Psychology 2035A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Trait Theory, Personal Unconscious, Neuroticism

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2035A/B
• Professor: Matthew Maxwell-Smith

Document Summary

The nature of personality: personality is an individual"s unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits, a personality trait is a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations, common personality traits include: Friendly: robert mccrae and paul costa (2003, state that there are five higher- order traits that are known as the big. Five: extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, however, this is but one of many perspectives on human personality. Psychodynamic perspectives: psychodynamic theories include a variety of theoretical models derived from the work of. Sigmund freud: all focus on unconscious mental forces that shape our personalities, well-known psychodynamic theorists: Reliance on defense mechanisms increases when people experience stress or a threat to their sense of self. Defense mechanisms serve a protective function by shielding individuals from emotional distress. Excessive dependence on defenses is associated with impairments in mental health.