Psychological Trait Analysis In the late 1970’s Hans Eysenck modified his two dimensional model of personality to allow for a third trait known as Psychoticism. This trait, now a part of Eysenck’s Psychoticism-Extraversion-Neuroticism model of psychology, is a pattern located in personality that Eysenck found and defined as the aggressive part of personality. It is from psychoticism that Eysenck believed all hostility in humans derived from. From Eysenck’s studies in the development of psychosis he began to form a theory that there was a correlation between high levels of this particular trait and the development of mental problems such as schizophrenia. He also believed that psychoticism was grounded into genetic biology. He studied whether directly related individuals shared high levels of psychoticism and, if this formed a true correlation, that he could then find the element of the genetic structure of human beings that housed psychoticism. Over time Eysenck began to see similarities to other factor models of personality such as the three-factor model developed by Auke Tellegen. This was seen by Eysenck in the fact that psychoticism can be further broken down into smaller traits such as impulsiveness through the use of factor analysis. From this point impulsiveness may be dismantled even further by dividing it into pieces such as rick-taking for example. It is from this point that Eysenck’s critics have found that they believe the trait by itself is too broad to be defined as a single trait. Most critics of Eysenck’s theory of psychoticism as a facet of personality agree that the large amount of correlation to other, further defined models means that psychoticism requires more factor analysis to adequately describe personalit... ... middle of paper ... ...rsonality dimensions. An ideal society affords each person the opportunity to make the best use of his or her traits and abilities. However, some people will adapt to the social environment better than others will. The person high in psychoticism, for example, typified by hostile and aggressive behaviors, may become emotionally disturbed, or exhibit criminal tendencies, or channel the aggressive traits into a socially acceptable enterprise such as coaching college football. (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 227) From this writing of the ideas of Eysenck by Schultz and Schultz the conclusion that every researcher of psychoticism should come to is the same: that the world needs all three personality dimensions together to function and act as a checks and balances for each other. When all three dimensions are in equilibrium, we form the basis of all human interaction.
Torgersen, S. (2009). The nature (and nurture) of personality disorders. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 50(6), 624-632. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00788.x
Essay #2: Classical Argument: People fear what they do not know or understand. Madness, or insanity, can be defined as severe mental illness or abnormal behavior. It can mean that one cannot conform to society or is simply foolish. Every definition of the word, however, pertains to some deficiency in one’s relationship with oneself or the world. If a man cannot get along with people in the world because he does not operate by the same set of logical principles, moral precepts, or social graces that the society around him accepts, that society might consider him insane.
The name schizophrenia is derived from "schizo", which means splitting of the mind (Tsuang 11), and "phrenia" which is derived from the phrenic area which is just above the kidneys where the diaphragm is located. It is a structure innervated by the phrenic nerve. The Greeks and others assumed that the phrenic area was the seat of thought or at least feelings (Berle 12).
Coined by Eugen Bleuler in 1950, the term ‘Schizophrenia’ refers to a group of mental disorders with heterogeneous outcomes. The most prevalent subtype of schizophrenia is the paranoid subtype. Typically, this disorder is characterized by psychosis, in which the patient suffers from altered perceptions of reality. According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – V), the typical subtypes – paranoid, catatonic and disorganized, among others have been eliminated, although the general definition of the disorder remains unchanged. These changes were made due to the clinically diverse prognosis, pathophysiology and etiology of the disorder, which add to its heterogeneity1, 2. In addition, sex of the patient and age of onset of the disorder also contribute to schizophrenia’s diverse effects. The age of onset and sex of the patient heavily influence the demographics and course of paranoid schizophrenia, and in turn are also affected by the patients ethnicity and any premorbid conditions the patient may have suffered1, 3...
How is that even possible? The dictionary definition of the word insanity is the state of being seriously, mentally ill (“Definition of the Word Insanity”). Insanity is also classified as a medical diagnosis. Insanity came from the Latin word insanitatem (“History of the Word Insanity”). People started using this word in the 1580’s. The Latins interpreted insanity as unhealthy Modern day society uses the word insanity too loosely. Although the dictionary definition of insanity is not wrong, several cases that prove having “insanity” does not always mean “being seriously mentally ill” has came to surface.
Finger (2011), Ermer (2012), and Yang (2010) were all interested in how abnormalities in certain areas of the brain (amygdale, orbitalfrontal cortex, etc.) affected or led to certain characteristics in psychopaths. Finger studied the system of decision-making in psychopaths, Ermer researched the link between damage in certain regions of the brain are what causes the traits of psychopathology, and Yang wanted to see if the amount and thickness of certain areas of the brain had anything to do with the psychopaths being able to live among others undetected. All three studies linked certain areas in the brain that are thought to either help in emotional learning or decision-making to their explanation that abnormalities in these area are responsible for psychotic traits.
According the fourth edition diagnostic manual of mental disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), the category psychotic disorders (Psychosis) include Schizophrenia, paranoid (Delusional), disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, residual type. Other clinical types include Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder/Manic depression, mania, Psychotic depression, delusional (paranoid) disorders. These are mental disorders in which the thoughts, affective response or ability to recognize reality, and ability to communicate and relate to others are sufficiently impaired to interfere grossly with the capacity to deal with reality; the classical and general characteristics of psychosis are impaired reality testing, hallucinations, delusions, and illusions. Mostly, these are used as defining features of psychosis even if there are other psychotic symptoms that characterise these disorders (L. Bortolotti, 2009).
Eysenck believe there are three different dimensions of personality. They are extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism. He believed that extraversion was inherited from our parents and extroverts had a low levels of cortical arousal and high sensory thresholds. The sensory thresholds that they inherit from their parent s are what causes them to take more risks and not hold back in certain situations. Eysenck also believed that neuroticism is hereditary because it has to do with emotion and motivation. In the brain the amygdala and hypothalamus control these and the environment cannot control brain functions. Psychoticism was not in Eysenck’s theory of development. He believed psychoticism is what makes people angry, hostile, and antisocial which is caused by stress. Depending on how much stress is on someone the more likely they
Many psychologists throughout many years present theoretical approaches in an attempt to understand personality. Hans Eysenck’s approach of personality differed from that of Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytical theory of personality. Eysenck’s theory of personality relies on the scientific basis of biology in explaining human personality. Although Freud’s theories are intriguing to an open mind, Eysenck’s approach made measurable scientific sense. He relied on the use of trait and factor analysis, which is a statistical method. Freud relied on faith and his personal opinions based on observational research to reach the assumptions that set forth his theories (Feist & Feist, 2009). Eysenck and Freud did not agree on anything about understanding how and why the mind operates the way, it does.
Raymond B. Cattell (1906-1998) studied the personality traits of large groups of people, calling the visible features of their personalities “surface traits.” During his studies, Cattell observed that certain “surface traits” would appear simultaneously in individuals. When Cattell noticed this trend occurring frequently he renamed the group of “surface traits” “source traits”. At the conclusion of his research Cattell identified sixteen “source traits.”
Module 3 Essay Questions 1. In your own words, fully describe and discuss the vicious cycle of schizophrenia (6 pts.). The vicious cycle of schizophrenia has a lot of parallels to normal people except for the actual biological diathesis and selective attention dysfunction. If a person is already pre disposed to the schizophrenia genes, then it can happen at any point in time, they could spiral down into a psychosis.
Lastly, the findings of trait theory and its components described within the paper will be summarised. Major contributors to the trait theory of personality include three prominent psychologists. Boeree (2006) states that American born psychologist Gordon Allport has been described as the founding father of personality trait theory. Allport’s distinguished career included holding the presidency of the American Psychological Association (APA) and receiving the Gold Medal Award and a Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the APA (Carducci, 2009, p. 260). After meeting with Sigmund Freud in 1922 and studying his interpretation of personality, Allport developed the opinion that psychoanalysis was too in-depth while behaviourism was far too shallow in the field of personality psychology.
In the beginning of the movie, A Beautiful Mind, it is not clear that John Nash is suffering from schizophrenia; however, as the movie progresses it becomes clear that John has some sort of psychotic disorder. Although all of the symptoms John had from the beginning of the film were within the diagnoses of schizophrenia, the university setting and him being a candidate for Ph.D. in mathematics made it seem that his social awkwardness was attributed to his intelligence. Once it was revealed that John’s life was filled with hallucinations and he was living life in a delusion after graduate school, it was apparent John was actually developing schizophrenia from the time
Famous psychological theorists Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers were both the greatest researchers in our modern time. They both made a lot of advancement in psychological fields, clinical evidence and expertise. They both developed a theory of 'hidden' personality’, in which the psychologists theorized that people have a ‘hidden' personality within them, one which they are not aware of. This concept indicated that the human nature and the role play in rationale behind the human motivation. Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers do have same common in their theories. They were both influenced by working within their patients and shared the familiarity through the many years of clinical performance. Based on their experimental studies, Sigmund Freud believed that the human nature is inherently aggressive, and Carl Rogers sustained that the people are innately are good. Indeed, Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers have diverse opinions and different assumptions on the personality of a human. During the contemporary scientific research, I prefer to agree with Roger’s theory over the Freudian model because it is more in tune with findings of my experiences.
Personality is an individual’s characteristic pattern of feeling, thinking and acting. Psychodynamic theories of personality view human behavior as a dynamic interaction between the conscious mind and unconscious mind, including associated motives and conflicts (Myers & Dewall, pg# 572, 2015). These theories focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences. Psychodynamic theories are descended from Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, which is his ideology of personality and the associated treatment techniques. Psychoanalysis attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. This theory also includes the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions. He proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality. Freud’s historically significant psychoanalytic theory became part of the human cultural legacy.