Explain how each of the four personality theories view (a) the role of genetics; (b) the role of the environment; (c) human nature; (d) whether behavior is free or determined; (e) principal motives; (f) the structure of the personality; (g) the role of the unconscious; (h) the concept of a conscience; (i) the developmental emphasis; and (j) the barriers to personal growth

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include that (a) the psychoanalysts stress the role of genetics in their theory with the trait theorists also maximizing the influence of heredity, while the humanists, behaviorists, and social learning theorists minimize the role of genetics and (b) maximize the role of the environment. The trait and psychoanalysts also recognize the role of the environment in personality development, but do not emphasize it. (c) The humanists view human nature positively, psychoanalytical theory views human nature negatively, while trait, behaviorists, and social learning theorists take a neutral stance. (d) Only the humanists see behavior as a matter of free choice, while the psychoanalysts view behavior as determined by unconscious forces, the trait theorists seeing behavior as determined by one's traits, and the behaviorists and social learning theorists seeing behavior as determined by habits and reinforcement. (e) The principal motives of trait theory depend on one's traits, while sex and aggression are the principal motives in psychoanalytic theory. Drives are the principal motives for behaviorism and social learning theory with the humanists seeing self-actualization as the principal motive in their theory. (f) Concerning the structure of the personality, traits compose the structure of the personality in trait theory; the id, ego, and superego make up the personality in psychoanalytical theory; habits compose the structure for behaviorists; expectancies for the social learning theory; and the "self" in humanistic theory. (g) The role of the unconscious is maximized by the psychoanalysts, while it is minimized by all of the other perspectives. (h) The concept of a moral conscience would involve the trait of honesty for trait theorists; the superego for the psychoanalysts; the ideal self and valuing process for the humanists; and self-reinforcement and punishment for the behaviorists and social learning theorists. (i) Regarding their developmental emphasis, the trait theorists recognize the combined effects of heredity and environment, while children progress through the psychosexual stages in psychoanalytic theory and develop a self-image in humanistic theory. The behaviorists emphasize the four critical learning situations (feeding, toilet training, etc.), while the social learning theorists emphasize the importance of identification and imitation in the developmental process. (j) Unhealthy traits and an unhealthy environment serve as barriers for the trait theorists and behaviorists, respectively; while incongruence and conditions of worth are barriers for the humanists and unconscious conflicts, fixations, and imbalances between the id, ego, and superego cause barriers in psychoanalytical theory.