Psych 205, Lc 403, Spring, 2007
TA is KYLE CAPIZZI
No Discussions the First Week of Class, Discussions Start Monday,
Jan. 29
ENROLL IN A DISCUSSION, 611-615
Today: Introduction, Read Chapters 1 & 2
Wed: Personality Assessment: Chapter 3, &
pp. 238-240 & 96-98.
DEFINITION OF
PERSONALITY
Personality is a determinant of behavior.
According to Kurt Lewin's (Dr. Dermer’s
Psychological Great, Great Grandfather) formula:
BEHAVIOR (B) =
F[ PERSONALITY (P), ENVIRONMENT (E)]
We can see that the determinants (causes) of BEHAVIOR can be separated into 2
classes of variables:
1. PERSONALITY AND 2. ENVIRONMENT.
The difference is that PERSONALITY
variables are internal causes of behavior (inside the skin) and ENVIRIONMENTAL variables are external
causes of behavior.
When we ask why we do what
we do (Why we behave the way that we behave?), the answers are either
personality variables or environmental variables, or some combination of
both.
PERSONALITY variables can
also be either PHYSIOLOGICAL (biological) or LEARNED (psychological).
So, the causes of behavior can be categorized as:
A. Physiological
Personality,
B. Learned
Personality, or
C. Environment, or
D. Some combination
of A., B., and C.
Also, it is generally agreed that in order to be considered as a
variable within the domain of personality, a personality variable must exert a relatively
consistent influence on behavior over time.
Thus, PERSONALITY
variables are both A) INTERNAL, and B) RELATIVELY CONSISTENT OVER TIME.
Text, p. 5, Gordon Allport definition: “Personality is
a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems
that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts
and feelings.”
RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY:
According to Lee Chronbach
there are two general research approaches in Psychology that apply to research
in Personality.
I.
The Correlational
method, which involves the measurement of already existing characteristics of
people. This is also known as the
Response (R) - Response (R), or
R-R
method
II.
The Experimental
method, which involves a manipulation of the stimulus situation
(environment) and evaluating any effects on responses. Often, the Experimental method will involve comparisons of
Experimental Groups with Control Groups. Experimental groups are treated
differently than control groups.
This is also known as the
Stimulus (S) - Response (R) or
S-R
method
Many personality theorists and researchers are Determinists and attempt to
identify:
R-R laws and S-R laws.
Determinists
believe that behavior must be lawfully related to environmental and personality
causes in order to be able to explain why people do what they do. Concepts such
as “free will” (that behavior is unconstrained by external circumstances) or
“divine intervention” are inconsistent with determinism.