Chapter 12 Notes Flashcards
Allport’s Psychology of the Individual believed that
Attempts to describe people in terms of general
traits rob them of their unique individuality.
Allport objected to trait and factor theories
rejected the psychoanalytic and behavioral views of humanity as being too deterministic and
too mechanistic.
traits are not determined by unconscious motives originating in early childhood but by conscious choices
He called the study of the individual
morphogenic science and contrasted it with the nomothetic methods used by most other psychologists
was willing to accept at face value the self-disclosure statements of most participants
in a study
what kind of approach?
eclectic
no theory is completely comprehensive
What Is Personality?
includes both overt behaviors and covert thoughts
People not only adjust to their environment, but also their environment adjusts to them
Role of Conscious Motivation?
Healthy adults are generally aware of what they are doing and their reasons for doing it
healthy people are motivated largely by conscious
processes
did not ignore the existence or even the importance
of unconscious processes,but unlike freud, was inclined to accept self-reports at face value
behavior of a Healthy Person?
proactive behavior
new and innovative ways
not merely directed at reducing tensions but also at establishing new ones. (rock climber)
6 characteristics of healthy person
extension of the sense of self - Social
interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl)
warm relating of self to others
emotional security or self-acceptance
realistic perception of their environment
insight and humor
unifying philosophy of life
Personal Dispositions are broken into:
Common traits
personal dispositions
Levels of Personal Dispositions
cardinal dispositions - eminent characteristic or ruling passion - only a few people possess and which are so conspicuous that they cannot
be hidden
central dispositions - 5 to 10 most outstanding characteristics that make a person unique
secondary dispositions less distinguishable but far more numerous than central dispositions.
Allport called these intensely experienced dispositions
motivational dispositions
receive their motivation from basic needs and drives
motivational dispositions initiate action
eating
_____ dispositions guide action
Stylistic
How you dress, politeness
proprium
those behaviors and personal dispositions that are
warm and central to our lives and that we regard as peculiarly our own
the self is everything
Most people, Allport believed, are motivated by _____ drives rather than by ____ events and are aware of what they are doing and have some understanding of why
they are doing it
present
past
motives/strivings
Peripheral motives are those that reduce a need, whereas propriate strivings seek to maintain tension and disequilibrium
Theory of Motivation rests on the assumption that
people not only react to their environment but also shape their environment and cause it to react to them
the concept of functional autonomy holds
motives that are self-sustaining and
independent from the motives that were originally responsible for a behavior
a person may originally plant a garden to satisfy a hunger drive but eventually become interested in gardening for its own sake
Perseverative Functional Autonomy
habits and behaviors that are not part of one’s proprium.
Propriate Functional Autonomy
self-sustaining motives that are related to the proprium
Criterion for Functional Autonomy
motive is functionally autonomous to the extent that it seeks new goals
Processes That Are Not Functionally Autonomous
(1) biological drives, such as eating, breathing, and sleeping;
(2) motives directly linked to the reduction of basic drives;
(3) reflex actions such as an eye blink;
(4) constitutional equipment, namely
physique, intelligence, and temperament;
(5) habits in the process of being formed;
patterns of behavior that require primary reinforcement;
(7) sublimations that can
be tied to childhood sexual desires; and
(8) some neurotic or pathological symptoms
Examples of wholly morphogenic procedures
such as diaries and letters, which
stress patterns of behavior within a single individual
Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Religious Orientation Findings
intrinsic better people extrinsic more prejudice
How to Reduce Prejudice:
optimal contact
(1) equal status between the two groups,
(2) common goals,
(3) cooperation between groups, and
(4) support of an authority figure, law, or custom.
Critique of Allport
generated research? On this criterion, Allport’s theory receives a moderate rating
falsifiability, Allport’s theory must receive a low rating
organization for observations: Much of what is known about human personality cannot be easily integrated into Allport’s theory
guide for the practitioner, Allport’s theory has moderate usefulness
His precise language renders the theory both internally consistent and parsimonious.
