Gordon Willard Allport By: Courtney Lancaster, Kayla Tanguay & Melissa Harris

Gordon Willard Allport

• By: Courtney Lancaster, Kayla Tanguay & Melissa Harris

Outline

• Allport’s Biography

• Allport’s Theory

• Grey’s Anatomy

• George O’Malley

• Meredith Grey

• Isobel “Izzie” Stevens

• Conclusions/ Questions

• Further Directions

Biography

• Born November 11, 1897 in Indiana.

• Fourth and youngest son.

• Father was a physician who turned family home into a clinic.

• Mother was a former school teacher, who placed a heavy emphasis on religion.

• 1915 attend Harvard University.

• 1919 received a BA in philosophy and economics.

Biography con’t …

• Allport went to Turkey to teach for a year, later went to Vienna and met Sigmund Freud.

• Spent two years in Europe studying under various great psychologists.

• 1925 married Ada Lufkin Gould and later has a son Robert (who became a pediatrician).

• 1939 elected President of the American Psychological Association (APA).

• Died of lung cancer October 9, 1967.

What is Personality?

• Over this career as a psychologist Allport created a total of 50 definitions of personality, his final definition was:

• “The dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behaviour and thought”.

Allport’s Theory

• Gordon Allport’s theory focused on the uniqueness of the individual, and the importance of present context, as opposed to past history, for understanding the personality.

Motivation

• Opportunistic Functioning: Biological survival needs, relatively unimportant.

• Propriate Functioning: Manner expressive of the self characterized as proactive, future orientated and psychological.

• Functional Autonomy: Two different types;

• 1. Preservative functional autonomy: habits (behaviours that no longer serve their original purpose).

• 2. Propriate functional autonomy: value (more self directed that habits).

The Proprium

• The proprium is defined as those characteristics that people see as particularly their own and that are regarded as warm, central and important.

• Non propriate behaviours include; 1. basic drives and needs, 2. tribal customs (ie, wearing clothes) and 3. habitual behaviour that are preformed automatically (ie, brushing one’s teeth).

Sense of Body (0- 2 years): has boundaries that pain and injury, touch and movement make us aware of.

• Sense of Body (0- 2 years): has boundaries that pain and injury, touch and movement make us aware of.

• Self Identity (0-2 years): Our understanding of our past, present and future as individuals, separate from others.

• Self Esteem (2-4 years): Our value to others and ourselves.

• Self Extension (4-6 years): Our identity related to other people and the context in which we live.

Self Image (4-6 years): Your feelings on how others see you (ie, social esteem/ status and sexual identity)

• Self Image (4-6 years): Your feelings on how others see you (ie, social esteem/ status and sexual identity)

• Rational Coping (6-12 years): Our ability to deal with life’s problem rationally and effectively.

• Propriate Striving (12+ years): Sense of direction or purpose, goals, the ability to say that I am the proprietor of my life, the owner and the driver.

• Note: Allport’s theory although similar to Freud’s is not a stage theory, just a description of the way people develop.

Personal Dispositions

• Personal Dispositions: Permit researchers to study a single individual; defined as a generalized neuropsychic structure peculiar to the individual.

• Three levels to personal disposition:

• Cardinal Dispositions: Personal disposition so dominating it cannot be hidden (such as Scrooge (greed), Mother Teresa (religious service)). Most people do not have a cardinal disposition.

• Central Dispositions: 5-10 personal traits around which a person’s life focuses, building blocks of personality.

• Secondary Dispositions: personal traits that are less obvious that only a close friend may know.

Characteristics of Maturity

• Allport designed six criteria for the mature personality:

• Extension of the sense of self: involvement

• Warm relating of self to others: trust, empathy, tolerance, etc.

• Emotional security or self-acceptance: acceptance of oneself

• Realistic perception of environment: (as opposed to defensiveness)

Characteristics of Maturity con’t …

• Insight and humor: self-insight into one’s own behaviour; ability to laugh at oneself

• Unifying philosophy of life: personalized conscience, religious sentiment, etc.

• Mature people tend to have a trauma-free childhood, although later years may have conflict and suffering.

• Age is not a requisite for maturity, but healthy people become more mature as they get older.

Grey’s Anatomy

George O’Malley

• Surgical Intern at Seattle Grace Hospital

• Has a close knit, middle income family

• Youngest of three boys

• Disinterested in families hobbies

• Father dies in hospital from cancer

• Currently separated from his wife and pursuing a relationship with Izzie Stevens.

George O’Malley

• Seven Functions of Proprium:

• Sense of Body: Understands what pain is, knows the pain of love.
• Self Identity: Understands past, present and future as an individual.
• Self Esteem
• Self Extension: Never felt apart of his family, develops this as an intern.
• Self Image: Seen as weak by family and friends.
• Rational Coping: Tends to avoid conflict and confrontation .
• Propriate Striving: Knows what he wants in life and how to achieve it.

George O’Mally

• Personal Disposition:

• Cardinal Disposition: Does not have one.
• Central Disposition: shy, easygoing, passionate, caring, creative, people pleaser.
• Secondary Disposition: vulnerable, pushover.

George O’Malley

• Psychological Maturity (6 characteristics):

• Extension of sense of self: displays unselfish interest in wellbeing of others.
• Realistic perception of environment: Displays selflessness and accepts reality.

Meredith Grey

• Surgical Resident at Seattle Grace Hospital

• Only child of Ellis Grey, a world renowned surgeon.

• Had a relationship with Derek Shepherd while he was married.

• Almost dies after a bomb and drowning incident.

• Best friends with Christina Yang, a fellow surgical resident.

Meredith Grey

• Seven Functions of Proprium:

• Sense of Body: Not fully aware of herself
• Self Identity: Tries to block her past by not allowing it to interfere with the future.
• Self Esteem: Believes she’s not good enough
• Self Extension: Does not feel she belongs with family, develops feelings of belongingness with Christina.
• Self Image: Believes others see her as promiscuous and only successful based on who she knows.
• Rational Coping: Has few coping mechanisms when dealing with problems.
• Propriate Striving: Has little sense of direction.

Meredith Grey

• Personal Disposition:

• Cardinal Disposition: Does not have one.
• Central Disposition: Mellow, quiet, seeks gratification, nervous, stubborn.
• Secondary Disposition: Depressed, witty, often confused.

Meredith Grey

• Psychological Maturity (6 characteristics):

• Extension of sense of self: displays unselfish interest in wellbeing of others.
• Realistic perception of environment: Displays selflessness and accepts reality.
• Insight and humor: ability to laugh at herself.

Isobel “Izzie” Stevens

• Grew up in a trailer park with a mother who was unsupportive emotionally and financially.

• Had a daughter at 16 who she gave up for adoption.

• Leaves home at 18

• Begins modeling to pay for medical school

• Was engaged to a patient, Denny, who died of heart complications.

• Surgical Resident at Seattle Grace

• Is currently involved with George O’Malley.

Isobel “Izzie” Stevens

• Seven Functions of Proprium:

• Sense of Body: Has a clear understanding of death and pain.
• Self Identity: Believes she is in control of her past and future.
• Self Esteem: Has clear ideals of how she sees herself and how others see her.
• Self Extension: Identifies with the group as being a surgeon, a friend, etc.
• Self Image: Believes other see her as less competent.
• Rational Coping: Does not have a sense of rational coping
• Propriate Striving: Loses senses of self, but regains it.

Isobel “Izzie” Stevens

• Personal Disposition:

• Cardinal Disposition: Has a disposition towards helping others at any sacrifice.
• Central Disposition: Caring, dedicated, smart, funny, honest.
• Secondary Disposition: Unsure of herself (underestimates abilities).

Isobel “Izzie” Stevens

• Psychological Maturity (6 characteristics):

• Extension of sense of self: displays unselfish interest in wellbeing of others.
• Warm relating of self to others: capacity to love others in an intimate and compassionate manner.
• Emotional security or self-acceptance: Displays emotional security, does not get upset when things don’t go as planned.
• Realistic perception of environment: Displays selflessness and accepts reality.
• Unifying philosophy of life: strong desire to serve others, displays hope.