The fascinating field of personality psychology not only helps us understand human behavior and mental life, but also provides an important lens to understanding ourselves in ways we never did before. In his concise and timely textbook, Personality: Discovering Connections, Dr. Robert F. Bornstein provides a fresh and appealing approach to personality theory and research that embeds personality in the broader intellectual landscape of psychology today. This book focuses on the four major theoretical approaches to understanding personality: psychodynamic, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral, trait/interpersonal, and humanistic/existential. The author provides detailed coverage of these four major viewpoints and ignores the extraneous "mini-theories" covered in other textbooks. The result is a brief textbook that offers complex material in an accessible, student-friendly way. Chapters build upon one another, showing how these four perspectives differ alongside various points of convergence. Further drawing on the theme of "connections," Dr. Bornstein integrates feature boxes to illustrate how the study of personality intersects with work in related psychological subfields (social, cognitive, developmental, and neuropsychology), disciplines outside of psychology, and with aspects of students' own lives. Rich and relevant examples cover contemporary topics such as social media and online self, personality and politics, friendship formation and maintenance, self-actualization and activism, and more. The book closes by integrating ideas and findings into a holistic understanding of the psychology of personality, with an eye firmly aimed toward the future of personality theory and research. To help with comprehension and retention of the material and provide flexibility for the professor, each chapter ends with a review of key concepts and principles, critical thinking and discussion questions, key terms, and additional readings and resources. For instructors: a companion website is available containing PowerPoint slides, a testbank with multiple-choice and essay questions, sample syllabi, tables and figures files, and more.
Robert F. Bornstein, PhD, is a professor at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. He is an established researcher with national and international visibility and he has published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, along with about 60 book chapters, and written or edited more than a dozen books. Dr. Bornstein has received five federal grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and National Science Foundation. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, and Society for Personality Assessment, and served as the former president of SPA.
Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1. What Is Personality? Why Study Personality? Four Perspectives on Personality Culture and Personality Personality Research Methods Personality: Discovering Connections Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources Chapter 2. The Psychodynamic Perspective Eels, Brains, Cocaine, and Hypnosis Key Assumptions of the Psychodynamic Perspective The Topographic Model The Structural Model The Psychosexual Stages Psychoanalytic Treatment Psychoanalysis Reimagined: Object Relations Theory The Self-Representation and the Self-Other Dialectic Integrating Representations of Self and Other People: Attachment Theory Contemporary Psychoanalytic Treatments Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources Chapter 3. Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Models Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It Key Assumptions of the Behavioral Perspective Pavlov and Classical Conditioning Skinner and Operant Conditioning Conditioning and Personality Conditioning and Psychopathology Behavior Modification and the Token Economy The Shift From Radical Behaviorism to an Integrative Behavioral Perspective Cognitive Behavioral Treatments Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources Chapter 4. Trait and Interpersonal Frameworks A Visit to Vienna and the Birth of Trait Theory Trait Theory in Context Key Assumptions of the Trait Perspective Allport's Lexical Approach Cattell and Factor Analysis A Consensus Emerges: The Five-Factor Model Traits and Dynamics: The Interpersonal Perspective Assessing Interpersonal Constructs Interpersonal Dynamisms Psychopathology and Psychotherapy Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources Chapter 5. Humanistic and Existential Approaches Divergent Experiences, Converging Philosophies Key Assumptions of the Humanistic Perspective A Radical Departure Maslow: A Hierarchy of Needs Rogers: Self-Discrepancies Existential Personality Theory Existentialism Quantified: Terror Management Theory Effects of Mortality Salience on Behavior Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources Chapter 6. The Future of Personality Paradigms of Personality: Past, Present, and Future Where Are We Now? Converging Themes Where Are We Going? The Future of Personality Why Are We Here? Chapter Review Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions Key Terms Additional Readings and Resources References Index About the Author
