Remake of Lesson plan by

An Overview of the Study of Personality in South Africa

hanlievwyk — 2025-02-27 12:09:59 UTC

What is personality?

Your thoughts, actions, and emotions define your personality. Your temperament and experiences affect it.

Who was the Major Personality Theorist Influenced by Smuts?

hanlievwyk — 2025-02-27 12:36:52 UTC

Adler integrated Smuts's holistic philosophy. Adler's adoption of Smuts's theory served to create a clearer distinction for his school of thought, known as individual psychology, from the historical ties to Freud's Drive Psychology, from which Adler diverged.

Adler wrote a letter to Smuts in January 1931:

"Reading your book Holism and Evolution, I felt very much moved by all your explanations. I could see very clearly what had been the key of your science. Besides the great value of your contributions in many other directions, I recognised the view in regard to what we have called 'unity' and 'coherence'. I feel very glad to recommend your book to all my students and followers as the best preparation for Indivivual Psychology".

Why do we Study Personality?

hanlievwyk — 2025-02-27 13:50:17 UTC

Personality psychology examines various characteristics, such as how individuals differ from one another. It aids in our understanding of human behaviour. According to some research, studying personality allows the researcher to identify patterns and make predictions about particular behaviours.

What was Pettigrew's Contribution to South African Personality Theory?

hanlievwyk — 2025-02-27 14:21:20 UTC

In the 1950's, Thomas Pettigrew joined Allport in South Africa, where his research found the connection between personality traits and prejudice among South Africans. These variables do not fully explain the increasing intolerance in South Africa. Pettigrew and Allport's visits to South Africa encouraged investigation into authoritarianism and racial prejudices. Pettigrew's experiences changed his perspective.

References

hanlievwyk — 2025-02-27 14:22:51 UTC

Nicholas, L. (2014). A history of South African (SA) psychology. Universitas Psychologica, 13(5), 1983. https://doi.org/10.11144/javeriana.upsy13-5.hsap

Roberts, B. W., Kuncel, N. R., Shiner, R., Caspi, A., & Goldberg, L. R. (2007). The power of personality: The comparative validity of personality traits, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability for predicting important life outcomes. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2(4), 313–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00047.x

Shelly, C. (n.d.). Jan Smuts and personality theory: the problem with holism in psychology. centroadleriano.org. https://centroadleriano.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Shelley-Holism-Chpt..pdf