Class 12 Psychology - KERALA
Self and Personality
The Self and Personality chapter in Class 12 Psychology under the Kerala SCERT syllabus explores how individuals understand themselves and develop unique patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings. You will learn about the concept of self, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and various psychological approaches to personality including psychodynamic, trait, type, humanist, and behavioral theories. Understanding this chapter is crucial for board exams as it carries high-weightage descriptive questions, case studies, and objective queries. It helps you grasp both theoretical frameworks and practical methods of personality assessment like projective techniques and self-report measures.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Self-Concept
Refers to the totality of an individual's conscious thoughts and feelings having reference to themselves as an object, encompassing personal identity and social identity.
Type and Trait Approaches
Type approaches categorize people into distinct categories (like Sheldon's somatotypes or Friedman & Rosenman's Type A/B), while trait approaches view personality as a combination of continuous dimensions (like Allport or Cattell's traits).
Freud's Psychodynamic Approach
Explains personality through the interaction of three psychic components—Id, Ego, and Superego—and emphasizes the role of unconscious motives and defense mechanisms in shaping behavior.
Humanistic Approach
Focuses on personal growth, free will, and the innate drive to achieve self-actualization, heavily championed by theorists like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Personality Assessment
Methods used to evaluate personality, categorized mainly into self-report measures, projective techniques (like Rorschach Inkblot Test), and behavioral analysis.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Kerala (SCERT) Class 12 Psychology board examination, this chapter typically carries around 10 to 12 marks. Common question types include short answers distinguishing between type and trait theories, essay questions explaining Freud's psychodynamic theory or defense mechanisms, and case-based application questions on personality assessment techniques.
Frequently Asked Questions
Type approaches group people into distinct, broad categories (e.g., Introvert vs. Extrovert), whereas trait approaches measure personality on a continuous scale using multiple traits (e.g., the Big Five model), recognizing that people possess traits to varying degrees.
Type approaches group people into distinct categories like boxes, while trait approaches view personality on a continuous scale of characteristics possessed in varying degrees.
How do defense mechanisms work according to Freud?
Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used by the ego to protect the person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings (e.g., repression, projection, rationalization).
What is the difference between Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy?
Self-esteem refers to your overall evaluation of your own worth or value, whereas self-efficacy is your specific belief in your ability to succeed in a particular task or situation.
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