Had its beginnings in the work of Sigmund Freud and still exists today
Focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality
Humanistic Perspective
First arose as a reaction against the psychoanalytic and behaviorist perspectives
Focuses on the role of each person's conscious life experiences and choices in personality development
Trait Perspective
Differs from the other three in its basic goals
The three all seek to explain the process that causes personality to form into its unique characteristics, whereas trait theorists are more concerned with the end result---the characteristics themselves
Behaviorist Perspective
Based on the theories of learning
Focuses on the effect of the environment on behavior
Morphogenic science
Methods that gather data on a single individual
Nomothetic methods
Methods that gather data on groups of people
Allport advocated an eclectic approach to theory building
Allport accepted some of the contributions of Freud, Maslow, Rogers, Eysenck, Skinner, and others
Allport believes that no one of these theorists is able to adequately explain the total growing and unique personality
Personality
The dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought
Conscious motivation
Healthy adults are generally aware of what they are doing and their reasons for doing it
Allport did not ignore the existence or even the importance of unconscious processes
Characteristics of a psychologically healthy person
Extension of the sense of self
Warm relating of self to others
Emotional security or self-acceptance
Realistic perception of their environment
Insight and Humor
Unifying philosophy of life – purpose in life
Extension of the sense of self
Mature people continually seek to identify with and participate in events outside themselves
Warm relating of self to others
They have the capacity to love others in an intimate and compassionate manner
Emotional security or self-acceptance
Mature individuals accept themselves for what they are, and they possess emotional poise
Realistic perception of the environment
They do not live in a fantasy world or bend reality to fit their own wishes
Insight and humor
Mature people know themselves and have a non-hostile sense of humor
Unifying philosophy of life
Healthy people have a clear view of the purpose of life
Personal dispositions
Generalized neuropsychic structures peculiar to the individual, with the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent, and to initiate and guide consistent forms of adaptive and stylistic behavior
Levels of personal dispositions
Cardinal
Central
Secondary
Cardinal dispositions
They are so obvious that they cannot be hidden
Central dispositions
The 5 to 10 most outstanding characteristics round which a person's life focuses
Secondary dispositions
Less conspicuous but far greater in number than central dispositions
Motivational dispositions
Intensely experienced dispositions that receive their motivation from basic needs and drives
Stylistic dispositions
Personal dispositions that are less intensely experienced and guide action
Proprium
Those behaviors and characteristics that people regard as warm, central, and important in their lives
Allport believed that most people are motivated by present drives rather than by past events and are aware of what they are doing and have some understanding of why they are doing it
The mature person is motivated to acquire new systems of motivation that are functionally independent from their original motives