Personality and Abnormal Behavior

• Psychopathic individuals exhibit a reckless disregard for social norms or the well-being of themselves or others.
• Cluster A of personality disorders includes Paranoid, characterized by excessive distrust and suspiciousness of others, pathologically jealous, interprets actions as demeaning, malevolent, threatening, or exploitative, and has ideas of reference (believes coincidences or innocuous events have strong personal significance).
• Schizoid, a type of personality disorder, is characterized by detachment from social interactions without a desire for close interpersonal relationships, restricted affect, and eccentric beliefs without frank delusions.
• Schizotypal, another type of personality disorder, is characterized by eccentric beliefs without frank delusions, cognitive and perceptual disturbances, and impaired social interactions.
• Cluster B of personality disorders includes Antisocial, characterized by lack of empathy, with disregard for rights of others, deceitfulness, impulsivity, irresponsibility.
• Borderline, a type of personality disorder, is characterized by an unstable self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness, instability of interpersonal relationships, affective instability, self-harm behavior, hypersensitivity to rejection and fear of abandonment.
• Histrionic, a type of personality disorder, is characterized by excessive attention-seeking behavior and emotionality, often excessively impressionistic and shallow.
• Narcissistic, a type of personality disorder, is characterized by a need for admiration, grandiosity in speech and behavior, lack of empathy for others, interpersonally exploitative, arrogant and haughty.
• Dependent is characterized by inability or extreme difficulty making own decisions, overly reliant on others, submissiveness, feelings of inadequacy, avoidance of confrontation.
• Avoidant is characterized by feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to rejection, social inhibition despite a desire to form close interpersonal relationships.
• Obsessive-compulsive is characterized by preoccupation with details and rules, excessive organization, perfectionism, orderliness, miserliness, rigidity and stubbornness.
• Primary symptoms of psychosis are often classified as positive (in excess or in addition to normal functions) or negative (absence or decrease in normal functions).
• Delusions are false beliefs about the world.
• Disturbed or disorganized thoughts are often lacking structure or relevance, most often displayed through disorganized speech.
• Hallucinations can occur in any sensory modality but auditory hallucinations are most common.
• Changes in mood can include flat affect (displaying little or no emotion).
• Disorganized or odd behavior can range from periods of immobility to odd gestures or facial grimaces.
• TEMPERAMENT which is the enduring characteristics with which each person is born such as irritability or adaptability.
• CHARACTER refers to value judgements made about a person’s morals or ethical behavior.
• PERSONALITY is the unique way in which each individual thinks, acts and feels though life.
• Personality Structure refers to the consistent, unique features that give coherence to a personality. It arises through the roles culture assigns to a person and individual differences.
• The self is the personality “viewed from within”. All the experiences within oneself and one’s environment are integrated into it.
• Personality is the configuration of characteristics and ways of behaving which describes an individual’s unique adjustment to his environment. It includes characteristics that are important in a person’s adjustment and maintenance of self-respect
• TRAIT PERSPECTIVE is more concerned with the end result – the characteristics themselves.
• HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE focuses on the role of each person’s conscious life experiences and choices in personality development.
• BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE is based on the theories of learning and focuses on the effect of the environment to behavior. (focus in effect on the environment and behavior)
• PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE had its beginnings in the work of Sigmund Freud and still exists today which focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality. (focus in biological causes of personality differences)
• INSANITY is a legal term not a psychological term; refers to an ability to manage one’s affairs or to be aware of the consequences of one’s actions
• PSYCHOPATHOLOGY is the study of abnormal behavior
• Carl Rogers, a prominent humanistic or existential theorist in personality, is the founder of Client-centered theory which aims to make the person achieve balance between their real self and ideal self.
• ECTOMORPH tends to be too skinny in proportion to height; is cerebratonic – one who is characterized by excessive restraint, is inhibited and avoids social contactor
• If a person holds a positive self concept, they would tend to feel good about themselves and generally see the world as a safe and positive place.
• If a person holds a negative self-concept, they may feel unhappy with who they are.
• Albert Bandura is known for his theory of social learning by means of modeling.
• The self as proactive means an individual has control in any situation by making things happen.
• The self acts as an agent in doing or making oneself as one is.
• Agents assume some degree of ownership and control over things, both internally and externally.
• Albert Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy states that a person’s belief that they can execute goal directed behavior in a successful manner, especially under challenging or stressful circumstances, is a key aspect of self-efficacy.
• Carl Jung, a prominent figure in personality theory, believed that the unconscious mind held much more than personal fears, urges and memories.
• Carl Jung believed in a collective consciousness as well as a personal consciousness and proposed the psychological type theory of personality, classifying individuals as introverts or extroverts.