What is a personality?

Time to Pick a Topic

Going to the library this week to begin research!

What is a personality?

• In 1936, Gordon Allport developed a list of 18,000 words that describe personalities.

• How many words can your team come up with in 5 minutes?

Words we use to describe personalities

outgoing

How many different kinds of personalities are there?

• 5 “traits” in all possible combinations?

• 8 opposite traits in all possible combinations?

• Or is there an unlimited number of different personalities?

Why do people like to take personality tests?

• Try googling “personality test.” See how many you can take for free.

• Do psychologists like personality tests for the same reason we all do?

• How would it help us to know about different types of personalities?

What are you?

• Take out a blank sheet of paper.• Number:1.2.3..

.8.

Rate yourself (1 to 5)

1. Are you…

Easygoing, Laidback, Mellow (1) or

234

Shy, Nervous (5)

or somewhere in between?

2. Do you…

Stand close to people (1) or

234

Stand back (5)

or somewhere in between?

3. Are you…

Always on time (1) or

234

Always ½ hour late (5)

or somewhere in between?

4. Do you…

Like big parties (1) or

234Like to hang out with 1 or 2 friends (5)

or somewhere in between?

5. Do you tend to …

Worry (1) or

234Take what comes (5)

or somewhere in between?

6. Do you tend to …

Do what others want (1) or

234Argue, fight (5)

or somewhere in between?

7. Are you usually a …

A rule-follower (1) or

234A risk-taker (5)

or somewhere in between?

8. Would you rather …

Try the new Algerian restaurant (1) or234go to your old favorite Italian (5)

or somewhere in between?

Score Yourself

Trait Calculate from Items Your Score

Extroversion 2+4Neuroticism 5-1Agreeableness 6Conscientiousness 3+7Openness 8

Who are you according to “The Big Five”?

Extrovert (2) Introvert (10)

Worrier (-4) Easygoing, optimist (4)

Agreeable (1) Antagonistic, Grouchy (5)

Conscientious (2) Impulsive (10)

Open to New Things (2) Resistant to new experience (5)

From Allport’s 18,000… research has boiled down to a few key traits.

These 5 don’t tell us everything – but they tell us about as much as many more traits would.

Do the Big Five exist everywhere?

• Gosling et al: 60+ species of other animals

• Countries including Germany, Britain, Turkey, China, Ethiopia, Russia, Korea, the Philippines…

• Self-description and description of others

So where does personality come from?

“Nature or nurture?” and how can we tell?– Identical vs fraternal twins: all genes + some

environment vs some genes and some environment

– Identical twins raised separately: all genes and very little environment

– Adopted children: Are they more like their biological parents or the parents who raised them?

So where does personality come from?

• 50% genes– About half of all variation in ‘likes parties vs

small gatherings’ (introversion vs extroversion) is due to genetics (i.e., how much people’s parents liked parties – even if they’re raised by someone else!)

• 50% ????????? – Parents? Friends? Brothers and sisters? School? Culture?

How can genes be so powerful?

Reciprocal Reciprocal DeterminismDeterminism: If you’re laid back and I’m not, I will parent you differently

Kagan (Social Cognitive Kagan (Social Cognitive Learning Theory): Learning Theory): temperamenttemperament is is established genetically, established genetically, then shaped by life…then shaped by life…

TemperamentTemperament: Easygoing and laid back? Or shy, nervous, easily upset

From birth

10% non-reactive

80% in the middle

10% highly reactive

By adulthood

Of the highly reactive,

About 15% still highly reactive

85% ‘normal’

Nobody’s become laid back

Can you find a highly reactive child? A laid-back, easygoing child?

Who shapes your personality? How?

Who says parents don’t matter?

• Adopted children have very little in common with their adoptive parents.

• “Non-shared environments” (like having a different 4th grade teacher) seem to make siblings very different from one another.

• Parents don’t treat all their children the same way. Why not?

Remember “reciprocal determinism”?

• How would that work with the influence of friends? School? Neighborhood? Siblings?

Carl Rogers* “Unconditional Regard”

“I only love you when you behave the way I want” defensive, uneasy people (Incongruence: the uncomfortable sense that you are about to be found out for who you really are…and you’ve often been told that who you are is not OK)

“I love you even if your behavior at the moment bugs me” warm, open people (“Congruence” – the feeling that your behavior is consistent with who you really are.)

* A humanist. Not much more scientific than the psychodynamic theorists, but some of this has led to positive psychology which does take a more empirical approach.