1、V.Personality Factors The intrinsic side of affectivity:personality factors within a person that contribute in some way to the success of language learning.In recent years,there has been an increasing awareness of the necessity in second language research and teaching to examine human personality in
2、 order to find solutions to perplexing problems.Careful,systematic study of the role of personality in second language acquisition has already led to a greater understanding of the language learning process and to improved language teaching methods.148xx Personality Factors The Affective Domain(情感领域
3、)Affect refers to emotion or feeling.The development of affective states or feelings involves a variety of personality factors,feelings both about ourselves and about others with whom we come into contact.The definition of the affective domain is as follows:1.The development of affectivity begins wi
4、th receiving.(reading.listening,people talking)2.After receiving is responding,committing themselves in some small measure to a phenomenon or a person.149Personality Factors 3.The third level of affectivity involves valuing,placing worth on a thing,a behavior,or a person.(not only accept a value but
5、 commit themselves to the value to pursue it,seek it out)4.The organization of values into a system of beliefs,determining interrelationships among them,and establishing a hierarchy of values within the system.5.Individuals act consistently in accordance with the values they have internalized and in
6、tegrate beliefs,ideas,and attitudes into a total philosophy or world view.150 xxPersonality Factors The following is a consideration of specific personality factors in human behavior and how they relate to second language acquisition.Self-esteem Definition of self-esteem:is a personal judgment of wo
7、rthiness that is expressed in the attitudes that the individual holds towards himself.Three levels of self-esteem:(high regard,high opinion of)A.general or global(stable in a mature adult)B.situational or specific(in certain life situation)C.task(particular tasks within specific situation)151 Person
8、ality Factors Conclusion:The results revealed that self-esteem appears to be an important variable in second language acquisition,particularly in view of cross-cultural factors of second language learning.Discuss:Does high self-esteem cause language success or does language success cause high self-e
9、steem?152xxPersonality Factors Inhibition xx Some personsthose with higher self-esteem and ego strengthare more able to withstand threats to their existence and thus their defenses are lower.Those with weaker self-esteem maintain walls of inhibition to protect what is self-perceived to be a weak or
10、fragile ego,or a lack of self-confidence in a situation or task.153Personality Factors Language ego 语言自我感 in L2 or foreign language learning the relation between peoples feelings of personal identity,individual uniqueness,and value(i.e.their ego)and aspects of their first language A persons self-ide
11、ntity develops as he or she is learning the L1,that some aspects of language,especially pronunciation,may be closely linked to ones ego,and that this may hinder some aspects of second or foreign language learning.154-Personality Factorslanguage ego boundaries In the formative stages of development t
12、here is a state of flux:boundaries are more flexible,more easily permeated.“Guiora also stresses that the primary measurement of the state of language ego boundary is authentic language pronunciation.This is because it is a major component of the self representational aspect of ego.We shall see that
13、 it is the examination of this self representational aspect of ego which is the focus of traditional meditation practice in Buddhism.(本我,自我,超我)Personality Factors有名的心理学家佛洛依德（奥地利人）把人的心理构造成三个层次：（）Ib原始的我，代表各种本能的心理活动。（）Ego自知的我，即经过生活经验陶铸的我。（）Super Ego超我，经过宗教、艺术和伦理道德熏习的我。Personality FactorsLanguage ego pe
14、rmeability is indicated by:.the ability to move back and forth between languages and the personalities that seem to come with them.This is related to the common observation that one feels like a different person when speaking a second language and often indeed acts differently as well.To have permea
15、ble ego boundaries entails having a well defined,secure,integrated ego or sense of self in the first place.(Guiora 1979 p.199).Personality FactorsIn 1980 Guiora performed a study which indicated that subjects ego function fluctuated in relation to dosages of valium or alcohol.This study supported th
16、e connection between language ego and language ego boundaries in general .Guiora later suggested that the true success in learning a second language very much requires temporary and reversible shifts in self representation,that is fluctuation of language ego function.Personality Factors The experime
17、nts of alcohol,valium show that when language learners get rid of inhibition when they become relax,which facilitates their pronunciation.Personality FactorsNeither extreme ego was found to have necessarily beneficial or deleterious effects on success.Language learners with thin or thick ego boundar
18、ies found different pathways to success.xxP139Personality FactorsInhibition should be reduced in the classroom and interpersonal ego barriers should be lowered to pave the way for free communication.xx1.Mistakes are necessary part of learning process.Children leaning their L1 and adults learn a seco
19、nd can really only make progress by learning from making mistakes.I we never ventured to speak a sentence until we were absolutely certain of its total correctness,we would likely never communicate productively at all.154Personality Factors2.Mistakes can be viewed as threats to ones ego.They pose bo
20、th internal and external threats.xx3.Alienationalienation between critical me and the performing me,between my native culture and my target culture,between me and my teacher,and between me and my fellow students.xxPersonality FactorsRisk-takingA personality factor which concerns the degree to which
21、a person is willing to undertake actions that involve a significant degree of risk.Risk-taking is said to be an important characteristic of successful second language learning,since learners have to be willing to try out hunches about the new language and take the risk of being wrong.Personality Fac
22、tors Risk-taking One of the prominent characteristics of good language learners is the ability to make intelligent guesses Learners have to be able to“gamble”a bit,to be willing to try out hunches about the language and take the risk of being wrong.155 Personality Factors The successful L2 learners
23、are moderate risk-takers.They make willing and accurate guesses.Too bold risk-takers cannot make achievements in language learning.The relationship between self-esteem and risk-taking factor;Fossilization of certain patterns of error is due to a lack of willingness to take risks.156xxPersonality Fac
24、tors What should the teachers do to risk-taking?A.Teachers should tame the students who dominate the classroom with wild gambles.B.But most of the time our problem as teachers will be to encourage students to guess somewhat more willingly than the usual students is prone to do,and to value them as p
25、ersons for those risks that they take.157Personality Factors Anxiety Anxiety plays an important affective role in L2 acquisition.Anxiety is associated with feelings of uneasiness,frustration,self-doubt,apprehension,or worry.At the deepest,or global,level,trait anxiety is a more permanent predisposit
26、ion to be anxious.Some people are predictably and generally anxious about many things.(global anxiety)Trait anxiety has not proved to be useful in predicting second language achievement.158Personality Factors At a more momentary,or situational level,state anxiety is experienced in relation to some p
27、articular event or act.There are three components of foreign language anxiety(state anxiety).(1)communication apprehension,arising from learners inability to adequately express mature thoughts and ideas;(2)fear of negative social evaluation,arising from a learners need to make a positive social impr
28、ession on others(3)test anxiety,or apprehension over academic evaluation.159Personality Factors Anxieties can be divided into two types,debilitative and facilitative ones:Debilitative anxiety is a negative factor,while the facilitative anxiety is a positive factor,a symptom of just enough tension to
29、 get the job done,a key to success.Facilitative anxiety closely related to competitiveness.xxP142 Conclusion:both too much and too little anxiety may hinder the process of successful second language learning.160Personality Factors Empathy(产生同理心产生同理心)(善解人意善解人意)variables relevant to second language ac
30、quisition:imitation,modeling,identification,empathy,extroversion,aggression,style of communication.DefinitionEmpathy is the quality of being able to image and share the thoughts,feeling and point of view of other people.First,awareness and knowledge of ones own feelings;second identification with an
31、other person.In other words,you cannot fully empathize-or know someone elseuntil you adequately know yourself.161Personality FactorsEmpathy is not synonymous with sympathy.Empathy implies more possibility of detachment:sympathy connotes an agreement or harmony between individuals.Empathy is a proces
32、s of comprehending in which a temporary fusion of self-object boundaries permits an immediate emotional apprehension of the affective experience of another.Personality Factors The importance of empathy Communication requires a sophisticated degree of empathy.In order to communicate effectively you n
33、eed to be able to understand the other persons affective and cognitive states.Communication breaks down when false presuppositions or assumptions are made about the other persons state.We need to transcend our own ego boundaries,or using Guioras term,to permeate our ego boundaries so that we can sen
34、d and receive messages clearly.(e.g.boomerarranger,wedding present)162Personality FactorsDiscuss:Your understanding of empathy in second language learningPersonality Factors It is found that field independence to be positively correlated with language success,while field dependence has been shown to
35、 correlate highly with empathy.The empathy tests fail to differentiate among the vast“normal”population.The most interesting implication of the study of empathy is the need to define empathy cross-culturallyto understand how different cultures express empathy.(examples:Lisa P67)Whether an adult can
36、learn empathy is not sure.163Personality Factors移情（Empathy）人是社会动物，维系社会纽带的主要机制是语言。有些高度复杂的语言教学方法，因为忽视了语言的社会性而没能完成交际能力的教学。我们在重新认识语言的社会性时，因没有认识到语言与社会间的复杂关系，或者是在语言教学中把社会性的问题简单地当作“文化适应”而把语言的社会性过于简单化了。事实上，文化适应不是一个简单的过程，而社会交往也需要相当的努力。交往是超越自我接触他人的过程，语言可以帮助我们学会交往技巧。所以，外语学习也要承担许多交往变量：模仿、辨认、移情、外向交际风格等等。Personal
37、ity Factors用通俗的话说，移情就是设身处地，将心比心，了解别人的思想和感情。移情是个体在社会里和谐共处的主要因素，语言是移情的主要手段之一，但是，非语言交际也有助于移情过程而不容忽视。用更为复杂的术语讲，移情常常被描述为把一个人自己的性格投射到别人的性格上去，以便更好地了解他。移情与同情（sympathy）不同义，移情暗示更大的分离机会，而同情则暗示个体间的一致或和谐。Guiora（1972：142）把移情定义为“一个理解的过程，其中自我物体界限的暂时融合使我们可以即时领悟别人的情感经历”。心理学家们也基本上同意 Guiora的这一定义，并补充了移情发展和作用所必须的两个条件：一是意
38、识到或了解自己的感受；二是将自己与别人等同起来。换言之，一个人不充分了解自己就不能完成移情，或者说了解别人。Personality Factors人类交际需要相当程度的移情。要有效地与人交谈，必须能够了解对方的情感和认知状态，当我们对此作出错误的假设或判断时，交际就会中断。在任何交际行为中，我们都要从语言相当机械的句法平面深入到其最抽象的意义平面去猜想对方的某些知识结构和情感状态。为了作出正确的假设，我们必须超越自我障碍，以便清楚地发出和接受信息。Personality Factors至少从认知上讲，口语交际较为容易进行移情，因为说话者可以立即获得听话者的反馈。听话者可以对一个错误理解的词、短
39、语或观点提出疑问，说话者接着重新表达，直到对方准确地理解信息。书面交际需要一种特别的移情一种“认知”移情，作者因为不能利用读者的立即反馈，必须凭借非常清楚的移情直觉和对读者的心理状况和知识结构的判断来交流自己的思想。Personality Factors因此，在外语学习中移情问题显得十分突出。外语学习者不仅需要了解听话者的认知和情感状态，同时还要用自己不太熟练的语言去达到移情的目的。在表达思想时，由于语言上的障碍，学习者做出错误的判断是常事，误解也时常发生。在这种情况下，学生特别需要来自教师的移情，而教师有时却忘记了自己学外语的经历，对学生的错误过于苛求，使课堂学习出现感情危机，加剧了抑制心理
40、的作用，致使教学效果受到影响。Personality FactorsGuiora和他的同事曾开展过一项实验，研究移情与外语学习之间的关系。他们采用一种叫做微观瞬时表情的测验手段（Micro Momentary Expression Device，简称 MME）。这种测验用于监视受试者对人际间的情感状态作出反应和判断的能力。Guiora在一次实验中发现，学习者的发音准确性与测量出来的移情有显著意义的相关。在这以后，一系列采用微观瞬时表情测验的移情实验开展起来了，但是实验结果不一致，一些实验并未发现测出的移情与发音的好坏有任何联系。直到 1972年，Guiora和他的同事们发展了微观瞬时表情测验，
41、称这一改良式能够成功地预测出外语学习者的发音准确性。但Brown（1994：144）和 Schumann（1980）指出，如果这一观点成立的话，那么外语发音不准的人难道是缺少移情吗？这个推理无人证实。事实上，儿童的确容易学好外语发音，成年人的确很难克服本族语发音的影响。尽管移情实验未得出最后的定论，Guiora的假设也尚无足够的实验加以论证，但不管怎么说，这个假设有心理现实性，言之成理，因而也受到外语教学研究者们的高度重视。Personality Factors Extroversion&Introversion Stereotype extroversion:We are used to t
42、hinking of an extroverted person as a gregarious,“life of party”person.Introverted people,conversely are thought of as quiet and reserved,with tendencies toward reclusiveness.164Personality Factors Different opinions about extroversion and introversion:Extroverts actually need other people in order
43、to feel“good”.Introverts can have an inner strength of character that extrovert do not have.Extroversion,empathy;or introversion,empathy?xx Different cultures have different views about extroversion and introversion(The USA)introvert,(Japan)respect and politeness.165 ConclusionSelf-esteem:This refer
44、s to the degree to which individuals feel confident and believe themselves to be significant people.Self-esteem is manifested at different levels(global,situational,and task).Heyde found that self-esteem correlated positively with oral production;Gardner and Lambert failed to find a significant rela
45、tionship.Inhibition:The extent to which individuals build defenses to protect their egos.People vary in how adaptive their language egos are.i.e.how able they are to deal with the identity conflict involved in L2 learning.Subjects given alcohol showed better pronunciation.169 Personality FactorsPers
46、onality FactorsRisk-taking:Risk-takers show less hesitancy,are more willing to use complex language,and are more tolerant of errors.They are less likely to rehearse before speaking.Risk-taking positively related to voluntary classroom participation.Tolerance of ambiguity:It entails an ability to dea
47、l with ambiguous new stimuli without frustration and without appeals to authority.It allows for indeterminate rather than rigid categorization.Tolerance of ambiguity was significantly related to listening comprehension scores but not to imitation test scores.Personality Factors Empathy:This concerns
48、 the ability to put oneself in the position of another person in order to understand him/her better.Empathy is seen as requiring a good understanding of oneself.Naiman et al.found no relationship with proficiency;Guiora et al.report a positive correlation with proficiency.168Personality Factors Extr
49、oversion:Extroverts are sociable,risk-taking,lively,and active.Busch found a negative relationship with L2 proficiency;Strong found that extrovert children learnt faster.Introversion:Introverts are quiet and prefer non-social activities.Introverted learners typically enjoy more academic success,beca
50、use they spend more time reading and writing.166Personality FactorsThe Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(MBTI)instrument and the dozens of expert resources that have been designed to enhance its effectiveness offer a practical yet powerful set of tools for lifelong growth and development.After more than 5
