Understanding Personality, Emotional Disorders, Social Behavior, and Influence

Posted on Nov 21, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

PERSONALITY (ITEM 14)


Personality Components

Temperament: Our biological heritage, the influence of our physical nature, difficult to change, and encoded.

Character: Characteristics acquired during our growth, representing a degree of conformity with social norms.

Personality: A combination of temperament and character into a single structure; a set of psychological characteristics expressed in our actions.

Personality Theories

Theories about the origin, evolution, and changes in personality:

  • Psychodynamic Theories (Freud): A negative view of human nature, motives driven by sex and aggression, personality structure including ego and superego, maximum unconscious function, specific behavior, emphasis on psychosexual stages of development, and personal growth obstacles due to conflict between ego and superego.
  • Humanist Theory (Rogers): A positive view of human nature, self-actualization motives, personality as the self, minimal unconscious function, free choice behavior, emphasis on the development of self-image, and personal growth obstacles due to incongruences and distortions.

Psychoanalysis (Freud)

Human beings as sexual and aggressive creatures.

Postulates:

  • Personality is like an iceberg, with a small visible conscious part and a submerged, unconscious part. The unconscious is dynamic and influences thoughts.
  • Personality is the result of intrapsychic forces and mechanisms, with a significant role played by sexual libido.
  • Childhood is a significant period in personality development. Freud established psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, and genital.
  • Therapy is based on free association, allowing the patient to express their mind, recover memories, and get rid of painful childhood experiences. The patient may eventually accept their own self.

Humanist Theory (C. Rogers)

Behavior is an organism’s attempt to achieve a goal as perceived. Needs drive behavior, which is the response to an individual’s perception of their needs. Behavior is conditioned by biological constitution, social forces, and past experiences. “I am solely responsible for my own actions and consequences.” The task of humans is self-realization, and if not diverted by developmental events, they can become thoughtful, open to new experiences, self-respectful, and tolerant individuals. The difference between healthy and maladaptive behavior lies in the congruence or incongruence between self and experience.



EMOTIONAL DISORDERS (UNIT 15)


Depression

A profound malaise affecting the whole body, thoughts, and mood. It is not a passing state of sadness, personal weakness, or attitude that can be changed at will.

  • Endogenous depression: A product of biological factors, genetic inheritance, etc.
  • Exogenous depression: Psychosocial conflict, divorce, job loss, etc.

Symptoms:

  • Physical: Sleep problems, appetite loss, headache, etc.
  • Mood: Sadness or irritability, nervousness, feeling empty or impotent.
  • Cognitive: Decreased cognitive performance, attention, and concentration in daily activities. According to psychologist Aaron T. Beck, a person with depression has a negative view of themselves, their environment, and the future. Cognitive therapy addresses this.
  • Motivational and Behavioral: A characteristic decrease in the ability to enjoy life and engage in activities.
  • Interpersonal: A depressed person maintains tense relationships, finds it difficult to form relationships, and engages in social avoidance.

Anxiety

A general feeling, a sign that we anticipate danger or pain arising from a failure to understand reality. It is a mix of emotions (fear, shame, guilt), and when control is lost, anguish appears.

Manifestations:

  • Physiological Level: Cardiovascular changes (high blood pressure, palpitations, increased heart rate), excessive muscle tension.
  • Cognitive Level: Feared situations generate cognitive distortions, irrational thoughts, and feelings of fear.
  • Motor Level: Motor behavior aligned with the cognitive appraisal of the situation, avoidance or escape responses, trembling, paralysis, and stuttering.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Obsessions: Inappropriate, intrusive thoughts, ideas, images, or memories that are experienced as disgusting and meaningless.
  • Compulsions: Repetitive, stereotyped behaviors performed in response to an obsession. The behavior has no purpose in itself but is aimed at preventing some future event.

Schizophrenic Disorders (Split Mind)

Fragmentation of cognitive and affective functions. A very serious and complex disorder.

Characteristics:

  • Disturbed Perceptions: Different types of hallucinations: auditory (hearing voices), visual (seeing nonexistent forms), kinesthetic (sensation of change in body organ shape or size).
  • Disorganization of Thought: Fragmented and distorted thought, loss of contact with reality, delusions of grandeur (belief in special powers), persecution (belief in being watched or persecuted), or somatic (belief in brain damage).
  • Inappropriate Emotions and Behavior: Experience in an illusory world, apathetic emotional and affective reactions, inability to enjoy life, emptiness, and sometimes bizarre dressing due to loss of identity.
  • Social Withdrawal: Difficulty establishing interpersonal relationships.

4 Types of Schizophrenia:

Paranoid: Delusions of persecution or grandeur, auditory hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior.

Catatonic: Extreme negativism, passive and uncommunicative behavior, odd postures, and stereotyped body movements (maintaining the same posture for hours).

Disorganized: Childish behavior in poses and gestures, talking to imaginary people, and inappropriate and superficial affection.

Residual: Moderate characteristic symptoms, eccentric behavior, or illogical thinking.

Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by an increasing fear of gaining weight. It starts with a rational desire to control diet and lose weight but eventually becomes a disease. It affects both sexes, typically girls aged 12 to 20, who become obsessed with their body weight. They have a distorted body image, perceiving their body as deformed.

Diagnosis:

  • Obsessive dieting.
  • Absence of other organic or mental diseases.
  • Distorted body image or shape and an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese.
  • Generally good students and hyperactive perfectionists.
  • Loss of regular menstruation.
  • In some cases, binge eating and purging behaviors (self-induced vomiting, etc.).

The causes of anorexia are unknown, but theories include the Western ideal of beauty, social pressure to be thin, fear of growing up, and family problems.

Bulimia

: eating disorders typical of young women, is characterized in overeating and perform behaviors purgativas.Síntomas: * abnormal eating habits and rigid dieting behaviors during meals .* ritualized eating binges evoke feelings of shame, guilt,. . and to mitigate vomit, use laxatives, diuretics or exercise exes .* 2 binge episodes a week for 3 months .* Distortion of body image and sense of loss of control over eating behavior moods .* negative stressors and triggers hunger binges.


UNIT 16 SOCIAL THOUGHT AND CONDUCT

Stereotype: From Greek stereos (stiff, solid), the U.S. journalist Walter Lippmann (1922) adopted this term in the arts graficas.Su etymological and historical origin, transmitted to us the idea of q E are somewhat rigid and repetitive. The E is the set of shared beliefs about the personal attributes of a group of people. Stereotyping is to make judgments, inferences or predictions about members of a group without regard to individual differences between them. These can be inaccurate, false and resistant to new information. Functions of stereotypes: * Simplify perfecpcion of reality and reduce their complexity, and categorization. “Andaluces funny”, we have q evaluate each individual case and assume everyone q conform to the stereotype .* Facilitate the integration group, in a way of being accepted into a group is accepting the prevailing stereotypes of the group .* involve self-fulfilling, we see everything that supports our estereotipos.Ejem: stingy Scots, we look at the Scottish stingy but attention to gender.Prejudice and discrimination: The psychologist Gordon Allport defines P as the thinking ill of others without prejudice is sufficient justificacion.El hostile or undesirable belief toward members of other social groups and monifiesta suspicion, fear or hatred irracionales.Supone estimate stereotypes and prejudices demasiado.Los almost always go together, it is difficult to maintain an attitude of hostility toward another group if there is some prior beliefs about this social group. + Common causes: * I want to relate only to people having the same ideas q q us .* Achieve feelings of superiority and self-assurance .* Find a “scapegoat” in the download q aggressiveness produced by their own frustrations and limitations .* proportion to the group benefit the majority, denied rights and opportunities to minority groups. Discrimination: behavior is negative or not a person q is equal to another under the group or social category to q pertenece.Debemos learn to respect and appreciate differences .Racism and xenophobia are 2 of the fundamental problems of European societies occidental.La peaceful coexistence and non-discriminatory between different groups coexist puespone q cmo ideological attitudes eradicate racism and xenophobia. Racism is a social construction, q is to devalue a social group based on some physical characteristic (skin color as q +). Causes of racism: * It is based on the consideration that there are superior and inferior races and highlights differences between individuals or populations .* advocates as a social system which some have more advantages because they belong to a social group determinado.Ejem, north and south but lazy workers .* Consider the victim as a scapegoat for the social evil .* It promotes and enables the marginalization and isolation as a function of its raza.Debemos and judge people by their behavior and not by their skin color or place of birth .– Scientific research shows q in biological terms in mankind razas.La no genetic separation is very low.Fanaticism and violence: poverty and unequal distribution (major problems) cause hatred, envy and frustracion.El fanaticism is the enemy of reason and bears the seeds of hatred breeds violence violencia.El, qa turn produces + hatred. The fan : have a distorted perception of reality, thought to possess the truth and tries to impose upon others by blood and fire. Psychological Attributes: * emotional immaturity and dependence .* .* thrill-seeking or rigidity of thought Dogmatism (jamas doubt or accept criticism) .* paranoid personality (mistrust, exaggerated pride, aggression without limits) .– The fanaticism needs leaders, q have self-confidence, ability to seduction, Machiavellian intelligence, to manipulate the behavior of others. Features ideological: * It is believed repository of absolute truth and admits having posivilidad of q other reason.* Fanaticism is evil, q be forced to resign oneself .* It tries to impose its beliefs and rules by force, without respect the freedoms of others .* It is guided by feelings and irrational beliefs, despising the thought and reason . blindly follow the ideology of the sect or leader .* It has a simplistic vision, a perfect and pure us and a them miserable or less .* despises other ethnic groups, peoples or individuals, to act against violence .* q No supports gender equality and defend positions misogynist .* It does not support separation of religion and state laws to the sacred texts.



Social influence ITEM 17: Groups

L to aggression: preocupante.Porq behavior is so aggressive, violent men + k porq women.Most aggressive behavior are multiple and varied, ranging from insults, vilaciones, wars, ..Ratings: According target of aggression: directed toward oneself (autistic children) or towards others (rape). According to the method employed from gestures to words p atque armas.Según physical or purpose, have an end in itself (hostile aggression) or used to achieve an objective (instrumental aggression). Theories of Aggression: instinct theory: Freud recognized two basic drives: the self-preservation (life instinct) and the way muerte.De = sexual energy reduces tension x sexual.El activity through ethologist Konrad Lorenz defended q is an innate disposition, common in animals and humans, for survival of the species, and by the city of crías.Entre conservative actions of the species include territoriality , distribution of available living space, establishment of social hierarchy within the group .. Both conceive of aggression as inevitable, but q can be channeled to non-destructive goals, as alleged deporte.La satisfies man’s innate evil to many people, is hares of all blame and evade responsibility for the social causes of aggression.Social learning theory: this denies the existence of an aggressive drive and defends q aggressive behavior is caused by processes q aprendizaje.Hay situations favor the aggressive behavior, such as frustration, physical or verbal Ayaquica … Albert Bandura for aggressiveness learns x and x modelado.La aggressive behavior reinforcement depends on environmental contingencies and increased if it is rewarded socially or have satisfactory results for the pueen appear agresor.Los aggressive models in the family, group or mass Media, Children who have been punished by their parents tend to be aggressive in their relacuiones with demás.Experimentos made about watching TV violence increases aggression, desensitizes, .. altruistic behavior: multiple offers situations, help in a traffic accident , request to donate blood or money … The altruistic or prosocial behavior is r?c?ba help others without anything in return, regardless of personal interests. Q There are 3 perspectives explain this behavior and propose two forms of prosocial behavior (altruism more reciprocal and unconditional:* Social Norms: help others without any interest, q porq think we should do (helping a blind person to cross the street) Social Influence 2 standards: * The norm of reciprocity, q requires helping those who help us (blood donors xk their families received assistance at other times). * Social responsibility, people should help people in need without so q must be reciprocated in the future. * Social Exchange: according to this theory, self-interest is the foundation of all human interactions, the goal is to maximize the rewards and minimize external costes.Recompensas (companies donate money to sports associations and charitable foundations to improve its image) or internal (some blood donors do not feel good by q) * Evolutionary Perspective: sociobiologists, q influences natural selection about behavior, genes determine q take care of relatives, including parents of children .– The genetic self-interest.And because we help strangers, according to sociobiologists humanity develops ethical and religious rules limit q inclination toward selfishness biologica. Because there Flata of participation in emergency situations: if a person is alone, feels a responsibility to intervene q is yours but when other observers feel less responsibility. If the situation of emrgencia is ambiguous, pluralistic ignorance occurs, each observer doubt and tries to find k pasa.La perception evaluation, many people doubt their ability to intervene successfully in some situations, such as traffic accidents. In contrast, if someone is a doctor, the presence of others is an incentive to intervene.