Computational Personality Analysis: Introduction, Practical Applications and Novel Directions

120 Pages·2016·1.82 MB·English

by  Yair Neuman (auth.)

Yair Neuman
Computational
Personality
Analysis
Introduction, Practical Applications and
Novel Directions
Computational Personality Analysis
Yair Neuman
Computational Personality
Analysis
Introduction, Practical Applications and Novel
Directions
123
YairNeuman
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer-Sheva
Israel
ISBN978-3-319-42458-3 ISBN978-3-319-42460-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-42460-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016949100
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my colleagues and friends Pierre Levy, Fionn Murtagh, and
Leonid Perlovsky for writing the endorsements; my research assistant Dan Assaf
andmyprogrammerYochaiCohenfor beingmyA-teamfor suchalong time;my
former student and present colleague Danny Livshits for involving me with fas-
cinating professional challenges; Heim (Harvey) Hames, my friend, my new dean,
and the head of the Center for the Study of Conversion and Inter-Religious
Encounters for generously supporting my research on self-hate; my colleagues
LucasLacasaandNorbertMarwanforanalyzingsomeofmydata;RafiMalachand
Newton Howard for hosting me kindly for a sabbatical leave at the Weizmann
Institute of Science and the University of Oxford; and my editor Hazel Bird for
professionally editing this book.
This book is dedicated to my children—Yiftach, Yaara, and Tamar—who,
beyond any academic landmark, are the most significant landmarks in my life.
v
Contents
1 Introduction: From The Princess Bride to Computational
Personality.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 7
2 Personality in a Nutshell: Understanding Who We Are. ..... .... 9
2.1 The Five-Factor Model of Personality ... .... .... ..... .... 12
2.2 The Psychodynamic Approach. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
2.3 The Cognitive–Behavioral Approach .... .... .... ..... .... 20
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 24
3 Computational Personality Analysis: When the Machine
Meets the Psychologist .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 27
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
4 Distributional Semantics and Personality: How to Find
a Perpetrator in a Haystack... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
4.1 Vectors of Personality.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
4.2 Rock-and-Roll Personality .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
4.3 Finding a Murderer in a Haystack .. .... .... .... ..... .... 45
4.4 Separating the Barking from the Biting Dogs: Automatic
Identification of Intentions .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 48
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 52
5 Themes of Personality: Profiling a Political Leader .... ..... .... 53
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 59
6 Going Beyond Words: How the Sisters of Mercy May
Identify Psychopaths.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 61
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 69
7 Hidden Textual Themes: Into Shakespeare’s Mind .... ..... .... 71
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 77
vii
viii Contents
8 The Complexity of Personality: From Snowden to Superman. .... 79
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 85
9 Attractors of Personality: A Murderer, a Terrorist
and Some Angry Jews... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 87
9.1 Into the Mind of a Murderer... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 88
9.2 Into the Mind of a Terrorist ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 91
9.3 Into the Minds of Self-hating Jews.. .... .... .... ..... .... 92
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 97
10 Taking Complexity a Step Forward: The Reversibility
of the Pedophile’s Mind . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
10.1 Reversibility and Irreversibility. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
10.2 Recurrence Quantification Analysis . .... .... .... ..... .... 101
10.3 Synergy and Personality: The Whole Is Different
from the Sum of Its Parts. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 104
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 107
11 Discussion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 109
11.1 From What to Who and from Why to How... .... ..... .... 111
11.2 Ethical Considerations ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 113
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 114
Appendix: Snowden’s Letter . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 115
Author Index.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 117
Subject Index.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 119
About the Author
Yair Neuman (b. 1968) is a full professor at the Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev and currently a visiting professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science and
theUniversity ofOxford.He istheauthor ofnumerous academicpapers andthree
books, most recently published by Cambridge University Press (2014). Professor
Neuman has been involved in the cutting-edge R&D of computational tools and
algorithms for studying psychological and social systems.
ix
Chapter 1
The Princess Bride
Introduction: From
to Computational Personality
Peopleareveryopen-mindedaboutnewthings—aslongas
they’reexactlyliketheoldones.
(CharlesF.Kettering)
The Princess Bride (Reiner and Scheinman 1987) is a wonderful romantic fantasy
directed by Rob Reiner. The film’s characters, such as the Spanish fencer Inigo
Montoya, who is seeking to revenge the death of his father, have become cult
figures, lingering in the memories of the film’s audience.
This film is perhaps a somewhat nontrivial point from which to initiate a dis-
cussiononhumanpersonalityingeneralandoncomputationalpersonalityanalysis
inparticular.However,oneofthemovie’ssceneswonderfullyexplainswhyisitso
important to understand human personality.
The scene is known as the “battle of wits,” and it describes a battle of minds
between the character of the “Man in Black,” who is actually the hero of the film,
and one of his enemies—Vizzini—who is described in the film as a genius albeit
criminal dwarf of Sicilian origin.
ThesceneinvolvesanencounterbetweenVizziniandtheManinBlack.Vizzini,
accompaniedbyhisgiantservant,holdscaptiveourhero’ssweetheartandthreatens
tokillher.Expectinganapproachingclashwithhersavior,headmitsthathecannot
physicallycompetewiththeManinBlack,whoisatalentedfencer,butmocksthe
Man in Black as being intellectually inferior.
Without being qualified psychologists, we can intuitively sense that Vizzini is
extremelyarrogant.Describingothersasinferiorisaderogatoryactofarrogance.In
fact, when comparing his intelligence to that of Plato and Aristotle, Vizzini even
describes these renowned philosophers as “morons.” This is another act of deval-
uation and arrogance, which together form one of the characterizing features of
whatisknownasthe“narcissisticpersonality.”Dismissingothersmayprovidethe
narcissist with a sense of power. However, as we will learn later, personality is all
aboutconflicts,andwhatgivesyouasenseofpowerisindicativeofyourinnermost
conflicts and soft spots.
©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016 1
Y.Neuman,ComputationalPersonalityAnalysis,
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-42460-6_1
2 1 Introduction:FromThePrincessBride…
Vizzini’s arroganceishis Achilles’ heel. ThisAchilles’heel isidentified bythe
Man in Black, who challenges Vizzini to a battle of wits. This battle isn’t just an
entertaining competition but a duel—a battle over life and death where the winner
takes all. The Man in Black pours “iocaine,” a powerful odorless and tasteless
poison,intotwoglassesofwine,whichareputbeforethetwocompetitors.Vizzini
is ignorant of which glass contains the poison. The battle of wits begins, and will
supposedly end when our genius dwarf decides where the poison is. At that point,
both competitors will drink simultaneously and find out who is right and who is
wrong… and dead. The battle seems to be quite simple: two goblets of wine, of
which one is poisonous, and Vizzini has to choose the non-poisonous goblet. The
competitorsdrinkatthesametime,andeitherthehero’ssweetheartwillbesavedor
she will be doomed to the company of the vicious Sicilian dwarf.
Vizzinidescribesthischallengeas“sosimple”thatallhehastodoistousehis
superiorreasoninordertodeducefromhisknowledgeoftheManinBlackwhether
thelatterisamanwhowouldpourthepoisonintohisownglassorintotheglassof
his enemy. This is a task that is typical of personality analysis. Vizzini is trying to
understandhisopponent’smindinordertopredicttheopponent’snextmove.From
this context we gain further indications of Vizzini’s narcissistic personality and of
his belief in his own intellectual superiority. Let us systematically trace Vizzini’s
“impressive” logic, in his own words:
Argument: A clever man would put the poison into his own goblet.
Factors supporting this argument:
1. He knows that only a great fool would reach for what he was given
2. I’m not a great fool and
3. you [the Man in Black] must have known I was not a great fool.
Conclusion: “I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.”
This is an impressive expression of logical reasoning in action but not a final
conclusion, as Vizzini continues to reason:
1. Iocaine comes from Australia…
2. Australia is entirely peopled with criminals
3. Criminals are used to having people not trust them
4. as you [the Man in Black] are not trusted by me.
5. Conclusion: “I can clearly not chose the wine in front of you.”
Again,thisisanimpressiveformofreasoning.However,itisnotnecessarilythe
final conclusion, as Vizzini continues:
1. “you’re exceptionally strong. So, you could have put the poison in your own
goblet, trusting on your strength to save you.”
2. Conclusion: “I can clearly not drink the wine in front of you.”
3. A qualification: “In studying, you must have learned that man is mortal.”
Conclusions:“[you]wouldhaveputthepoisonasfarfromyourselfaspossible”
and “I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.”