Four Perspectives of Derek Jeter - Essay Example

? Four Perspectives of Derek Jeter of 20 November Introduction: Derek Sanderson Jeter is the of an incredibly gifted American baseball player who as the New York Yankees captain and presently shortstop has amassed tremendous success and reputation to date. In this essay, I will scrutinize Jeter’s personality in reference to four major perspectives of personality psychology interestingly discussed by Friedman and Schustack in their book. I will try to reach the best assessment possible that is reliable and valid by utilizing different approaches to dissect Jeter’s personality. It will help to know on what grounds Jeter’s personality has allowed him to gain success and attract mass enthusiasm. Certain momentous concepts from each of the four perspectives will be implemented on the chosen personality to assess the extent to which the personality analysis presented in this essay could be considered decisive. By using a popular figure for shrewd analysis from complex angles, the discussion in this essay will emphasize the concrete usefulness of myriad theories of personality psychology in good interpretation of a subject. Psychoanalytic perspective on personality: This perspective stems from the work of Sigmund Freud and focuses on the nature of effects produced by unconscious thoughts and childhood experiences on one’s personality. According to Freud, myriad childhood experiences in early family life have gigantic repercussions and play a momentous role in structuring a road-map for the future. Freud’s biological mother was several years younger than his father and when once he co-incidentally saw his mother nude as a child, deep impressions of attraction and love were casted on his mind. It was because of this experience that he later unconsciously used the theme of love to form the bedrock of his theories (Friedman & Schustack, 2009, p. 70). In the same way, Jeter as a child was surrounded by such events which deeply influenced him in choosing the path of a baseball star. Moreover, those events instilled a sense of discipline and confidence in him which came in very useful in his later professional years. Every year a contract which included positive and bad sides of behavior was given to Jeter by his parents to be signed and he had to act in real life in accordance with that piece of paper. Also because he was prohibited by his mother to frequent the word “can’t”, he developed the will to conquer anything by relentless struggle and his professional career explicitly mirrors that will. Later, his childhood experiences shared with his grandparents and observing New York Yankees games also inculcated a passionate interest for baseball in him which he could not possibly get out of his mind as an adult. Behaviorist perspective on personality: General consensus is that this perspective also plays a very deterministic role in interpreting a personality. It is stressed by leading behaviorists like Skinner and Pavlov that external or environmental forces play a steering and influential role for a person’s behavior. As a youngster with no professional experience whatsoever, intently observing Yankees player Dave Winfield work his magic in the games made a lasting impression on Jeter which suggests that Winfield’s play in the form of a staggering environmental force went on to govern Jeter’s behavior and shaped what he was to become in the future years. Research confirms that “Winfield was Jeter’s inspiration when he was a child” (Mink, 2006). This is consistent with behaviorist approaches which reject other notions like traits and motivation which form the bedrock of other personality perspectives. These approaches on the other hand consider people slaves to their environments given how they are absolutely possessed by them. The sport of baseball formed a persistent feature of Jeter’s surrounding through childhood and teenage to adulthood which was something bound to affect the way he chose to behave in real life. He was frequently honored in high school because of helping his school’s baseball team bag many wins. Jeter since turning professional has been playing in same consistent and predictable manner which means that this behavior which ensures reward and appreciation has become a part of Jeter’s personality now. It is claimed that such reward structures in our surroundings “can produce consistencies in an individual’s behavior” (Friedman & Schustack, 2009, p. 204). Cognitive perspective on personality: Cognition plays a central role in influencing personality and governs how various events or experiences are perceived and conceptualized by a person. It is essential to contemplate the cognitive concepts which form part of Jeter’s personality to appreciate what kind of a person he really is and how he processes different feelings and challenges. Jeter is placed by the Yankees on the disabled list because of suffering an injury again in the first game he played in July this year after remaining inactive all season because of a severe ankle injury. All athletes suffer many injuries in their professional careers but the thing which distinguishes them from one another is how they perceive their losses and failures. It is suggested that denial, the tendency to refute something, has always been a persistent feature of Jeter’s personality. Popularly recognized as a powerful defense mechanism, denial can both help and harm a person. In Jeter’s case, it seems denial has been used to tighten grasp on prestige that comes with the label of a baseball star and suppress painful notions of sinking into anonymity. No injury or exhausting struggle has ever been able to make Jeter fall down the ladder of popularity and this is mainly because of the fascinating way he has used the weapon of denial to his advantage throughout his career. “It’s fine. I’ll play tomorrow” (Corcoran, 2013) has always been Jeter’s incessant cognitive response every time there was a looming prospect of disaster. Interactionist perspective on personality: This perspective claims that it is the natural tendency of people to behave differently in different situations. This approach stems from the belief that who people are is strongly related to their interactions with others in their circle. Now, it is important to analyze here why Jeter’s resolute response to every injury has been “it’s fine. I’ll play tomorrow” (Corcoran, 2013) and where this self-concept of strength and determination arose from. For Jeter, the source of this self-concept is clearly his perception of the interactions he had with his mother in particular, the same figure who discussed the basics of behavior with him and trained him not to use the word “can’t.” Also, Jeter writes in his book that when he told his parents he wanted to be a part of the Yankees, “they told me that I could do anything I wanted in life if I worked hard enough and stayed dedicated” (Jeter, 2010, p. 13). But, each social interaction affects the personality differently. For example, take this quote of Jeter, “I like to dance and sing when there’s no one around, but, if I’m out, I’m really shy about it. So it takes a lot to get me going” (Jeter, cited in Baseball Almanac, 2013). Expected to play aggressively in the baseball stadium in front of thousands of fans, Jeter lashes out with impressive moves. Yet in private life off field, he is a considerably shy and quiet person who does not like to attract much attention. Conclusion: In conclusion, Derek Jeter’s personality is open to multiple interpretations on different levels and various approaches can be employed to better understand its complex patterns. Not one personality psychology perspective can be considered decisive because every approach has something unique to offer. In the light of the analysis of Jeter’s personality, it is safe to assume that it is really the blend of all perspectives that can ensure a personality to be effectively analyzed. References: Baseball Almanac. (2013). Derek Jeter Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/derek_jeter_quotes.shtml Corcoran, C. (2013, Jul 19). Forecasting Derek Jeter: The retirement years. SB NATION. Retrieved from http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/7/19/4538956/derek-jeter-injury-quadriceps-disabled-list-yankees-old-shortstops Friedman, H.S., & Schustack, M.W. (2009). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Jeter, D. (2010). The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dreams. Crown Publishing Group. Mink, R. (2006, Jun 29). Turn 2 Foundation celebrates 10th anniversary. Retrieved from http://www.mlb.com/players/jeter_derek/news/article.jsp?story=06302006_news Read More