Personality Theories

Personality Theories

Introduction

The theory of personality is a set of hypotheses or assumptions about the nature and mechanisms of the personality development. The theory of personality does not explain human behaviour, but also predicts human behavior. At the end of the nineteenth century, there is a breakthrough in research on the evolving field of psychological science. Sigmund Freud formulated his revolutionary theory, which was a task to explain pathological behaviors in patients. On this basis, Freud developed a form of psychotherapy treatment for emotional disturbances, which is called Freudian psychoanalysis. At the core of psychoanalysis lay desire to know the psychic structure of man, the desire to explore the development and functioning of his personality, as well as cultural and social phenomena are the product of his mind and having an influence on it. Freud came out with the assumption that the ancestral human development is essential for individual development and its consequent constant problem of choosing between impulses and behavior, which is imposed by culture (Matt, 2004).

Psychoanalysis was to contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of human behavior, how strange sometimes. Freud believed that human behavior guided by the sexual instincts that dominate the behavior in the first few years of life. It's the parents and the public learn how to control them. However, he further looked into the relationship between consciousness and unconsciousness is the conflict and censorship, and their sources should be sought in the early stages of the development of infantile sexuality in spite of the fact that the development and shaping of the individual as a social being is also influenced by social mores.

Discussion

Behaviourism

According to Watson, behaviourism is the theory that underlies the science of behavior. It consists of behaviour as a concept of theory that applies to principles and methods of other natural sciences for developing theories and explanations (Watson, 1924). Behaviorism is a view, which assumes that the learner is passive that responds to environmental stimuli. According to Pavlov, The learner starts with a clean state, and the behavior is shaped according to the positive, and negative reinforcement around the person or in the surroundings. The positive and negative reinforcement increases the probably that the behavior will happen again. In addition, punishment decreases the likelihood of a situation or behavior to happen again (Lefrancois, 2011).

Positive illustrates the application of a stimulus; negative shows the retention of a stimulus. Learning is; therefore, defined as a change in the behavior of the learner. Many (early) behaviorists work with animals (e.g., Pavlov's dogs) and generalize to people (Lefrancois, 2011).

A common statement on behaviorism is that it rather deals with behavior than the mind. It shows that the behavior is explained without reference to mental events or processes. At first glance, this statement seems relatively simple. However, closer inspection shows it is unique. What needs to be clarified is why it keeps this behavior, without direct reference to mental processes that should be explained.

Social Cognitive Theory

Piaget identified three principle stages of Personality ...