Essay Machiavelli in Modern Times - 2058 Words

Machiavelli in Modern Times The fourteenth century was an exciting time in Italy. Liberation from old traditions brought about a new interest in the arts and literature. The churchs doctrine was no longer the sole basis of scholarly work. New ideas and concepts started to emerge which were unlike anything heard since the fall of Rome. Amongst the great thinkers of this time was a man by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli. (C4. and Wood, p.510) His most famous work was entitled, The Prince. The book is a compilation of historical examples past and present ( present being the sixteenth century), that were intended to guide a prince on the correct way to control his state. It advocated the use of any means necessary to survive in the†¦show more content†¦Niccolo taught himself what he could with the few books found in the house. As soon as he was old enough, he took a position as a government clerk. He slowly moved up through the Florentine political ranks until the Florentine Republic was declared. With th e switch in government, Niccolo received his first position of true power as a member of the Florentine Counsel Of Ten, which took on management of the foreign and domestic affairs. (C4.) During the years to come, while under the employment of the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli took part in a multitude of diplomatic missions to neighboring kingdoms such as France. (Strathern, p.28) Through these travels Machiavelli observed many different types of rulers with many different political theories. His observations of these many different doctrines would make up the great body of his later work. (Wood, p. 505) Sadly, Machiavelli fell on hard times when the powerful Medici family took hold of Florence. Machiavelli was striped of position and briefly imprisoned and tortured. Upon his release, Machiavelli became depressed and fought a battle with financial hardship. He was forced to live on a small estate outside of the city called SantAndrea. While there he wrote his most famous works, i ncluding The Prince. Despite the proclamation of a second republic in Florence, Machiavelli was not offered a job. Heartbroken, he was seized by illness and died soon thereafter.Show MoreRelatedMachiavelli was the first â€Å"modern† thinker and the father of realism. During his time, he500 Words   |  2 Pages Machiavelli was the first â€Å"modern† thinker and the father of realism. During his time, he considered rulers barbaric, wanting only money power. Machiavelli also observed human nature in which he came to learn that human nature is self-centered. He believed human nature doesn’t change. Thus, the â€Å"Prince† was written in purpose to how a prince should obtain and hold onto power. Machiavelli discusses five points that a ruler should follow in order to obtain the status of a prince. Machiavelli discussesRead MoreMachiavelli and Gossip Girl1497 Words   |  6 Pagesno longer a characteristic that belongs only to a monarch. In The Prince, Machiavelli targets the prince and all other royalty, but today his work may be used as a social critique of upper class society. Thus, a popular television show depicting Manhattan’s elite governed by social media blasts, is no coincidence. It is evident that the creators of the popular television show Gossip Girl had Machiavelli in mind. Machiavelli and the character of Gossip Girl complement each other in their focus on man’sRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince879 Words   |  4 Pages Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 16th-century. His methods of acquiring and maintaining rule over people are not relevant in today’s modern American society. There are many principles that are still true in politics today, but the methods of ruling can no longer be used in American society today. Niccolà ² Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy in 1496. He was a diplomat in Italy s Florentine Republic for fourteen years. This was during the Medici family exile, and when they returned, MachiavelliRead MoreAnalysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince 1625 Words   |  7 Pagescentury was a period known as the Renaissance, or the new birth, of many philosophers. One well-known Renaissance thinker, Niccolo Machiavelli, was one of those philosophers whose political views caused an uproar during earlier centuries. His view on effective leadership was rather harsh and not exactly adopted in the Italian society. As a Renaissance citizen, Machiavelli proved his writing skills through a number of works such as short stories, plays, and histories. His more popular works includedRead MoreThe Prince Of Machiavelli s Prince1186 Words   |  5 PagesWhen evaluating the political leaders in modern times there is one leader that wields his power the most like Niccolo Machiavelli’s Prince, from his book The Prince, that leader is President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. Although, Putin does not hold the title of Prince, he has held influential positions throughout the years, i.e. Prime Minister and Acting President, that hold power similar to the Prince. Every position that Putin has held in Russia he has acted as if he were a PrinceRead MoreThe Dark Ages1647 Words   |  7 Pagesinventions, nor any change in thought to the political and philosophical theories of the time, much of which revolved around religion. This was a prolonged era of stagnation, where anarchy and barbarianism roamed rampant. It wasn’t until the Italian Renaissance began, that people started to take interest in scientific, cultural, philosophical endeavors. This led to many large intellectual movements during this period of time, the largest of which, was Humanism . Pico della Mirandola, a renaissance philosopherRead MoreNiccolà ² Machiavellis Acquisition of Power Essay1327 Words   |  6 PagesNiccolà ² Machiavelli is representative of Renaissance thinkers in his perception of government. No longer was government seen as an institution granted by God but rather governments were largely becoming arrangements or contracts between those that govern and the governed. Thinkers from Aristotle to Francis Bacon would expound on this idea of a social contract, but none would exemplify the realism and ruthlessness of modern politics like Machiavelli. While the word Machiavellian has become partRead MoreEssay Commanding Lady Fortune: Machiavelli’s Theory of History1637 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli’s Theory of History Machiavelli opens his Discourses on Livy by declaring that what will follow will be entirely revolutionary—â€Å"a path yet untrodden by anyone†Ã¢â‚¬â€but then quickly backs down from such assertions, shifting his focus away from his own efforts to the modern views of the ancients, and leaving the nature of this revolutionary undertaking ambiguous (Discourses, 5) . Indeed, the purpose of the whole work is repeatedly skirted in the preface. Machiavelli instead focuses on the distinctionRead MoreModern Political Theory: Rousseau and Machiavelli Essay962 Words   |  4 Pages Machiavelli and Rousseau, both influential philosophers, were innovators of their time. They represented different ideas on what the state of nature and government should consist of, having both similarities and differences. Their viewpoints evolved from different time periods, which make them unique. Machiavelli, the sixteenth century Italian diplomat expressed, that a Prince should be unethica l in achieving power. He argued that to be successful in politics certain qualities were of importanceRead MoreEssay about Niccolo Machiavelli1653 Words   |  7 Pages According to legend, just before his death, Niccolo Machiavelli told his friends that had remained faithful to him up until the very end about a dream he had had. In his dream, he had seen a group of peasants, wretched and decrepit in appearance. He asked them who they were. They replied, ‘We are the saintly and the blessed; we are on our way to heaven.’ Then he saw a crowd of formally attired men, aristocratic and grim in appearance, speaking solemnly of important political matters. Again, he

Drugs Is Dangerous And Illegal - 1882 Words

Driving under the influence of drugs is quite dangerous and illegal. It not only puts the driver at risk but the passengers and other drivers as well. The 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 9.9 million people (or 3.8 percent) who were twelve or older that reported driving under the influence of drugs (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Although, a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration â€Å"found that more than 22 percent of drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs† (National Institute on Drug Abuse). As stated above, there were one in six college students who had access to a car that drove under the influence of drugs at least once (National Institute on Drug†¦show more content†¦According to the Drug Policy Alliance, injecting heroin has the greatest risk of overdose because it allows large amounts of heroin into the bloodstream at once. Money is something that everyone wants to have. Everyone needs it to buy the basics: food, shelter, water. Being addicted to heroin compromises that. Heroin addicts usually will not save up money. Once they get money it goes straight to the addiction. They buy as much as they can afford usually. They forgo getting food or water just so they can get their drug of choice. This could put a strain on family relationships as well. Heroin addicts start off by asking their parents or family members for money promising they will pay them back. When the family sees that the addict is using it for drugs, the addict could get kicked out of the house and banished from the family. Society views heroin addicts in a very negative way. Most people think that heroin addicts are homeless, which they very well could be. People do not see that heroin addicts need help. They just see them as a piece of trash that is always begging for money. People who are addicted to drugs are portrayed in the media (Draus, Roddy, Greenwald, 2010) which is how soc iety portrays them too. Being addicted to heroin in society’s eyes means that there is an â€Å"extreme lack of control over one’s own daily behaviors† (Draus et al, 2010). Interrelated Problems As stated previously,

Psychology and Impact Personality Development Free Essays

1. Define personality. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology and Impact Personality Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality Is a unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel and behave * Is shaped by biological, situational, and mental processes in a sociocultural and development context * Impacts people’s cognition, motivation and behaviour Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. Biological * A person’s temperament results from 4 humours (ancient theory) * Blood from heart – sanguine cheerful * Choler from liver- choleric angry * Melancholer from spleen â₠¬â€œ melancholy depressed * Phlegm from brain- phlegmatic sluggish Frontal lobes regulates one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland and endocrine gland affect personality. * Kagan’s research on inherited basis of shyness on new borns * Excitable and inhibited infants became shy and introverted * Less excitable and bold infants became extraverted * â€Å"push of nature in different directions† Situational * Environment affects us through operant and classical conditioning * (1) Physical Environment It includes the influence of climatic conditions of a particular area or country on man and his living. * (2) Social Environment * The child has his birth in the society. He learns and lives there. Hence, the social environment has an important say in the personality development of the child. * E. g. one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * (3) Family Environment * Child comes in contact with his parents and other family member. His likes, dislikes, stereotypes about people, expectancies of security and emotional responses all are shaped in early childhood. The type of training and early childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality. * Besides this, economic factors i. e. , economic condition of the family and the type of relations between the parents also influence the personality of the child. * (4) Cultural Environment * Individualism in westerners vs collectivism in Africa caused by environment * Striking difference in the universal trait of shyness caused by how each culture dealt with the child’s success and failures. Who gets credit for good grades, gets blamed for not getting them? Childcautious, low risk taker * (5) School Environment * In the school, the teacher substitutes the parents. * The school poses new problems to be solved, new taboos to be accepted into the superego and new models for imitation and identification Mental Processes * 3 kinds of process theories: * Psychodynamic/ psychoanalysis- * motivation, especially unconscious motives and the influence of past experiences on out mental health * Humanistic- consciousness and our present, subjective reality: what we think is ipt now and how we think of ourselves in relation to others * Cognitive- * Influence of learning, perception and social interaction on behaviour Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. Dispositional theories suggest temperaments, traits or types (set of personality characteristics) provide consistency to individual’s personality over time. Temperament * Biologically based personality dispositions * Apparent in early childhood, Establish foundation of personality individual’s approach to life * Inherited temperament may set the range of your response to some life situation but it does not fu lly determine your life experiences * Affected also by family position, experiences, and sense of self * Usually refers to dominant long standing themes eg shyness/moodiness * Role of frontal lobes in regulating one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Influenced by learning * Heredity and environment interact with initially inherited characteristics becoming amplified * E. . one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * E. g. observational learning Traits * Emerge from temperaments and influenced by experiences * Guides thoughts and actions under various conditions * Relatively stable * BIG 5 Traits * Openness to experience, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism * Has validity across cultures (but most of these studies utilized university students as respondents who are more influenced by European-American views * Quite accurate Label s a person but gives no explanation on why Evaluation of Trait Theories XPortrayed personality as fixed and static rather than a process that can undergo development changes depending on experiences Xoversimplified our complex nature XDo not tell much about their source or how traits interacts X SELF-FULFILLING prophecy where ppl become influenced by the labels and it became hard for them to change the undesirable behaviour. E. g. a child labelled shy will have to struggle w both the label and the traits * Gives us ability to predict behaviour Assessing traits * Using: * MMPI-2 for clinical traits base on mental problems * Not possible to fake due to lie scales * Must be used w care in non-Western countries/ minorities cos not well represented in the samples used in developing the test * NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) base on big 5 * Both have excellent reliability (consistent and stable scores) * Both have good validity (measure what they were designed to measure eg signs of me ntal disturbance) * Barnum effects: tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate * descriptions can well apply to others * reliability and validity are important attributes of good psychological tests * Finding personality type * Category that represents a common cluster of personality characteristics * MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator * Not reliable, not valid * Ppl don’t fall into different types but more along the introversion-extraversion continuum Describe the major process theories of personality. While each of the process theories sees different forces at work in personality, all portray personality as a result of internal mental processes and social interactions. Psychodynamic theories 1. Sigmund Freud psychodynamic approach * focus is on influence of unconscious forces (psychic determinism) difficult to prove * Personality is a function of 3 main themes: unconscious forces, childhood experiences, sex * Not scientific, hindsight bias ( overemphasis on childhood ), unconscious mind is not that malign and turbulent * Structure of personality Id * Unconscious reservoir * contains basic motives, drives and instinctive desires * pushes for immediate gratification * Ego * Governed by reality principle * Decision making component * Mediator btw Id and reality * Superego * Governed by morality and social standards (conscience) * An individual’s view of the kind of person he or she should strive to become * Psychosexual stages * Ego defence mechanism- largely unconscious menta l strategy employed to reduce the experience of conflict or anxiety * Denial – I don’t have a problem Rationalization- I cheat because everyone does it – give socially accepted reasons for actions one think is socially unacceptable * Reaction formulation – goodie goodie act in opposite of their desire- act exactly in opposition to their unconscious desires * Displacement- kick the dog- shifting your reaction from real source of distress to a safer individual or object * Regression- cry, throw things to reduce stress- regress to earlier developmental stage * Sublimation- channel negative to positive eg sexual desires to creativity on art * Projection- attribute own unconscious desires/fears to others * Led to projective testing 2. Adler Struggle with sexual and hostile impulses not primary factor in personality development * Primary struggle: overcome inferiority feelings, develop superiority feelings in social relationships (later seen as unhealthy due to overcompensation) * Outgrow childhood inferiority, become competent adult * All born with positive motive, social interest * People’s lives governed by their goals 3. Karen Horney * Freud overemphasized sexual conflicts, penis envy, and criticized his views of women * When basic anxiety gets out of control, people become neurotic (basic desires taken to extreme eg need for a partner) * Ways people deal with basic anxiety: * Move towards others, against others, away from others 4. Other Neo-Freudian Theorists: * Accepted notions of psychic determinism and unconscious motivation * Did not agree on sex and death instinct or the indelible nature of early life experiences. Put greater emphasis on ego functions (ego defence,dev of self instead of on unconsciousness) * Gave social variables an impt role (culture, family instead of instinctive urges, unconscious conflicts) * Extended personality development to include lifespan (instead of only childhood) Projective testing: Diagnosi s via a defense mechanism * Ambiguous pictures to probe people’s innermost feelings, motive, conflicts, and desires * E. g. Rorschach Inkblot Technique- not objective * E. g. Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)- ambiguous picture n tell story * Theme: aggression, sexual needs, rs Humanistic Perspective Main Theoretical tenants: 1) Humans have an innate drive for personal growth ) Humans have free will; not controlled by the environment 3) Humans are conscious and rational; not controlled by unconscious forces 4) One’s subjective view is more important than objective reality * Abraham Maslow ‘s needs hierarchy * Interested in healthy human psychology * Criticisms: Not testable, Unrealistic, Method, Culture-specific * Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Theory * Believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize * To achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. * Difference may exist between a person’s ideal se lf and actual experience. This is called incongruence. Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. * The larger the discrepancies between the two, the more psychological problems one experiences * Development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. * As we prefer to see ourselves in ways that are consistent with our self-image, we may use defence mechanisms like denial or repression in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. * Evaluation: * Self centered picture of personality, looking through the lens of individualistic culture * But even in collectivism, self exists * Self-esteem, a cause or effect? Bullies and drug users actually have high self esteem * Emphasis on positive achievements and pro-social behaviours * Fails to recognize its function in a world filled with evil of all kinds Social Cognitive theories: Social Learning * Cognit ive learning which new responses are acquired after watching others’ behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour * Expectation of gaining reward drives us to acquire that response * We reject or accept the role model base on consequences of their actions * Reciprocal determinism is the process which cognitions, behaviour and the environment mutually influence each other * Jane likes vb (cognition), spends more time playing on campus (env) and interacting w teammates (social behaviour) rewardingthis activity will reciprocally strengthen your interest in vb. Locus of control Rotter’s theory: our behaviour depends on our locus of control * Changes from situation to situation * Internal locus of control * Good student, smart and have good grades internal in academic settings * External locus of control * Overweight and come from a family w obesity external in restaurants. Evaluation * Overemphasize rational information processing and overlook both emotion and unconsci ous processes * Strength lies in foundation of solid psychological research able to come up with treatments for mental disorders that often seem to involve observational learning esp anxiety- based disorders (phobias and behaviour disorders in children) Behavioural Operant and Classical conditioning ) In classical, the organism learns an association between two stimuli (the NS and UCS); in operant, the organism learns an association between the behaviour and its consequences 2) In classical, the behaviour is elicited by the stimulus (not voluntary, like a reflex); in operant, the behaviour is emitted (under the control of the organism) * Pavlov’s classical conditioning * Chrissy’s sleepover case * B. F Skinner’s Operant conditioning * Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement (remove negative stimuli) strengthens response, * Punishment (give unpleasant stimuli) weakens response * Behaviour is determined by situations one is in (situationism) * People behave in ways to suit their situations Behaviours cannot be consistent enough to be traits because situations change * Solution: behaviours influenced by both person and situation (person X situation interactionism) * One situation influences people in different ways Theories to understand ourselves 1. Implicit personality theories a. Assumptions about personality used to simplify the task of understanding others, eg. Blondes are not smart b. May give bad predictions when one project his feelings onto others and assume he’s feeling the same way c. Mindset 2. Self-narratives d. Help ppl sense a thread of consistency through their personalities over time e. Redemptive self: where one overcome obstacles to help others 3. Both theories are influenced by culture How to cite Psychology and Impact Personality Development, Essay examples Psychology and Impact Personality Development Free Essays 1. Define personality. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology and Impact Personality Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality Is a unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel and behave * Is shaped by biological, situational, and mental processes in a sociocultural and development context * Impacts people’s cognition, motivation and behaviour Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. Biological * A person’s temperament results from 4 humours (ancient theory) * Blood from heart – sanguine cheerful * Choler from liver- choleric angry * Melancholer from spleen â₠¬â€œ melancholy depressed * Phlegm from brain- phlegmatic sluggish Frontal lobes regulates one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland and endocrine gland affect personality. * Kagan’s research on inherited basis of shyness on new borns * Excitable and inhibited infants became shy and introverted * Less excitable and bold infants became extraverted * â€Å"push of nature in different directions† Situational * Environment affects us through operant and classical conditioning * (1) Physical Environment It includes the influence of climatic conditions of a particular area or country on man and his living. * (2) Social Environment * The child has his birth in the society. He learns and lives there. Hence, the social environment has an important say in the personality development of the child. * E. g. one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * (3) Family Environment * Child comes in contact with his parents and other family member. His likes, dislikes, stereotypes about people, expectancies of security and emotional responses all are shaped in early childhood. The type of training and early childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality. * Besides this, economic factors i. e. , economic condition of the family and the type of relations between the parents also influence the personality of the child. * (4) Cultural Environment * Individualism in westerners vs collectivism in Africa caused by environment * Striking difference in the universal trait of shyness caused by how each culture dealt with the child’s success and failures. Who gets credit for good grades, gets blamed for not getting them? Childcautious, low risk taker * (5) School Environment * In the school, the teacher substitutes the parents. * The school poses new problems to be solved, new taboos to be accepted into the superego and new models for imitation and identification Mental Processes * 3 kinds of process theories: * Psychodynamic/ psychoanalysis- * motivation, especially unconscious motives and the influence of past experiences on out mental health * Humanistic- consciousness and our present, subjective reality: what we think is ipt now and how we think of ourselves in relation to others * Cognitive- * Influence of learning, perception and social interaction on behaviour Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. Dispositional theories suggest temperaments, traits or types (set of personality characteristics) provide consistency to individual’s personality over time. Temperament * Biologically based personality dispositions * Apparent in early childhood, Establish foundation of personality individual’s approach to life * Inherited temperament may set the range of your response to some life situation but it does not fu lly determine your life experiences * Affected also by family position, experiences, and sense of self * Usually refers to dominant long standing themes eg shyness/moodiness * Role of frontal lobes in regulating one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Influenced by learning * Heredity and environment interact with initially inherited characteristics becoming amplified * E. . one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * E. g. observational learning Traits * Emerge from temperaments and influenced by experiences * Guides thoughts and actions under various conditions * Relatively stable * BIG 5 Traits * Openness to experience, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism * Has validity across cultures (but most of these studies utilized university students as respondents who are more influenced by European-American views * Quite accurate Label s a person but gives no explanation on why Evaluation of Trait Theories XPortrayed personality as fixed and static rather than a process that can undergo development changes depending on experiences Xoversimplified our complex nature XDo not tell much about their source or how traits interacts X SELF-FULFILLING prophecy where ppl become influenced by the labels and it became hard for them to change the undesirable behaviour. E. g. a child labelled shy will have to struggle w both the label and the traits * Gives us ability to predict behaviour Assessing traits * Using: * MMPI-2 for clinical traits base on mental problems * Not possible to fake due to lie scales * Must be used w care in non-Western countries/ minorities cos not well represented in the samples used in developing the test * NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) base on big 5 * Both have excellent reliability (consistent and stable scores) * Both have good validity (measure what they were designed to measure eg signs of me ntal disturbance) * Barnum effects: tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate * descriptions can well apply to others * reliability and validity are important attributes of good psychological tests * Finding personality type * Category that represents a common cluster of personality characteristics * MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator * Not reliable, not valid * Ppl don’t fall into different types but more along the introversion-extraversion continuum Describe the major process theories of personality. While each of the process theories sees different forces at work in personality, all portray personality as a result of internal mental processes and social interactions. Psychodynamic theories 1. Sigmund Freud psychodynamic approach * focus is on influence of unconscious forces (psychic determinism) difficult to prove * Personality is a function of 3 main themes: unconscious forces, childhood experiences, sex * Not scientific, hindsight bias ( overemphasis on childhood ), unconscious mind is not that malign and turbulent * Structure of personality Id * Unconscious reservoir * contains basic motives, drives and instinctive desires * pushes for immediate gratification * Ego * Governed by reality principle * Decision making component * Mediator btw Id and reality * Superego * Governed by morality and social standards (conscience) * An individual’s view of the kind of person he or she should strive to become * Psychosexual stages * Ego defence mechanism- largely unconscious menta l strategy employed to reduce the experience of conflict or anxiety * Denial – I don’t have a problem Rationalization- I cheat because everyone does it – give socially accepted reasons for actions one think is socially unacceptable * Reaction formulation – goodie goodie act in opposite of their desire- act exactly in opposition to their unconscious desires * Displacement- kick the dog- shifting your reaction from real source of distress to a safer individual or object * Regression- cry, throw things to reduce stress- regress to earlier developmental stage * Sublimation- channel negative to positive eg sexual desires to creativity on art * Projection- attribute own unconscious desires/fears to others * Led to projective testing 2. Adler Struggle with sexual and hostile impulses not primary factor in personality development * Primary struggle: overcome inferiority feelings, develop superiority feelings in social relationships (later seen as unhealthy due to overcompensation) * Outgrow childhood inferiority, become competent adult * All born with positive motive, social interest * People’s lives governed by their goals 3. Karen Horney * Freud overemphasized sexual conflicts, penis envy, and criticized his views of women * When basic anxiety gets out of control, people become neurotic (basic desires taken to extreme eg need for a partner) * Ways people deal with basic anxiety: * Move towards others, against others, away from others 4. Other Neo-Freudian Theorists: * Accepted notions of psychic determinism and unconscious motivation * Did not agree on sex and death instinct or the indelible nature of early life experiences. Put greater emphasis on ego functions (ego defence,dev of self instead of on unconsciousness) * Gave social variables an impt role (culture, family instead of instinctive urges, unconscious conflicts) * Extended personality development to include lifespan (instead of only childhood) Projective testing: Diagnosi s via a defense mechanism * Ambiguous pictures to probe people’s innermost feelings, motive, conflicts, and desires * E. g. Rorschach Inkblot Technique- not objective * E. g. Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)- ambiguous picture n tell story * Theme: aggression, sexual needs, rs Humanistic Perspective Main Theoretical tenants: 1) Humans have an innate drive for personal growth ) Humans have free will; not controlled by the environment 3) Humans are conscious and rational; not controlled by unconscious forces 4) One’s subjective view is more important than objective reality * Abraham Maslow ‘s needs hierarchy * Interested in healthy human psychology * Criticisms: Not testable, Unrealistic, Method, Culture-specific * Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Theory * Believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize * To achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. * Difference may exist between a person’s ideal se lf and actual experience. This is called incongruence. Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. * The larger the discrepancies between the two, the more psychological problems one experiences * Development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. * As we prefer to see ourselves in ways that are consistent with our self-image, we may use defence mechanisms like denial or repression in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. * Evaluation: * Self centered picture of personality, looking through the lens of individualistic culture * But even in collectivism, self exists * Self-esteem, a cause or effect? Bullies and drug users actually have high self esteem * Emphasis on positive achievements and pro-social behaviours * Fails to recognize its function in a world filled with evil of all kinds Social Cognitive theories: Social Learning * Cognit ive learning which new responses are acquired after watching others’ behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour * Expectation of gaining reward drives us to acquire that response * We reject or accept the role model base on consequences of their actions * Reciprocal determinism is the process which cognitions, behaviour and the environment mutually influence each other * Jane likes vb (cognition), spends more time playing on campus (env) and interacting w teammates (social behaviour) rewardingthis activity will reciprocally strengthen your interest in vb. Locus of control Rotter’s theory: our behaviour depends on our locus of control * Changes from situation to situation * Internal locus of control * Good student, smart and have good grades internal in academic settings * External locus of control * Overweight and come from a family w obesity external in restaurants. Evaluation * Overemphasize rational information processing and overlook both emotion and unconsci ous processes * Strength lies in foundation of solid psychological research able to come up with treatments for mental disorders that often seem to involve observational learning esp anxiety- based disorders (phobias and behaviour disorders in children) Behavioural Operant and Classical conditioning ) In classical, the organism learns an association between two stimuli (the NS and UCS); in operant, the organism learns an association between the behaviour and its consequences 2) In classical, the behaviour is elicited by the stimulus (not voluntary, like a reflex); in operant, the behaviour is emitted (under the control of the organism) * Pavlov’s classical conditioning * Chrissy’s sleepover case * B. F Skinner’s Operant conditioning * Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement (remove negative stimuli) strengthens response, * Punishment (give unpleasant stimuli) weakens response * Behaviour is determined by situations one is in (situationism) * People behave in ways to suit their situations Behaviours cannot be consistent enough to be traits because situations change * Solution: behaviours influenced by both person and situation (person X situation interactionism) * One situation influences people in different ways Theories to understand ourselves 1. Implicit personality theories a. Assumptions about personality used to simplify the task of understanding others, eg. Blondes are not smart b. May give bad predictions when one project his feelings onto others and assume he’s feeling the same way c. Mindset 2. Self-narratives d. Help ppl sense a thread of consistency through their personalities over time e. Redemptive self: where one overcome obstacles to help others 3. Both theories are influenced by culture How to cite Psychology and Impact Personality Development, Papers