1. Sept.
Chapter 2
Theories of
Personality:
Jan. 28,
2014

2. Theories of Personality
• What is personality?
• Most theories of personality believe some
traits are basic to humans: how do we figure
out what these are?
• Factor analysis

3. Personality factors that “load on”
factor named extraversion: McCrae
and Costa (2008) Five Factor Model
assertive
sociable
Factor 2: neuroticism
Factor 3: openness to
experience
Factor 4: agreeableness
Factor 5: conscientiousness
friendliness
Factor 1:
Extraversion

4. • What is personality?
• Agreeableness
• Narcissism

5. Chapt. 2 Theories of personality
• personality = individual’s unique
constellation of consistent behavioral traits
• personality trait = durable disposition to
behave in a particular way across a variety of
situations
– Common personality traits include:
• honest
• moody
• impulsive
• friendly

6. Five –factor model of personality:
McCrae and Costa (2007, in text)
neuroticism
conscientiousness
agreeableness
extraversion
openness to
experience

7. Psychological tests of personality
Psychological tests=standardized measure of a
sample of someone’s behavior
1. Standardized measures – uniform
procedures
2. Reliability – same results upon repeated
administration?
3. Validity
4. Test norms – score relative to others

8. Psychological tests=standardized
so that scores compared meaningfully
•

9. Five factor model – measure of
agreeableness
- agreeableness – self-report inventory
- multiple measures available
- 10-item International Personality Item Pool
Measure of Agreeableness
(http://ipip.ori.org/)
TAKE SELF-ADMINISTERED TEST OF
AGREEABLENESS

10. Agreeableness
1. very inaccurate 2. moderately inaccurate 3. neither
accurate or inaccurate
4. moderately accurate 5. very accurate
I am or I:
1.Interested in other people
12345
2. Sympathize with others feelings
12345
3.Have a soft heart
12345
4. Feel others’emotions
12345
5. Make people feel at ease
12345
6. Take time out for others
12345
7. Not really interested in others
1 2 3 4 5 reverse scored
8. Insult people
1 2 3 4 5 reverse scored
9. Am not interested in other people’s 1 2 3 4 5 reverse scored
10. Feel little concern for others
1 2 3 4 5 reverse scored

11. Mean = 40.63
1 S.D. = 5.91 (Nye, Honors Thesis, Univ. of
Notre Dame, 162 undergrads)
Ave = 40.63 +/5.91 (1 SD)
or 34.72 to
46.54
High score=above 46
Low score=below 35

12. Who is agreeable?
•
•
•
•
•
Warm
Friendly
Altruistic
Compliant with needs of others
More likely to emotionally regulate when feel
strong negative emotions= (Hass et al, 2007)
more activity in the right lateral prefrontal
cortex (decision making and moderating
correct social behavior)
Disagreeable= angry, aggressive, interpersonal
arguments

13. Narcissistic Personality Inventory

14. How to interpret score
Mean = 17
S.D. = 7 (how much variability in score)
High scores: those ½ standard S.D. above mean
Low scores: those ½ standard deviation below
mean
Mean score = 17
High: 20.5 - 40
Medium: 13.5 - 20.5
Low: 0 - 13.5

15. • The Narcissistic Personality Inventory
measures "normal" narcissism or "everyday"
levels of narcissism or “self-love”
• LOW SCORERS => lower self-esteem, be more
modest, cautious, and reserved, and don't like
to be the center of attention.
• HIGH SCORERS => higher self-esteem, be more
arrogant, extraverted, and impulsive, and like
to be leaders.
Reference: Raskin, R., & Terry, H. (1988). “A principal-components analysis of
the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct
validity”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 890-902.

16. PERSONALITY
Introversion and Extroversion

17. Learning Outcomes
After this lecture you should be able to:
• Understand & explain the meaning of personality
• Understand Carl Jung’s contribution of
‘introversion & extroversion’
• Be familiar with Hans Eysenck’s contribution to
the “biological basis of introversion and
extroversion”
• Broadly describe & explain the relation between
brain activity and personality

18. Important Definitions
• Personality>Refers to an individual’s unique
constellation of consistent behavioral traits
• Personality trait>A durable disposition to
behave in a particular way in a variety of
situations

19. Personality Intuitively Considered
• Some are strongly aware of personality
or consistent behavioral
characteristics/propensities
-Ourselves
-Playwrights
-Novelists
-Advertisers
-Marketers (especially Google)

20. Personality Empirically Considered
• Here we entertain:
Sigmund Freud
Carl Jung
Alfred Adler
Ivan Pavlov
B.F. Skinner
Albert Bandura
Hans Esyenk
Wilhelm Reich
Carl Rogers
Abraham Maslow
Sigmund Freud

21. Information Processing Model

22. Carl Jung (1875-1961)
• Jungian Analytical Psychology (Typology)
Introversion-Extroversion
Intuition-Sensing
Feeling-Thinking
Perceiving-Judging
ARCHETYPES ACROSS CULTURES:

23. 8 Jungian Archetypes
• The Father (Leader): Authority figure; stern; powerful.
• The Mother (Caretaker): Nurturing; comforting.
• The Child (Communicator): Longing for innocence; rebirth;
salvation.
• The Wise Old Man/Woman (Elder): Guidance; knowledge;
wisdom.
• The Hero (Warrior): Champion; defender; rescuer.
• The Maiden (Aphrodite): Innocence; desire; purity.
• The Trickster (Bully): Joker; deceiver; liar; trouble-maker.
• The Cooperator (Arbitrator)

24. The Biological Basis of Personality
• Personality types result from differences in
central nervous system (CNS) functioning
Implications:
• Genetic basis of personality
• Relatively stable & unchanging
• However: environment interacts with
biological predispositions

25. Reticular Activating System
• The gatekeeper of consciousness, spark of the
mind, the reticular formation connects with
the major nerves in the spinal column and the
brain. It sorts the 100 million impulses that
assault the brain each second, deflecting the
trivial, letting the vital through to alert the
mind. The mind cannot function without this
catalytic bundle of cells. Damage to them
results in coma or loss of consciousness.

29. Biological Basis of
Extroversion/Introversion: Hans Eysenk
(1967)
ARAS system:
• Ascending Reticular Activation System
• Cortical excitation & inhibition
High ARAS arousal:
• Predisposes to introversion
Low ARAS arousal:
• Predisposes to extroversion
Evidence: Introverts have higher sedation threshold
than extroverts (cf. ADHD)

30. Central Nervous System

31. Some Introversion/Extroversion Empirical
Findings
• Introverts less tolerant of painful electric
shocks (Bartol & Costello, 1976)
• Corr et al (1995): After high dose of
caffeine: Introverts poorer performance
(over-stimulated?); Extroverts better
performance (stimulated?)
• Frontal lobes of introverts more active than
extroverts (PET scan) (Johnson et al, 1999)

32. Extroverts:
Normal & Neurotic
Sanguine
Normal Extrovert
• Low ARAS arousal
• Low visceral brain activity
Choleric
Neurotic Extrovert
• Low ARAS arousal
• High visceral brain activity

33. Introverts:
Normal & Neurotic
Phlegmatic
Normal Introvert
• High ARAS arousal
• Low visceral brain activity
Melancholic
Neurotic Introvert
• High ARAS arousal
• High visceral brain activity

34. Biological & Environmental Interaction
“Biological causes act in such a way as to
predispose an individual in certain ways to
stimulation; this stimulation may or may not
occur, depending on circumstances which are
entirely under environmental control”
(Eysenck, 1967, pp. 221-222)
• Effect of different teaching environments

35. Summary
• Eysenck’s approach identifies personality
dimensions (ext/int; neu/nor)
• A person’s placing on these dimensions
determines their personality temperament
• Eysenck proposes a biological basis for
personality
• Extroversion & introversion are said to be related
to ARAS functioning
• Neuroticism & normality are said to be related to
visceral brain activity