Personality Psychology

Jim McMartin is Emeritus Professor of Psychology, California State University, Northridge. He began his career as a Research Associate at the Institute for Developmental Studies in New York City. He helped to collect and analyze seminal data showing the academic benefits of pre-school experiences. The data from this well-controlled field experiment, as well as replicated findings from similar research programs across the United States, led to federal funding for the Head Start Program. He earned degrees in psychology from Fordham University (B.S.), Brooklyn College (M.A.), and the University of Minnesota (Ph.D.). He has published in such journals as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Human Relations, Sociometry, among others, as well as invited articles for the International Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Neurology. He lives in Camarillo, California, with his wife, Rory Ann, who created the illustrations throughout this book, as faithful servants to our fine feline, Samantha, a.k.a. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

PART ONE: BASIC ISSUES IN PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY Introduction What Is Personality? Using Theory and Research To Understand Personality What Are Theories of Personality and Why Are They Important? PART TWO: MY PAST SELF Genetic and Temperamental Influences Did My Personality Begin in the Womb? Cultivating Personality What Kinds of Early Childhood Experiences Affected My Personality? PART THREE: MY PRESENT SELF Identity and Self-Esteem Who Am I? Why Is It Important to Like Myself? Stress and Coping What Is Stress? How Can I Cope with It? Needs, Motives and Goals What Do I Want? Why Does It Matter? PART FOUR: MY FUTURE SELF Expectations, Plans and Self Regulation What Determines Whether I Will Persist or Give Up Trying to Reach My Goals? Continuity and Change over the Life Course In What Ways Can I Expect My Personality to Remain the Same or Change over the Course of My Life?