Chapter 10 introduces both the approaches to the understanding of personality along with methods psychologists use to assess individual personality characteristics. Personality is the sum of the characteristics that differentiate individuals and provide the stability in a person's behavior across situations and time. First, the psychoanalytic approach to personality is discussed. Psychoanalysis understands personality in terms of how a person manages the unconscious that seeks to dominate behavior. Next, four major alternatives to the psychoanalytical approach are investigated. These are trait approaches, learning approaches, biological approaches, and humanistic approaches. Finally, the chapter illustrates several ways that personality can be assessed. Psychological tests that demonstrate both reliability and validity and also have standardized norms are studied. The most frequently given assessments include the MMPI, the Rorschach test and the TAT.

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Section 1: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Personality Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory The Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysts

Section 2: Other Major Approaches to Personality: In Search of Human Uniqueness Trait Approaches: Placing Labels on Personality Learning Approaches: We Are What We've Learned Biological and Evolutionary Approaches: Are We Born with Personality? Applying Psychology in the 21st Century: Can Unjustified High Self-Esteem Lead to Violence? Humanistic Approaches: The Uniqueness of You Comparing Approaches to Personality

Section 3: Assessing Personality: Determining What Makes Us Special Exploring Diversity: Should Norms Be Based on Race and Ethnicity? Self-Report Measures of Personality Projective Methods Behavioral Assessment Becoming an Informed Consumer of Psychology: Assessing Personality Assessments