Lesson 1 : Introduction to Personality Development
Theoretical perspectives on personality
Studying of personality is marked by four major perspectives - they are
Psychodynamic perspective - personality is based on the unconscious, biologically based drives which are channeled by external forces. Eg – Freud’s psychoanalytical theory of personality.
Trait perspective - Personality is based on measuring individual traits, and description of persons based on their characteristics. Eg- Carl Jung
Behavioral perspective - emphasizes that external factors shape behavior and through learning a person develops characteristics. Eg- B.F.Skinner, Albert Bandura
Humanistic perspective - Based on person’s free will and voluntary direction of life and it events personality is studied. Eg. Abraham Marlow’s hierarchical theory of motivation
Participants