Theories of Personality

• Personality


  Comes from the Latin work "per" and "sonare" which means to sound through
• Personality


  Is sometimes defined as person's public self, what s/he selects to display to the world (Jung's concept of persona)
• Personality


  • Can be described in terms of consistent behavior patterns
  • The tendency to respond consistently to various situations is what gives a person identity
• Personality


  Totality of individual<|>Unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits<|>Psychic qualities: temperament, traits, mode of reaction and character<|>Stable and enduring organization of a person's character, temperament, intellect, physique – determines his/her unique adjustment to his/her env't
• First impression gives people a clue to the pattern of the observed individual. They then brand that person as a certain "personality type" and ascribe to him/her supposed characteristics of that type
• Physiognomy is a method of judging personality through the measurement and study of person's physical features – facial features
• Phrenology is a method where personality is judged by the size and shape of the skull
• Graphology uses a person's handwriting to know his or her personality. General penmanship and the way a letter is formed have a corresponding personality characteristic
• Stages of personality development

  1. Birth into complex world

  2. Newborn child depends upon adults for protection and survival

  3. Individual is transformed from a biological infant into a bio-psycho-social adult

  4. Establishes and maintains balance of equilibrium between this social environment
• Growth and development


  • Not synonymous but are closely interrelated process directed by both genetic and environmental factors
  • Changes in growth and development are more obvious in some periods than in others
• Life in the uterus

  The relationship between the mother and the unborn child is made possible and mediated through the semi-permeable membranes of the placenta, where there is a continuous interchange of chemical substances and gases day and night<|>Intrauterine development also depends upon countless biological interactions within the embryo and fetus itself
• Life in the uterus

  Anxiety, tension and feelings of rejection during pregnancy (esp with unwed mothers) is attributed to be one of the causes of unhealthy psychological development of the child<|>These children are noted to be "cry babies", shy toddlers, insecure adolescent and immature adults
• Birth


  1. Expels the unborn child from the warm, dark water of the uterus into a wide space

  2. He is exposed to light and cold, breathes in air, lies in hard surface, is carried and put down, handled and moved in unfamiliar ways

  3. He experiences hunger, and learns to fill himself

  4. He learns that in order to get food, he must grasp a nipple in his lips, learn the art of sucking and swallowing while he breathes

  5. To the child, this means work, discomfort, emptiness, pain
• Infancy


  1. Infancy is the beginning of the individual's existence in this world

  2. Infancy is the time when the fetus adjust to life outside the uterine walls of the mother where it has lived approximately 9 months

  3. The adjustment of the fetus is completed when the fall of the umbilical cord from the navel (medical experts); it is completed when the infant begins to show signs of developmental progress in behavior (psychological experts
• Infancy subdivided into

  • Period of Partunate (from birth to 30 minutes after birth)
  • Period of the Neonate (time from cutting and tying of the umbilical cord to approximately the end of the second week of postnatal life)
• Babyhood


  1. First 2 years of life after infancy

  2. Gradual but pronounced decrease in helplessness

  3. Individual becomes independent

  4. Age of increased individuality, beginning of socialization and of creativity

  5. Foundations upon which the adult personality structure will be built is laid
• Childhood


  1. Child still helpless

  2. Marked physical and psychological changes start at the age of 2

  3. Parents call this problem age, troublesome age, pre-school age

  4. Children are inquisitive – questioning age

  5. Imitation and creativity

  6. Physical development of the child – muscles, teeth and molars erupt
• Adolescence


  1. Age when the individual becomes integrated into the society of adults

  2. Developmental task is focused on the development of independence as a preparation for adulthood

  3. Establishment of identify

  4. Time of experimentation and testing of lifestyles and roles
• Changes in adolescence

  • Age of maturing
  • Appearance
  • Sex appropriateness
  • Names, nicknames
  • Peers
  • Creativity
  • Family relationship
  • Academic competence
• Adulthood


  1. Commitment and sense of identity made and established

  2. Moves from period of exploration to stabilization

  3. Problem of obesity, it is a health risk related to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis , stroke

  4. A normal development process that occurs throughout the lifespan causing a progressive decrease in functional capabilities
• Over 250 theories of human behavior and therapy compete for attention in the marketplace of ideas and practice
• Major theoretical approaches/schools

  • Psychoanalytic theories
  • Cognitive-behavior theories
  • Humanistic - existential theories
• Theory


  Is the mark of a profession<|>Can ensure accountability<|>Can help avoid discrimination<|>Provides a way of making sense of complexity and uncertainty
• How theories

  • Conceptual framework
  • Practice frameworks
  • Practice theories
• Theories of social work


  Focus on the profession and explain its purpose, domain, and character within the society. They describe what the profession is all about and why it functions as it does
• Theories for social work


  Focus on clients and helping activities. They explain human behaviors, the social environment, how change occurs and how change can be facilitated by the social worker in order to benefit
• Types of theories

  • Orienting theories
  • Practice perspectives
  • Practice models
  • Practice theories
• Orienting theories


  Describe and explain behavior and how and why certain problems develop. They provide important background knowledge and are usually borrowed from other disciplines such as biology, psychology, sociology, economics, cultural anthropology and the like
• Practice perspectives


  A particular way of viewing and thinking about practice. It is a conceptual lens through which one views social functioning and if offers very broad guidance on what maybe important considerations in a practice situation
• Practice model


  A set of concepts and principles used to guide intervention activities. The term model is also used when referring to a conceptual framework that is borrowed from one field and applied in another, for example, the medical model (study, diagnose, treat) and the legal model (an approach to social action and client advocacy involving competition and conflict among adversaries
• Practice theory


  Offers both an explanation of certain behaviors or situations and guidance on how they can be changed. A practice theory serves as a road map for bringing about a certain type of change. Most practice theories are rooted in one or more orienting theories
• Social work theories

  • Behavioral theories
  • Cognitive theories
  • Crisis theory
  • Ecological system theory
  • Family life cycle theory
  • Psychodynamic theory
  • Family systems
  • Strategic therapy (model)
  • Situation focused therapy (model)
  • Empowerment theory
  • Humanistic (existential/transpersonal)
  • Object relations theory
  • Structural family therapy
  • Socio-cultural theory
• Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory


  Developed by Sigmund Freud through his clinical work with patients suffering from mental illness<|>Freud came to believe that childhood experiences and UNCONSCIOUS desires influenced behavior<|>Conflicts that occur during each of these stages can have a lifelong influence on personality and behavior<|>Current problems stem from unresolved issues that occurred in early childhood
• Psychoanalysis


  1. Freud proposed one of the best-known grand theories of child development

  2. Psychosexual theory - child development occurs in a series of stages focused on different pleasure areas of the body

  3. During each stage, the child encounters conflicts that play a significant role in the course of development

  4. Energy of the libido was focused on different erogenous zones at specific stage

  5. Failure to progress through a stage can result in a fixation at that point in development, which could have an influence on adult behavior

  6. Successfully completing each stage leads to the development of a healthy adult personality

  7. Failing to resolve the conflicts of a particular stage can result in FIXATIONS that can then have an influence on adult behavior

  8. Through free associations, dreams or fantasies, clients can learn how to interpret deeply buried memories or experiences that may be causing them distress
• Psychoanalysis


  • A school of psychology
  • A form of psychotherapy – psychoanalysis through free association transference
  • Stages of psychosexual development
  • Structure of the mind – id, ego, superego
  • Dynamics of personality – tension reduction model
  • Instincts
• The unconscious mind


  A reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness<|>Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict<|>According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences
• Structure of personality

  • Id
  • Ego
  • Superego
• Id


  Consists of everything that is psychological, including instincts – in close touch with bodily processes<|>Follows the pleasure principle<|>To obtain pleasure/reduce pain, it operates through reflex action and primary process – mental image; when desired image is present, it is a wish fulfillment
• Ego


  Comes to exist due to need to negotiate needs of organism and objective world of reality<|>Adheres to reality principle<|>Operates on secondary process by suspending temporary pleasure until an appropriate object is found/means to secure it<|>Realistic thinking
• Superego


  Developed by interpretation/enforcement of traditional values of ideals of society by parents<|>Adheres to moral standards<|>As moral arbiter – uses punishment/rewards/introjection – conscience (guilt); ego-ideal (rewards)<|>Its formation brings about self-control