Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … personality theory is based on the writings of John Watson. Behaviorism, the idea that human actions are the true indicator of human behavior, denies the existence of the mind or related mental activities. In his book, Does the Center Hold, Donald Palmer illustrates three distinct ways of looking at behaviorism: hard, soft and logical. Hard behaviorism is the strictest of the three; it holds that there is absolutely nothing that can be considered any bit related to the mind or mental states because there is no mind. Logical behaviorism purports that all mentally related behaviors must ultimately lead back to their source as an actual, physical act. Soft behaviorism, according to Palmer's (2002) description states that there is "no need to include minds in the scientific study of humans, whether or not minds exist. The study of behaviors and their physical causes is sufficient for a complete psychology" (p. 445).
Both hard and logical behaviorism are difficult to support simply because it seems distinctly possible that there could be mental states. However, soft behaviorism which does not attempt to disprove the existence of all things...
Skinner was the most articulate advocate of behaviorism. Through his experiments based on his theory of operant conditioning, he showed that behaviors were modified by consequences. For example, consider the famous Skinner box: the rat pushes the lever and receives a pellet of food. Because of the effect the rat's behavior caused, the rat's future behavior is affected. Thus, when the rat wants the effect repeated, i.e., he wants more food, he will repeat the behavior. Conversely, if the rat were shocked upon touching the lever and did not want to be shocked again, he would avoid touching the lever. It would be difficult to argue such a hypothesis when watching the fat or shocked rats in the Skinner box. The problem comes when people must relate themselves to the rats in the box: for people are surely more complex than lever-pushing rodents? The soft behaviorist would say no.
Consider the multitude of variations that could take place within the box with one rat. The lever could provide a…
References
Palmer, Donald. (2002). Does the Center Hold? An introduction to western philosophy. Boston:
McGraw/Hill.
Boeree, C.G. (1998a). Sigmund Freud. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/perscontents.html.
Boeree, C.G. (1998b). Carl Jung. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/perscontents.html.
Boeree, C.G. (1998c). B.F. Skinner. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/perscontents.html.
Personality Theory Describe and discuss the basic characteristics, tenets and methods of investigation/research for psychodynamic and cognitive perspectives regarding personality psychology, and the benefits/strengths and limitations/weaknesses of each approach. The challenge that the researchers and personality theorists will face is to parsimoniously capture the process-oriented and dynamic nature of personality. Dweck (1996) in an earlier study asserts that "trait theorists have addressed some of the more static, descriptive aspects of personality-how people
One that is in love will only recognize the good object of their love, and typically for a while at least be not capable or extremely reluctant to recognize the rest. This occurrence is called splitting, and is measured a much undeveloped defense instrument (19 Borderline Personality Disorder: A Theory of Borderlines, 2010). Splitting seems to be the major defense apparatus of the borderline. A borderline sees others in expressions
Personality Theories of Personality This paper analyses the process of personality development in detail. It discusses how various genetic, environmental, cognitive, unconscious and socioculture factors affect the process of personality development in different individuals. Theory of Personality Personality can be defined as the sum total of all the characteristics that make an individual unique and different from other individuals. In order to analyze one's personality you do not necessarily need a psychologist to
Personality Therapy Personality is very complex. Individuals can differ considerably from one another, because of the wide variety of traits possible. In addition, a person can act a certain way in one situation and completely different in another, or have internal processes that manifest themselves through very different external actions and behaviors. Because of this diversity and complexity, psychologists have developed a number of theories to explain personality phenomena, as well
Personal Psychology Describe and discuss the nature-nurture dichotomy as it relates to personality psychology; the key associated areas of research; and the key research findings. The study of personality progresses in tandem with advances in neuroscience and behavioral studies, fields that reflect the nature-nurture dichotomy of human development. The word dichotomy is misleading in that it describes a division between two mutually exclusive and contradictory elements or conditions. Yet, contemporary research in
Personality Theories in Psychology To the layperson, the term personality is a generic descriptor for an individual's traits. However, personality has a more specific meaning to psychologists. According to Dan McAdams, "Personality psychology is the scientific study of the whole person" (McAdams, 2006, p.12, para.1). While different psychologists and their theories have become well-known enough to be referenced in casual conversation, there is still some confusion among laypeople about personality