Psychology

schizophrenia cases are more common here in the phil. mostly men..i had an On the Job Training in one of the mental hospital here.. I was a bit scared at first but as days goes on, i learn how to deal with their behavior and i just feel like I was one of them.lol.Im crazy sometimes. lol

When I worked at a grocery store a few years ago this lady with schizophrenia always came in and would ask for briquettes. The first time she asked me where they were I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. Honestly, who calls charcoal “briquettes” nowadays? ;) She proceeded to freak out on me and ran out of the store

I have been told of the 7 basic personality traits, but have no idea how to got about finding specifics. Can I get some correct termonology, a link or some sort of point in the right direction please?

There's actually 5 central personality traits. They're called the Big Five. This page does a pretty good job of explaining it

In existentialism there are I believe 8 goals you need to obtain in a certain order to be the best person you yourself can be. Of course, exientialism can get pretty selfish, but I suppose there is truth to it. It's called the Hierarch of Human Needs. I don't suppose it's relevant, but, oh well.

Psychology only has 5, so it's much easier it be happy ;) It's called the Hierarchy of Needs

Aah, you're right. But that's what I was talking about. It applies to existentialism. I studied it in psychology class last semster. It seems pretty selfish if you ask me.

What do you mean selfish? Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean. I've never really studied about existentialism

Well, it's a lot more complicated than this, you should probably look it up, but to me, it was all about putting the needs of yourself ahead of other people so that YOU could be happy. Which, I"m all about you being happy, but I'm very much so about the consideration of other people too.

You must've studied a specific type of existentialism, because it's very broad. It's a type of philosophy that forces us to look inside ourselves, rather than beginning with the mysteries of the universe. Take responsibility for everything that happens to you, because there is noone in control of your life, just you. You won't find answers in someone else. It's about assuming your place in the universe. I have to disagree, I don't believe it's selfish at all. It reveals how powerful the individual really is. It doesn't have to do with putting yourself first, it just says start with you.

Well, sure. But if you ask me, it teaches you to put your own needs aheahd of others so that you can improve yourself before the situation or before others. I don't want it to seem like I'm saying it's a bad thing, existentialism, but, I think it has it's downers. But, in any case, I definitely see parts if it being selfish. Maybe it's just how the individual percieves it.

It has nothing to do with putting yourself first. It has to do with assuming responsibility for every decision you make. You can be an existentialist and completely devote your life to helping others. However, if you find yourself unhappy, it has nothing to do with those other people. There’s a misread somewhere. Instead of going to the outside for answers, you realize that it all begins with you. There’s nothing more real on the outside. It’s simply a philosophy that starts with the individual rather than grasping at something outside yourself. There is nothing about being selfish there.

Maybe my teacher was biast, because this was not self-learned, but from what I was told and gathered, you are not all wrong, but there is selfishness in this. I wish I could restate what we learned to give you a better understanding why I think this. I'm not arguing with you whatsoever because I'm not very well educated in the subject. I'm just giving my opinion. But I'll look into it, and see what I gather on my own rather than from a classroom.

Example: A person wants world peace. He looks around and frowns upon his government. He has difficulty getting through the day. Why does the world have to be so cruel? The existentialist realizes he cannot point fingers. He too is responsible for the lack of peace in the world. He begins working on his own inner peace by examining his relationships with others and his common judgments upon others. He realizes how he has contributed to muddying the water. He trains himself to understand, not take offense, be empathetic, be sincere, loving and trustworthy. When others let him down, he puts himself in their shoes, talks with them in a caring way. Through this self training he carries peace with him that transcends his own self, and contributes to the betterment of man. His radiance adds to the positive in the world, and he brightens the day of those around him. The task he chose was not an easy one, but it began with taking responsibility, not pointing fingers. He realized that the problems he saw in others and the world were the same things he saw in himself. Nothing is definite. Everything is in constant change. If we want change, it has to begin with us as individuals. This is what existentialism means to me. It’s the common man’s goals that make it selfish, therefor you could call any philosophy selfish, but it all comes down to the individual.

Oh, I'm quite aware that it's focus is on self-improvement. What I'm saying, from what I was told, is that it focuses all on you. In which, you focus on you, and only you, until you reach the best of your abilities and well-being. That you do take responsibility for all your actions, but that doesn't mean it can't be selfish. Existentialism was big among the 60's and 70's. Especially with "hippies" who carried on about free love and doing "your" thing. I don't really know how to explain it to you and it make sense. To me, it's like it's saying that, while you do take responsibility for your actions and not point fingers at others, you also focus on your needs mainly. It teaches that to reaching your full happiness and well being is the most important thing there is, so of course, that means coming to terms with the fact that you made mistakes, that there are things you did wrong. So, while like you said, it does teach you to take responsibility for yourself, it also teaches you to be all about yourself.

Oh, and again, I could be wrong. Hah.

It’s an individuals perception that determines an opinion on a particular matter. To be a existentialist is not simply to be an existentialist. I try to take something away from everything. There is no wrong or right way. I would just advise that you personally take away from it what helps you best to adjust to your life.

Agreeable.

I really wish I had taken this in school… But since wishing doesn't get you anywhere, I will see when it is offered at the local community college. I do know something about it, but it is self-taught.

I need more self-teaching I believe. That way I can get my own perspective on things instead of always having them told to me which I admit can happen more than it should.

You are absolutely right! Whenever you are taught (told?) something it usually winds up coming from that persons perspective. People have told me that Freud was full of you know what, but after reading a few of his theories, I became a fan of his, I happen to beleive that he was right on with the "id", "ego", and "super-ego" pretty cool stuff. By self-teaching you easily find out what you like, or don't like without any outside influences directing you to their point of view.

That's one of the biggest things we got into during class when we were studying Freud. I think it has some truth as well. Not all his theories I agreed with, and eventually, some of them he even went back and said were incorrect. Anyways, psychoanalysis, is something I think is very powerful.

I feel that Freud’s theories are very beneficial if studied by the individual. If a person has psychoanalysis done, the therapist becomes a God-like figure and the patient can very easily become dependent, especially an emotionally or mentally scarred person. The doctor becomes that one person who could potentially save him. Woody Allen is a perfect example of an individual frightened and alone, dependent on psychiatrist, and this is where existentialism comes in handy. The pursuit of happiness is the game of life. Obviously some struggle more than others, but therapists can often act as a trap as well.

I agree about psychoanalysis. I think it can help and that the God-figure arousing is not always the case, but I do think it shouldn't be taken lightly how powerful being in someone's mind or having insight to it can be.

When a person seeks help, they are usually vulnerable. I know from experience that it’s easy to think that you can throw your whole life into someone else’s hands. I think by teaching alongside traditional therapy (Like logo-therapy) works the best. This way you’re being pushed for future goals and not dependent on someone to unlock the secrets within you. Even once they’re out-unless you have a serious mental illness, and even then, it’s likely you’ll feel just as empty as when you began.

Yeah, I know the feeling of wanting to, of getting the chance to, luckily, I'm stronger willed than I thought.

I did a little research on personality development... this is about the personality trait discussion... and there are many different theories about how many different traits exist. There are millions of traits that are narrowed down to seventeen, which is then narrowed to five, and out of many of the theories there are three that keep showing up in the top five.

I took many notes on this subject if anyone is interested,

I read mostly about Erikson's theory, but yes i should probably read through my notes once again i can't remember who it is that said what but there are many, many theories. i only took notes on a few.

Yes, I'm still very interested in the personality trait thing. Anything you're willing to type would be helpful.

Okay Freud, you've already discussed him a little, but we'll go deeper into detail now. Freud's theory has to do with the conscious and subconscious parts of the human mind. There are three parts that make up personality which include: Id, ego, and the superego. Id has to do with your aspirations. If you only had an Id you would act more animal-like and would care about nothing but your own needs and wants. Then there is the opposite... the superego deciphers what is right and what is wrong. Your superego also drives you to be perfect. This is where the ego comes into play. Your ego keeps you balanced and it makes you think more realistically. It controls the superego by letting it know you can't always be perfect and it controls the Id by not letting you destroy everything in your path just to get what you want. If it weren't for the ego you couldn't think logically. It is believed that the id is the largest of the three and the superego and ego are both equally half it's size. The id is mostly in your subconscious.

Freud's stages of personality development: (in order) Oral is the first stage, it starts the day of your birth and can last until your 12-18 month. This is where you are brought joy by the mouth... you know how a baby will always stick things in it's mouth? This is said to be one of the stages. Anal is the next stage this starts where your oral ends and lasts until you are about 3. Anal just means that you are being potty trained and you are now in control of your own bladder. You feel more in control and this is what brings you great joy. Phallic starts at 3 and ends from 5-6. It has to do with your genitals (i will go no farther than that.) Latency starts from 5-6 and ends before your (or during) your adolescent years. Not much happens during this time. Genital is the final stage and this is where you aspire to have sex.

i love learning about anything psychology related, it is so fascinating!!!

In my high school psychology class some of us got to go to a lab and examine human brains. It was totally awesome

oh wow! thats so neat!

Abraham Maslow's Humanism Theory:

Humanism looks at all people as "good" Before you can achieve your full "good potential" you must first accumulate all the necessities of the Hierarchy of Needs.

You must achieve these in order... (first) Safety needs must be met, psychological needs, You must feel loved and a belongingness, Self esteem,  Then you reach Self Actualization The final step.

Self Actualization is not perfection, but rather your completeness. You are at your full potential and the best you can be. But to reach this you must know your skills. An example of someone reaching Self Actualization would be... Let's say someone is good at writing, like novels. If they reached Self Actualization they could become a very prestigious novelist and write many top selling books.

Behaviorism is another theory, i am not sure who began this theory but yeah...

Behaviorism has to do with rewards. When i read it i thought it kind of meant that no one is genuinely nice they just do nice things for rewards. Someone learns to be nice because they have done something in the past and were rewarded for it or they have seen someone else be rewarded for it. They are more likely to do something nice if they get a reward out of it right? Some people aren't raised around this though so they aren't as nice.

Let's say you picked up your toys or something once and you were praised for this, you are more likely to pick things up later to so you feel this praise again.

Cardinal Traits (Gordon Allport's theory)

Cardinal Traits is made up of 3 basic personality categories, these include: Cardinal, central, and secondary.

Cardinal is one single characteristic used on a daily basis. It is the one that most defines you. Almost everything that you do is directed toward this one characteristic.

Cnetral is all the little characteristics that make up who you are. They are the characteristics that people would use to describe you such as, smart, helpful, aggressive, etc.

Secondary has to do with your preferences (likes/dislikes) and behavior.

I will discuss Raymond Cattell's theory (Factor Analysis Explanation of Personality) and many more another time, but i have to leave now… maybe we could even get into discussion about personality disorders.

What about the big 5?

Which of the "Big 5's" are you speaking of?

There are a few that name theirs the "Big 5".

Raymond Cattell's Factor Analysis Explanation of Personality is known as the "16 PF". Cattell is one of the most important personality experts... he believes that there are 16 source traits and everyone has the same. These source traits are measured on a scale from one to ten. They include...

Reserved-outgoing

less intelligent-more intelligent

affected by feelings (emotional)-emotionally stable

submissive-dominant

serious-playful (or) not so serious

expediant-conscientious

timid-venturesome

(mentally) tough-sensitive

trusting-suspicious

practical-imaginative 

forthright-shrewd

self-assured-apprehensive

conservative-experimental

dependant-independant

uncontrolled-controlled

relaxed-tense

THE BIG FIVE---A lot of researchers agree that there are five main characteristics of a human and these include:

Extroversion

Neuroticism

Intellect

Agreeability

and... Conscientiousness

I've covered some of the most famous personality development theories... these are the only ones i really took notes on, i will try to get a little more facts or theories.

I do know a little about a few personality disorders... if you want any informaion on that.

I apologize if i didn't give as much information as was wanted.

Could you go into more detail on the Big Five?

The Big Five model of personality traits is a theoretical construct which describes human personality as organized along five dimensions or factors : extraversion/introversion; friendliness/hostility; conscientiousness/impulsivity; emotional stability/neuroticism; and openness to experience. This is from Wikipedia.

To read more i suggest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits it goes into greater detail and breaks it down.

http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ 

haven't really looked at this one much but you can allegedly take a personality test having to do with the 'big five'

Frequently asked questions about the big five http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/info/

Another site that explains/breaks down the big five  http://psikoloji.fisek.com.tr/personality/trait5.html

It is way to much fun trying to understand where mere mortals are coming from,and or going to.