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Psychology: Personality - A Complete Guide for PBBSc Nursing (1st Year, MUHS)

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1. Definition of Personality

Personality is "the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his/her unique adjustment to his/her environment."

• Dynamic organization - personality is not static; it is constantly evolving and changing
• Within the individual - it refers to internal (intrapsychic) processes
• Psychophysical - it is neither purely mental nor purely physical; it is both
• Unique adjustment - each person adapts to the world in their own way

Personality is the dynamic organization of the biopsychosocial systems by which a person shapes and adapts in a unique way to a changing internal and external environment.

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2. Nature of Personality - Key Characteristics

• About 50% of personality variance is due to heredity (genetic factors)
• The remaining 50% is due to environment (upbringing, culture, experiences)
• Adoption studies show ~30% heritability, twin studies show ~50%

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3. Major Theories of Personality

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A. Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic Theory - Sigmund Freud

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B. Psychosocial Theory - Erik Erikson

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C. Humanistic Theory - Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

         /\
        /  \   Self-Actualization (reaching full potential)
       /----\
      /      \   Esteem Needs (respect, achievement)
     /--------\
    /          \  Social/Love Needs (belonging, friendship)
   /------------\
  /              \  Safety Needs (security, stability)
 /----------------\
  Physiological Needs (food, water, shelter, sleep)

• Personality reflects which level of needs dominates a person's motivation
• Self-actualization is the highest level - full realization of one's potential

• Personality is organized around the self-concept (how we see ourselves)
• Healthy personality = congruence between the real self and ideal self
• Empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness promote growth
• Rogers developed Client-Centered Therapy

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D. Trait Theory

1. Consistent patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior across situations
2. Relatively enduring features of an individual
3. Continuously distributed (like a bell curve) - not discrete types

• Cardinal traits - one dominant trait that defines the whole personality (rare)
• Central traits - 5-10 main traits that describe a person (e.g., honest, kind)
• Secondary traits - minor, situational traits

• Extraversion-Introversion (E) - sociability axis
• Neuroticism-Emotional stability (N) - anxiety axis
• Later added a third: Psychoticism (P) - aggressiveness/tough-mindedness

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E. Behavioral/Learning Theory - Skinner, Pavlov, Bandura

"A self or personality is at best a repertoire of behavior imparted by an organized set of contingencies."

• Personality = collection of behaviors shaped by operant conditioning (rewards and punishments)
• Positive reinforcement increases behavior; punishment decreases it

• Personality traits can be conditioned responses to stimuli
• E.g., anxiety responses may be conditioned to hospital environments

• People learn by observing others (modeling/vicarious learning)
• Self-efficacy - belief in one's ability to succeed - is a key personality variable
• A nurse with high self-efficacy handles stressful clinical situations better

• Internal locus of control - belief that one controls their own life outcomes
• External locus of control - belief that outcomes are due to luck, fate, or powerful others
• Patients with internal locus are more likely to follow health advice and self-care

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F. Neo-Freudian / Psychoanalytic Revisionists

• Introversion vs. Extraversion (energy direction)
• Intuition vs. Sensing (information gathering)
• Thinking vs. Feeling (decision making)
• Judging vs. Perceiving (lifestyle preference)

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4. Personality Development - Factors Influencing It

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5. Types of Personality (Practical Classification)

• Introvert - energized by solitude; reflective; may appear withdrawn in hospital
• Extravert - energized by social interaction; outgoing; copes better in group settings

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6. Personality Disorders (Introduction - for awareness)

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7. Nursing Application - Why Personality Matters in Nursing

1. Patient assessment - personality affects how patients report symptoms and respond to pain
2. Therapeutic communication - match your communication style to the patient's personality
3. Patient education - internal locus patients respond well to explanations; external locus patients need more motivation
4. Compliance/adherence - conscientious patients follow medication schedules better
5. Self-awareness - understanding your own personality prevents countertransference and nurse burnout
6. Type A nurses - may be efficient but prone to burnout; awareness helps self-care
7. Erikson's stages - help you give developmentally appropriate care to patients of all ages

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8. Quick Revision Summary Table

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9. Important Terms to Remember for MUHS Exams

• Personality - dynamic, unique biopsychosocial adaptation to the environment
• Trait - stable, consistent pattern of thought/feeling/behavior
• Temperament - biologically based, early-appearing personality style
• Character - morally and socially shaped aspects of personality
• Self-efficacy - belief in one's ability to perform behaviors (Bandura)
• Locus of control - belief about control over life outcomes (Rotter)
• Self-actualization - realizing one's full potential (Maslow)
• Congruence - alignment between real self and ideal self (Rogers)
• Introversion/Extraversion - direction of psychological energy (Jung/Eysenck)
• Operant conditioning - learning through consequences (Skinner)

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• Definitions of personality
• Theories (especially Freud, Erikson, Maslow, Allport/Big Five)
• Factors affecting personality development
• Nursing application of personality concepts
• Locus of control and self-efficacy (these come up in patient care questions)