perceptions with others involved in the situation.
CHILDHOOD (18 months 6 years)
Early childhood or toddler
Sense of power is being developed as the child attempts to
control himself and the environment.
Preschool
Consensual validation enable the child to check out his
perceptions and feelings with others.
The child learns to accept delayed gratification of needs and
wish fulfillment.
Juvenile (6 9 years)
The child learns to relate to peers, compete, compromise and
cooperate in the process.
Gang Formation as the child turns to peers of the same sex to provide
the sense of satisfaction
Preadolescence (9-12 years)
Chum relationship occurs (love relationship), a person that the child
perceives as very similar to himself.
The child learns to be concerned with another individual and puts the
need of that individual ahead of him.
Early Adolescence (12-14 years)
Independence and how to relate to opposite sex is being developed.
Lust comes in ( experiences sexual urges).
Late adolescence (14 20 years)
Develops intimate relationship with opposite sex.
Major task: incorporation of intimacy that develops in preadolescence
with lust that develops in early adolescence.
Young Adulthood ( 20 -40 years)
Adapts of becoming economical, intellectual and emotionally selfsufficient

Kohlbergs Moral Development Theory

The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six
identifiable developmental stages, each more adequate at responding to moral
dilemmas than its predecessor.
o

Six Developmental Stage according to Kohlberg:

A. LEVEL 1 ( Pre-conventional Stage)
Obedience and Punishment Driven - individuals focus on
the direct consequences of their actions on themselves.
The worse the punishment for the act is, the more "bad"

the act is perceived to be EXAMPLE: "The last time I did

that I got spanked so I will not do it again."
Self Interest Driven - espouses the "what's in it for me"
position, in which right behavior is defined by whatever is
in the individual's best interest.
LEVEL 2 (Conventional Stage)
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity driven - Individuals
are receptive to approval or disapproval from others as it
reflects society's accordance with the perceived role.
They try to impose Good boy or good girl image.
4. Authority and social order obedience driven - it is
important to obey laws, dictums and social conventions
because of their importance in maintaining a functioning
society.
Level 2 (Post Conventional or Principled Level)
5. Social Contract Driven - the world is viewed as holding
different opinions, rights and values. Those which do not
promote the general welfare should be changed when
necessary to meet "the greatest good for the greatest
number of people".
6. Universal ethical principles driven -Laws are valid only
insofar as they are grounded in justice, and a commitment
to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust
laws.