Different types of psychology

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Personality psychology Personality psychology is a branch of model was proposed by Hans Eysenck, who psychology which studies personality and believed that just three traits - individual differences. One emphasis in this extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism - area is to construct a coherent picture of a were sufficient to describe human person and his or her major psychological personality. Differences between Cattell and processes. Another emphasis views personality Eysenck emerged due to preferences for as the study of individual differences, in different forms of factor analysis, with other words, how people differ from each Cattell using oblique, Eysenck orthogonal, other. A third area of emphasis examines rotation to analyse the factors that emerged human nature and how all people are similar when personality questionnaires were to one other. These three viewpoints merge subjected to statistical analysis. Today, the together  in  the  study  of  personality. Big Five factors have the weight of a considerable amount of empirical research Personality can be defined as a dynamic and behind them. Building on the work of Cattell organized set of characteristics possessed by and others, Lewis Goldberg proposed a a person that uniquely influences his or her five-dimension personality model, nicknamed cognitions, motivations, and behaviors in the  "Big  Five": various situations (Ryckman, 2004). The word "personality" originates from the Latin Extraversion - outgoing and persona, which means mask. Significantly, in stimulation-oriented vs. quiet and the theatre of the ancient Latin-speaking stimulation-avoiding world, the mask was not used as a plot device to disguise the identity of a character, but Neuroticism - emotionally reactive, prone to rather was a convention employed to represent negative emotions vs. calm, imperturbable, or  typify  that  character. optimistic The pioneering American psychologist, Gordon Agreeableness - affable, friendly, Allport (1937) described two major ways to conciliatory vs. aggressive, dominant, study personality, the idiographic and the disagreeable nomothetic. Nomothetic psychology seeks general laws that can be applied to many Conscientiousness - dutiful, planful, and different people, such as the principle of orderly vs. laidback, spontaneous, and self-actualization, or the trait of unreliable extraversion. Idiographic psychology is an attempt to understand the unique aspects of a Openness to experience - open to new ideas particular  individual. and change vs. traditional and oriented toward  routine The study of personality has a rich and varied history in psychology, with an John L. Holland's RIASEC vocational model, abundance of theoretical traditions. Some commonly referred to as the Holland Codes, psychologists have taken a highly scientific stipulates that there are six personality approach, whereas others have focused their traits that lead people to choose their attention on theory development. There is career paths. This model is widely used in also a substantial emphasis on the applied vocational counseling and is a circumplex field  of  personality  testing. model where the six types are represented as a hexagon where adjacent types are more Philosophical  assumptions closely  related  than  those  more distant. Many of the ideas developed by historical and Trait models have been criticized as being modern Personality Theorists stem from basic purely descriptive and offering little philosophical assumptions they hold. explanation of the underlying causes of Psychology is not a purely empirical personality. Eysenck's theory, however, does discipline, as it brings in elements of art, propose biological mechanisms as driving science, and philosophy to draw general traits, and modern behavior genetics conclusions. The following five categories researchers have demonstrated a clear genetic are some of the most fundamental substrate to them. Another potential weakness philosophical assumptions where theorists with trait theories is that they lead people disagree: to accept oversimplified classifications, or worse offer advice, based on a superficial Freedom  versus  Determinism analysis of one's personality. Finally, trait models often underestimate the effect of The debate over whether we have control over specific situations on people's behavior. It our own behavior and understand the motives is important to remember that traits are behind it (Freedom), or if our behavior is statistical generalizations that do not basically determined by some other force over always correspond to an individual's which we might not have control behavior. (Determinism). We may merely respond to external forces like government, parents, Type  theories professors, the economic system, etc; or we may even be constrained to behave in certain Personality type refers to the psychological ways  by  our  genetics,  upbringing,  etc. classification of different types of people. Personality types are distinguished from Heredity  versus  Environment personality traits, which come in different levels or degrees. According to type The nature vs. nurture debate. Is personality theories, for example, there are two types of determined largely by genetics and heredity, people, introverts and extraverts. According or by environment and experiences? There is to trait theories, introversion and evidence for both sides, and the field of extraversion are part of a continuous behavior genetics has demonstrated dimension, with many people in the middle. interesting new results in this area, such as The idea of psychological types originated in the importance of unshared environmental the  theoretical  work  of  Carl  Jung. effects (such as individual experiences) over shared environmental effects (such as family Building on the writings and observations of and demographics). Furthermore, twin studies Carl Jung, during WWII Isabel Briggs Myers indicate that there is a substantial genetic and her mother Katharine C. Briggs delineated contribution  to  most  personality  traits. personality types by constructing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This model was Uniqueness  versus  Universality later elaborated further by David Keirsey. It is an older, more theoretical approach to The argument over whether we are all unique personality, accepting Extraversion vs. individuals (Uniqueness) or if humans are Introversion as basic and further adding basically similar in their nature three  more  dimensions: (Universality). Extraversion  vs.  Introversion  (see above) Proactive  versus  Reactive Intuition vs. Sensing (trust in conceptual Do we primarily act through our own abstract models of reality versus concrete initiative (Proactive), or do we react to sensory-oriented  facts) outside  stimuli  (Reactive)? Thinking vs. Feeling (thinking as the Optimistic  versus  Pessimistic prime-mover in decision-making vs. feelings as  the  prime-mover  in  decision-making) Finally, whether or not we can alter our personalities (Optimistic) or if they remain Perceiving vs. Judging (desire to perceive the same throughout our whole lives events vs. desire to have things done so (Pessimistic). judgements  can  be  made) Personality  theories This personality typology has some aspects of a trait theory: it explains people's There are several theoretical perspectives on behaviour in terms of opposite fixed personality in psychology, which involve characteristics. In these more traditional different ideas about the relationship models, the intuition factor is considered between personality and other psychological the most basic, dividing people into "N" or constructs, as well as different theories "S" personality types. An "N" is further about  the  way  personality  develops. assumed to be guided by the thinking or objectication habit, or feelings, and be Critics of personality theory claim that divided into "NT" (scientist, engineer) or personality is "plastic" across time, places, "NF" (author, human-oriented leader) moods, and situations. Changes in personality personality. An "S", by contrast, is assumed may indeed result from diet (or lack to be more guided by the perception axis, and thereof), medical effects, significant thus divided into "SP" (performer, craftsman, events, or learning. However, most artisan) and "SJ" (guardian, accountant, personality theories emphasize stability over bureaucrat) personality. These four are fluctuation. considered basic, with the other two factors in each case (including always extraversion) Trait  theories less important. Critics of this traditional view have observed that the types are quite According to the Diagnostic and Statistical strongly stereotyped by professions, and thus Manual of the American Psychiatric may arise more from the need to categorize Association, personality traits are "enduring people for purposes of guiding their career patterns of perceiving, relating to, and choice. This among other objections led to thinking about the environment and oneself the emergence of the five factor view, which that are exhibited in a wide range of social is less concerned with behavior under work and personal contexts." Theorists generally stress and more concerned with behavior in assume that a) traits are relatively stable personal and emotional circumstances. Some over time, b) traits differ among individuals critics have argued for more or fewer (e.g. some people are outgoing while others dimensions while others have proposed are  shy),  and c) traits influence behavior. entirely different theories (often assuming different  definitions  of  "personality"). The most common models of traits incorporate three to five broad dimensions or factors. Type A personality: During the 1950s, Meyer The least controversial dimension, observed Friedman and his co-workers defined what they as far back as the ancient Greeks, is simply called Type A and Type B behavior patterns. extraversion vs. introversion (outgoing and They theorized that intense, hard-driving physical-stimulation-oriented vs. quiet and Type A personalities had a higher risk of physical-stimulation-averse). coronary disease because they are "stress junkies." Type B people, on the other hand, Gordon Allport delineated different kinds of tended to be relaxed, less competitive, and traits, which he also called dispositions. lower in risk. There was also a Type AB mixed Central traits are basic to an individual's profile. Dr. Redford Williams, cardiologist personality, while secondary traits are more at Duke University, refuted peripheral. Common traits are those Friedman’s theory that Type recognized within a culture and thus may vary A personalities have a higher risk of from culture to culture. Cardinal traits are coronary heart disease; however, current those by which an individual may be strongly research indicates that the hostility recognized. component of Type A may have health implications. Type A/B theory has been Raymond Cattell's research propagated a extensively criticized by psychologists two-tiered personality structure with sixteen because it tends to oversimplify the many "primary factors" (16 Personality Factors) dimensions of an individual's personality. and five "secondary factors." A different 1 A B C D 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103