Dimensions of Personality

• Eysenck argued that there are only three general superfactors:extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and psychoticism (P).
• All three factors are part of normal personality structure and bipolar.
• •Extraversion – Introversion• Neuroticism – Stability• Psychoticism - Superego
• Extraverts have a: Lower level of cortical arousal, Higher sensory thresholds, Lesser reactions to sensory stimulation
• Introverts have a: Higher level of cortical arousal, Lower sensory thresholds, Greater reactions to sensory stimulation
• Hypothalamus - Hypocretin/Orexin - Locus coeruleus - Norepinephrine - arousal/cortical activation
• Individuals with high neuroticism often overreact emotionally,have difficulty returning to a normal state after emotionalarousal, and frequently complain of physical and psychologicalsymptoms.
• Due to a highly reactive limbic system, including the amygdala and hypothalamus
• Hypothalamus - body temp, hunger, fatigue, sleep
• Amygdala - emotions, memory, decision-making
• Basal Ganglia - movements, habits, cognition, emotions
• Thalamus - regulation of sleep, consciousness, alertness
• Hippocampus - memory, navigation
• Diathesis-stress model - yhe higher the neuroticism score, the lower the level of stress necessary to precipitate a neurotic disorder.
• These quadrants are sometimes compared with the four temperaments described by the Greeks: melancholic, choleric,phlegmatic, and sanguine(humoral theory).
• High P scorers are often egocentric, cold, nonconforming, impulsive, hostile, aggressive, suspicious, psychopathic, and antisocial.
• Low P scorers (in the direction of superego function) tend to be altruistic, highly socialized, empathic, caring, cooperative, conforming, and conventional.
• Also accepted the diathesis-stress model: The higher the psychoticism score, the lower the level of stress necessary to precipitate a psychotic reaction.
• Four Personality Inventories Measuring Superfactors

  1. Maudsley Personality Inventory assessed only E and N
  2. Eysenck Personality Inventory measures extraversion and neuroticism independently and contains a lie (L) scale to detect faking
  3. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire included a psychoticism (P) scale
  4. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised
• Eysenck teamed with Yugoslav physician and psychologistRonald Grossarth-Maticek to investigate not only the relationshipbetween personality and disease, but also the effectiveness ofbehavior therapy on prolonging the life of cancer and cardio-vascular disease (CVD) patients.
• Grossarth-Maticek had used a short questionnaire and a long personalinterview to place people into one of four groups or types.Type I: Have a hopeless/helpless non-emotional reaction to stress (cancer)
• 2. Type II: React to frustration with anger, aggression, and emotionalarousal (heart-attack)
• 3. Type III: Are ambivalent, shifting from the typical reaction of Type Iand Type II people
• 4. Type IV: Regarded their autonomy as an important condition totheir personal well-being and happiness