Applied Personality Theories

2527 Words6 Pages

There are many people in this world; no two people are the same. When considering personality theories it is important to note that not all theories apply to all situations or all people. Different theories have different approaches. It is important to know the person before making assumptions about the proper theory to apply to the person or in any given situation. The purpose of this paper is to analysis how different personality theorists could interoperate different individual circumstances and behaviors based on case examples provided by the instructor. When applying different theories to different individuals it is important to consider your own thoughts and feelings about the person and the situation being analyzed. Freud believed we are products of our own environment. The environment that influences me may not be the same environment or society that influences our two case studies Hal, or Ellen. Beware of ethnocentrism. Different cultures may exhibit different behaviors than one's own. Know your own egocentric viewpoint. Not everyone perceives or thinks as I do. And finally just because one theory seemed to explain the thoughts and behaviors of an individual does not mean that theory applies to all people. Case Study 1: The Don Juan Hal is a forty four year old male preoccupied with the thought of dying. He likes being in control, considers himself a successful business man and lucky with the ladies. Hal has been divorced. His ex wives name is Sybil, he describes his ex-wife as "neurotic and manipulating." He also, describes the women he dates as being "gorgeous with emotional problems” Hal doesn't stay in a relationship for too long. Hal has a fifteen year old son named Steve with Sybil. Hal says he gets along ... ... middle of paper ... ... was a different time and societal norms were different. They key is the individual. A humanistic approach may work better than psychoanalysis. Jungian might be more preferred than behaviorism. Maybe a combination of all is the best approach. I don't know. What I do know is know yourself, know the individual and know your theories. It might take trial and error, but everything offers something. Works Cited Allen, B. P. (2006). Personality Theories: Development, Growth, and Diversity. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Frager, R., & Fadiman, J. (2005). Personality and personal growth (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Frick, W. B. (1991). Personality theories: journeys into self; an experimental workbook (2. ed.). New York: Teachers College. Hepburn, A. (Summer 2011). Theories of personality reader. Seattle, WA: Antioch University

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