LIFE

November 11, 1897 - 1967 -together with Cattell -base of modern trait theory - diiff is that these theories come from studying healthy adults in lab

Father -a physician; family -pious Protestant - but not as harsh as Rogers - family warm - house was office - all worked together

Brother= Floyd Allport -social psychologist - 7 years older

He had early interest in religion/philosophy - socially a loner

Went to Harvard - B.A in philosophy & economics --ended up spending most of his 50 year career there

Went to Turkey to teach a year - invited by brother to Vienna - wrote to Freud - offered Freud the chance to meet with him (instead of asking to see Freud) -

story of boy on tram-dirt phobia ; Freud "was that boy you?" - left with sense of respect & liking -

Back to Harvard -PhD in Psych - dissertation on traits - first such research in U.S.

then to Europe to study with Wertheimer, Kohler & German type theorists (Kretschmer etc.)

back to Harvard - new course - personality - together with Murray made it a legitimate part of academic research - 1937 - first book on Personality

Very interested in social issues - classic book on Prejudice - founder of SPSSI

helped emigre psychologists find work when fleeing Hitler

helped control rumors during WW II - wrote a book on rumor
 

DIFFERENCES FROM FREUD

1 consciousness the only important element in health adult motivation -didn't deny unconscious (acknowledged that analysis looked at it)

2 actions guided by present & our view of future

3 can't study personality by looking at abnormal - believed there is a real break between normal & abnormal, child & adult, animal & human

4 personality not general & universal but personal & unique (Different from many others in this)

CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS THEORY

1 Emphasized conscious motivation

Respected self-report - felt most people were motivated by present & future & were aware of their own motivations - eg his talk with Freud

2 Studied psychologically healthy individual

First to study these exclusively - felt healthy could grow & change

3 Emphasized proactive behavior

Not just reactive - can cause change

4 Upheld uniqueness of each individual

Objected to generalized trait & type theories

Studying the individual = morphogenic or idiographic science

Group = nomothetic (statistical)

5 Proposed balance between nature & nurture

Heredity- provides raw materials - physique, intelligence temperament infinite # of combinations > uniqueness

Environment - shapes, expands, limits

6 Eclectic attitude toward other theories

Felt no theory was comprehensive

Advocated systematic eclecticism which is selective & tries to make a unified whole of what is taken
 

DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY

Studied the history - found 49 definitions - made his own

"the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought."

A. dynamic organization - interrelatedness & integration of all parts of person - behavior is expressive as well as adaptive -ever changing

B. psycholophysical systems - both aspects are interrelated -temperament

C. determine - personality refers to the organism behind the action -traits are real in physical sense - not just explanatory concept

D. characteristic - word means a mark or engraving

E. behavior and thought. - internal & external actions
 

STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

Personality is stable - "unitas multiplex" - integration of diverse elements -interests, traits, biological predispositions (similar to Adler)

Personality consists of both common traits which he called "traits" and individual ones which he called "personal dispositions"

The common traits are different in different cultures & change over time

A. TRAITS (common)

Characteristics:

1 Are real & exist within us

2 more generalized than habits

3 relatively independent of one another but are also interrelated-may overlap--e.g., aggression & hostility

4. Not indicative of moral functioning (character)

5 Determine or cause behaviors

6. can be demonstrated empirically - by observing behavior over time

7. Vary with the situation - so may be inconsistent
 
 
 

B. PERSONAL DISPOSITIONS (individual)

1 Definition

" a generalized neuropsychic structure (peculiar to the individual) with the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent and to initiate and guide consistent equivalent forms of adaptive and stylistic behaviors"

a generalized neuropsychic structure - unique combination of brain & nervous system components

b perceptual and cognitive processes which create categories & concepts

c determine when and how we will act

motivational - initiate action - to fulfill need (protect from cold)

stylistic - guide action - manner of filling need (clothes)
 

2 Levels of individual traits (dispositions)

Go from most central to most peripheral - really a continuum

a Cardinal - 1 dominating one- "ruling passion"

most don't have one but some do- colors everything they do - has come to us in adjectives- quixotic, narcissistic, sadistic - when used to describe others are common traits

b Central - everyone has 5-10 - would be used by our friends to describe us

c Secondary - greater in number - occur with some regularity- less conspicuous - only a close friend would see. (E.g. liking a particular kind of food or music)
 

C. OTHER CHARACTERISTICS WHICH CAN INITIATE & GUIDE BEHAVIOR

Habits - more limited impact than traits - relatively inflexible
 

Attitudes - less distinguishable from traits but have a specific object of reference and involve a judgement or evaluation.

Proprium

organizing process that maintains our sense of self - determines how we perceive the world & what we remember from our experiences and how our thoughts are directed.

Those behaviors and characteristics that we regard as central & important to our lives. - only the center of the personality, not all of it -

Propriate

Important to sense of self-identity & self-enhancement

Includes values, beliefs,(study of values)

Nonpropriate =

A those needs met without much trouble

B tribal customs

C habitual behaviors-automatic

Propriate functioning guided by 3 principles

1 organizing the energy level ­ accounts for acquisition of new motives - to be sure energy is positive used (retirement)

2 mastery & competence - we try to satisfy motives at a high level

3 Propriate patterning - striving for consistency & integration of the personality
 

MOTIVATION IN PERSONALITY

a central problem for personality theory

He had 4 requirements for an adequate theory of motivation

1 acknowledges contemporaneity of motive - past important if in present

2 pluralistic - many types of motives

3 acknowledges importance of intention & planning

4 allow for concrete uniqueness of motives

1 Conscious & Unconscious Motivation

believed in both ­ but healthy person is mostly conscious

2 Functional Autonomy

most controversial point

some but not all human motives are different from original - present & conscious

a 2 levels

Perseverative - behavior is same as when originally motivated but now just for itself - or uncompleted tasks - the more elementary level - addictions-routines

Propriate - those motives related to Proprium - those that enhance our self-esteem & self-image

b Criteria for Functional Autonomy

behavior seeks new goals

c. Limitations - doesn't explain all motivation

biological drives

reduction of basic drives

reflex actions

physique, intelligence, temperament

habits

behaviors that require primary reinforcement

compulsions, fixations & regressions

sublimations of childhood sexual desire
 

DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY

The Developing Person

sense of self - birth to adulthood - 7 overlapping & cumulative stages

No personality at birth bk have no characteristic behaviors - have potential & genetic endowment

Parents- esp mother very important - affection & security -

If not - insecure, aggressive, demanding, jealous, self-centered - adult motives won't become functionally autonomous but remain tied to childhood motives -Proprium won't develop - personality remains undifferentiated.

1. First 3-4 years

First year - least important

First 3-4 years - earliest aspects of selfhood (Proprium)

1 - bodily sense,

2 - self-identity,

3 - self-esteem.

2. 4-6 years

egocentric - next parts of Proprium to develop

4 - extension of self to include possessions

5 - self-image- view of self as good / bad

3. 6-12 years

6 - self as rational coper - reasoning, problem solving

4. Adolescence

7- Propriate strivings -

becomes a clearly defined unique person with well developed Proprium - need to plan for planning - Propriate strivings - choosing career or mate in line with self- these strivings continue thru life

5. Adulthood

self as knower

Functionally autonomous

Independent of childhood motives

Function rationally in the present

Create their own life styles
 
 

THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY PERSONALITY

Long before Maslow or Rogers
 

6 characteristics

Extension of Sense of Self (authentic participation)

Warm Relating of Self with Others (intimacy, compassion, unconditional love, kinship with all)

Emotional Security (self-acceptance, accepts emotion, high frustration, tolerance)

Realistic Perception (objectivity, accepts reality as it is) of skills & Assignments (work, competence, commitment, task-oriented)

Self-Objectification (self-understanding, insight, genuine sense of humor, ideal vs. real vs. perceived self)

A Unifying Philosophy of Life (mission, purpose, directedness, values, conscience, duty, r g or ethics, historical, balance, control, style)
 

RESEARCH

Morphogenic Science

studies structure & change in individual

Methods include:

verbatim recordings, interviews, self-anchoring scales dreams, confessions, diaries, letters, literary works, gait, autobiography, handwriting

1 Personal Document Technique

Letters from Jenny - mother of his college roommate - she "adopted "Allport his wife & rejected own son.

LETTERS FROM JENNY

structural analysis - using frequency & contiguity of themes

Came up with 8 categories - well within the 5-10 range of central

2 Study of Values

Personal values form the basis of our unifying philosophy of life - values are traits & represent our deepest interests & motivations - everyone has all but to different extent

Theoretical -discovery of truth - empirical

Economic - useful & practical

Aesthetic -

Social -

Political

Religious
 

3. Expressive Behavior

Spontaneous - reflects basic aspects of the personality-difficult to change - no specific purpose - unaware

Variety of tasks - repeated - found consistency- used tape recordings & films

4. Trait Naming

Dictionary Study - Found 17,953 terms that named traits - 4.5% of all words in dictionary

Four categories

a Neutral terms designating personal traits - were most useful

b Descriptive of temporary moods or activities

c Weighted terms conveying social or character judgments of personal conduct or designating influence on others -adorable

d Miscellaneous designations of physique, capacities & developmental conditions, metaphorical n& doubtful terms ­ alone
 

5. Prejudice - classic work

Definition

Felt or expressed antipathy based on a faulty and inflexible generalization and may be directed toward a group as ca whole or toward an individual because he is a member of a group.
 

Looked at

In-group & out-group influences

Ego defenses

Cognitive processes

Role of language

Stereotypes in culture

Scapegoating
 

Prejudiced Personality

"Threat oriented" -traits in common

Ambivalence about parents

Moralism

Dichotomization - m"black & white"

Intolerance for Ambiguity

Externalization- lacking in self-insight

Institutionalization- likes belonging to organizations

Authoritarianism - uncomfortable with democracy
 

Social Distance - measure of discrimination

7 levels: marriage, personal friend, neighbor, same employment, citizenship, visitors to my country, exclude from my country
 

Religion & Prejudice

Intertwined - those who attend church more prejudiced than others-
 

When had extrinsic religious orientation - status but not commitment
 

When have intrinsic religious orientation - religion is part of whole life
 

6. Rumor

Cognitive processes of leveling & sharpening

Stereotypes affecting perceptions-erroneous eyewitness reporting
 
 
 

CRITICISMS

based on philosophical speculation & common sense -
 

did not use standard scientific procedures

didn't clarify how motives get changed

PERSONAL DISPOSITION

UNIQUENESS

CARDINAL

CENTRAL

SECONDARY

PROPRIUM

FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY

PREJUDICE

SEVEN STAGES

SOCIAL DISTANCE

VALUES

PERSONAL DOCUMENTS