Comparison of Theodore Millon's personality theory with other theorists

Part.

Theory Related to Final Project

Key Concepts

Historical Context and Historical Figures

Validity and Accuracy

Applicability of Theory Today

Connection to Final Project

Neo-Freudian Theories

Psychodynamic. Tripartite division of self but less about psychosexual development than Freud. Builds on Freud’s theory of the unconscious, using dreams and other symbols but more reliance on and social and cultural influence on personality.

Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Erik Erikson, Karen Horney, Henry Stack Sullivan.

More so than Freud, with more empirical research. For example, Erikson develop empirically testable models to compare psychic structures with cultural institutions (Cote, 1993).

Still useful in psychotherapy, but less so in relation to normally functioning adults, in I/O psychology, in severe clinical disorders like schizophrenia, or in general clinical settings.

Will be used as a key means of comparing Millon’s theories with alternative theories of personality.

Humanists

Person-centered, focusing on individual liberty and free will. Human nature is essentially good, and individuals seek fulfillment and self-realization.

Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers. Initially an extension of Neo-Freudianism. Heavy reliance on subjectivity and perceptions. Optimism about human nature.

Little to none. The humanistic theories are often abstract, and do not lend themselves well to empirical testing. In fact, some humanists actively rejected scientific methods and prefer qualitative analyses (McLeod, 2015).

Useful adjunct to other theories but less so when scientific methods would be called for and expected. Useful in psychotherapy and life coaching scenarios and can help in the human resources setting.

A useful theoretical approach for studying personality, which can interface with the evolutionary perspective.

Trait Theory

Deterministic. People have ingrained personalities that are somewhat immutable. Constructs like extraversion/introversion.

Allport; Eysenck; Cattell, Adorno. Roots in Neo-Freudian theories but focus more on predicting than on analyzing the past.

Substantial empirical data because the personalty constructs are deliberately designed to be measurable.

Substantial application in the I/O setting, in human resources, and in education. Can help with job placement. However, the deterministic nature of trait theory can lead to biases.

Because of its empirical nature, trait theory can be incorporated into my research.

Social Learning Theory

Personality is dynamic and shaped by internal and external factors, including rewards and punishments from the social world, as well as learning through observation. Self-efficacy also a related concept (Burger, 2019).

Based on behaviorism. Individuals develop personality traits based on observation of others and feedback (reward/punishment) from others. Bandura’s social-cognitive theory.

Some empirical data because of the behavioral underpinnings of the theory.

Application in clinical and therapeutic settings because of the assumption that personality can be changed through changing attitudes and behaviors.