PSY451A

Dimensions of
Subjective Assessment

Dr. Ark Verma

Why Adjustment Psychology?

How is adjustment psychology, as a subject different in

focus that general psychology?

In general, psychologists are interested in describing &

understanding what a person is like?

how does he/she think, feel, perceive, understand,

behave etc.?

When you are thinking about adjustment psychology, you

might be in interested in questions like:

why did a delinquent boy commit a crime

or, why a particular person i aggressive/annoying in

a particular situation.

To understand the answer to such questions, one may

need to perform different kinds of investigations, trying
to put the event in perspective.

one could study his background.

personality development.

motivations.

On the other hand we could also look at the adjustive

significance of such events.

we could apply certain parameters of normal

adjustment, & check whether such events are suitable
with respect to personal or moral requirements.

also, we could study the causes of such events &

the relation to the context of events or circumstances

in which the event take place.

Subject Matter of Adjustment Psychology

is human personality & behaviour, from the standpoint

of their relation to adjustment.

but there are numerous facets of personality &

behaviour, some of them which are not related to
adjustment & vice-a-versa.

the question of adjustment arises:

when there are certain demands or requirements

that must be complied with

or in face of difficulties /conflicts/pressures/

frustrations that MUST be resolved.

Personality

Personality is an important component.

adjustment processes are basically responses

direct
expressions
of
manifestations of personality.

for e.g. Person A vs. Person B.

personality/objective

Mental Health

a healthy mental life is an important part, of the process

of adjustment.

can be looked at, in two ways:

a special phase in the total adjustment pattern.

an important condition of adjustment.

Aims of Adjustment Psychology

to determine the relation between

psychology & mental health perspectives.

adjustment

to determine the nature of basic concepts like

adjustment, maladjustment, normality, abnormality etc.

to define general & specific criteria of adjustment &

mental health.

to define the relation between adjustment & personality.

to define the basic dynamics of adjustment process. &

to determine the relations between adjustment, conflict,

frustration, & stress.

Approaches to studying
Adjustment

Psychoanalysis

Acc. to the psycho-analytic approach:

the interpretation of adjustment & maladjustment

requires acceptance of several basic concepts.

Doctrine of unconscious:

all behaviours, mental processes, symptoms, and the

adjustment mechanisms are determined in a large
measure by psychic factors.

instinctual drives, repressed wishes & complexes;

unknown to the individual.

the theory of psychological dynamics

unconscious psychic factors function as powerful

forces that demand expression in behaviour or
response of some kind.

psychic determinism:

the responses that result from unconscious drives are

necessitated by the strength of the motivating
conditions, thus leaving no room for freedom or self
determination.

Other tenets of the approach are:

theory of psychosexual development: the different stages of

sexuality, beginning in infancy and progressing through
childhood & adolescence. dominated by the pleasure
principle.

if the development is normal and if the sexual urge (libido)

is allowed adequate gratification, the person should
remain free of conflicts, symptoms, or personality
disturbances.

if restrictive measures inhibit normal gratification, some

kind of distortion in personality or behaviour might result.

psychic structure of personality:

three parts id, ego & superego.

id: personal subconscious, hidden, primitive, pleasuredominated & immoral part of the personality.

ego: mediates between the id & reality; conscious

knowledge, I, emerges out of the conflict between the
strivings of the id & the impositions of reality.

superego: embodies the incorporated taboos, rules, laws

and prescriptions of culture & society; it is the public
conscience.

the superego is related to both the id & the ego & tries to
control the strivings of the ego based on social or moral
codes.

Implications for adjustment:

if in the process of growing up, everything goes well,

good adjustment is assured; if not maladjustment
results.

if psychosexual development is adequate & need

gratifications can be brought in line with reality, the
adjustment is accomplished.

if however, the id gets out of hand, ego becomes weak,

relations with reality might become impaired & a strong
likelihood of neurosis.

Or, if the superego becomes overdeveloped, damaging

guilt feelings and neurotic conflicts result, especially
regarding sexual impulses and actions.

Taking a Pause

lets take classical psychoanalysis with a pinch of salt!

Criticisms of the Classical Psychoanalysis or Freud!

the doctrine of the unconscious is difficult to substantiate

scientifically!

too many gross generalisations, based on restricted

clinical experience.

infantile sexuality is inferential.

unrestrained emphasis
development.

on

the

role

of

sexual

the doctrine of psychic structure is purely conceptual &

difficult to apply consistently.

too little stress on social determinants of personality &

its disturbances.

Back to Behaviorism

it TRASHES all of classical

psychoanalysis.

all of consciousness, mind, freewill, morality, soul!

So, no unconscious, no
determinism & no mental
illness!

no psychological freedom!!!

What do the Behaviourists say!!!

all human responses, including the troublesome/

deviant ones are behaviour!!!

there is nothing called an innate response, all are

habitual!!!

personality is not metaphysical, it is an organised

totality of habit responses acquired in the course of
development, training & learning!!!

so, an organism begins with an extremely simple

repertoire of responses & through learning (conditioning)
acquires a wide range of responses, by which strives to
meet its demands (own & posed by the environment).

adjustment:

process of adapting acquired behavioural responses to

the needs of the moment.

maladjustment:

when the acquired habits are ill-suited to these

requirements. personality disturbances = bad habits.

Take a Pause

Can you compare the two approaches on their

perspective on ADJUSTMENT?

the Psychological Viewpoint!

an approach that is free from theoretical preconceptions

or special pleading and undertakes to study and
interpret human nature as it is known empirically.

utilises scientifically validated concepts & techniques.

e.g. personality is what you can measure!

everything that scientific learning has revealed about

learning & conditioning, conflict & frustration, habit
formation & personality development, needs &
emotions is applied in a careful manner.

focuses on correct formulation & interpretation of

theoretical concepts, to the extent they can be measured.

Methods of Investigating
Adjustment

Difficulties

subjectivity

uncritical attitudes

unwarranted generalizations

Method: Direct Observation

experimental study: deliberate creation of scenarios that

require adjustment, & observing how the subjects
perform.

statistical analysis: number games!!!

Method: Clinical Observation

case studies

personality studies

personality questionnaires, rating scales, interviews,

inventories.

Method: Experimental Study

animal studies:

experimental neuroses.

human studies:

induced anxiety, frustration, conflicts etc.