What are the four main personality theories?

A personality theory is an attempt at explaining behavior, including how different types of behavior arise and which patterns can be observed. Most, though not all, theories will fall into one of four types: psychoanalytic, humanistic, trait, and social cognitive.

Psychoanalytic

Psychoanalytic theories were proposed by some of the more well-known researchers into the human mind and behavior, including Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These theories attempt to understand behavior by looking at the unconscious...

A personality theory is an attempt at explaining behavior, including how different types of behavior arise and which patterns can be observed. Most, though not all, theories will fall into one of four types: psychoanalytic, humanistic, trait, and social cognitive.

Psychoanalytic

Psychoanalytic theories were proposed by some of the more well-known researchers into the human mind and behavior, including Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These theories attempt to understand behavior by looking at the unconscious mind and its desires, which are said to impact how people live their lives. The unconscious mind develops its characteristics through early childhood experiences, social pressures, and subconscious needs for self-realization and superiority.

Humanistic

Humanistic theories see inherent desires for actualization and satisfaction of needs as driving forces behind behavior. Abraham Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs falls into this category, stating that basic needs drive human behavior initially until the needs are consistently met, at which point the individual moves up the hierarchy to more complex desires.

Trait

Trait theories look to identify specific traits that form the basis for personality and behavior types. Different models and catalogs of traits have been proposed, and different personality types can be understood through different arrangements of traits within individuals.

Social Cognitive

Social cognitive theories see personality as the result of observational learning, through which an individual observes others and consciously chooses to pursue behavior that is rewarded or avoid behavior that is punished. This type of learning can best occur if the individual has a high level of confidence in his or her abilities, resulting in greater motivation to accomplish tasks.