Psychologists typically define personality as an individual and unique pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persists over time across situations. The definition of personality has two very important parts. First, it refers to a unique pattern those aspects of a person that distinguish him or her from everybody else. Second, this pattern persists through time and across situations-that is, personality in a number of ways. They are the psychodynamic theories, trait theories, humanistic theories, and cognitive-
Psychodynamic theories see behavior as the end product of psychological dynamics that interact within the individual often outside conscious awareness. All psychodynamic theorists share the senses that unconscious processes primarily determine personality and can best be understood within the context of life-span developmen
The humanistic personality theory emphasizes that humans are positively motivated and progress toward higher levels of functioning. Its approach basically says there is more to human existence than dealing with hidden conflicts. Humanistic psychologists believe that life is a process of opening ourselves to the world around us and experiencing joy of living. Humanists stress people’s potential for growth and change as well as the ways they subjectively experience their lives right now, rather than dwelling on how they felt or acted in the past. This approach holds us responsible for our lives and their outcomes. Finally, humanists also believe that given reasonable life conditions, people will develop in desirable directions. The central tenet of most humanistic personality theories-that the overriding purpose of the human condition is to realize one’s potential-i
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