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Theories of Personality Introduction

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Chapter 1
Introduction to Personality Theory

Learning Objectives
After reading Chapter 1, you should be able to: 1. Express your own definition of personality. 2. Differentiate theory from (a) philosophy, (b) speculation, (c) hypothesis, and (d) taxonomy. 3. Defend the need for more than one theory. 4. Show how an understanding of the various theorists' life story is related to their theory. 5. Explain the relationship between theory and observations. 6. List and explain the criteria of a useful theory. 7. Explain why falsifiability is a positive characteristic of a theory. 8. Discuss various components for a concept of humanity. 9. Define reliability and validity and explain why both concepts are important in personality research.

Summary Outline

I. Overview of Personality Theory From the investigations of Freud during the last decade of the 19th century until the present time, a number of personality theorists have (1) made controlled observations of human behavior and (2) speculated on the meaning of those observations. Differences in the theories of these men and women are due to more than differences in terminology. They stem from differences on basic issues concerning the nature of humanity.
II. What Is Personality? The term personality comes from the Latin word persona, meaning the mask people wear or the role they play in life. However, most psychologists use the term to refer to much more than the face or facade people show to others. Personality can be defined as a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to human behavior

III. What is a Theory? The term theory is often used quite loosely and incorrectly to imply something other than a useful scientific concept. Theories are used by scientists to

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