12b - Personality Flashcards
What is the Trait Perspective?
General dispositions that lead us to behave in predictable ways.
Describe trait and personality
Trait: Tendencies to behave in certain ways that remain relatively constant across situations.
Personality: Amounts to an individual’s unique constellation of traits.
How many traits are possible (Allport & Odbert 1936)?
About 4,500 words in the English language to describe the characteristics of people.
Who was the first trait theorist?
Gordon Allport
What did Allport believe about humans?
- People are generally healthy and organized.
- The present is more important than the past in defining one’s personality.
- Personality is a composite of individual traits (first to suggest this).
What was Allport’s big insight?
Certain traits seem to be tied together.
What are central traits?
Collections of related traits which predict behaviour across an even larger range of situations.
What type of studies what Allport’s work based on?
Case studies
What did Hans Eysneck do?
- Advocated for statistical measures.
- Devised tests to measure a large number of specific traits in large groups of people.
- Used factor analysis to determine which specific traits seemed to cluster together.
What did Eysneck call a cluster of traits?
Superfactor (similar to ‘s’ factor for intelligence)
What is the correlation between superfactors?
Trick question. There isn’t one.
How are superfactors described?
As a continuum (each person sits somewhere along each superfactor dimension)
What are the three superfactors?
- Extroversion/Introversion
- Neuroticism/Emotional Stability
- Psychoticism (Trusting)
Describe the Extroversion/Introversion superfactor.
Impulsive, sociable, assertive on the one extreme and shy, socially withdrawn, passive on the other.
Describe the Neuroticism/Emotional Stability superfactor.
The extent to which a person experiences negative emotions (temperamental, defensive, moody) on the one hand or is emotionally stable on the other (calm, eve-tempered).
Describe the Psychoticism (Trusting) superfactor.
The extent to which someone is vulnerable to psychosis (loss of contact with reality, paranoid, delusional). Related to anti-social or non-conformist behaviour on the one extreme, conforming on the other.
What is the Five-Factor Model?
The (newer) theory that personality is based on 5 superfactors rather than 3.
What are the 5 superfactors according to the Five-Factor theory (Big 5)?
1.Agreeableness/Disagreeableness
2. Extraversion/Introversion
3. Neuroticism/Stability
4.Conscientiousness/Irresponsibility
5. Openness to experience/unimaginativeness
Whats the acronym to remember the Big 5?
O.C.E.A.N.
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
What are some characteristics of scoring high & low on the openness to experience/unimaginativeness factor?
Low: Practical, uncreative, incurious, conforming.
High: Imaginative, creative, curious, independent.
What are some characteristics of scoring high & low on the conscientiousness/irresponsibility factor?
Low: Disorganised, careless, lazy, late.
High: Organised, careful, disciplined, punctual.
What are some characteristics of scoring high & low on the extraversion/introversion factor?
Low: Retiring, passive, sober, reserved.
High: Sociable, active, fun-loving, affectionate.
What are some characteristics of scoring high & low on the agreeableness/disagreeableness factor?
Low: Ruthless, suspicious, critical, uncooperative.
High: Soft-hearted, trusting, lenient, helpful.
What are some characteristics of scoring high & low on the neuroticism/stability factor?
Low: Calm, unemotional, secure, self-satisfied.
High: Anxious, emotional, insecure, self-pitying.
What are some strengths of trait perspective? (6)
- Traits become increasingly stable, especially across the adult years.
- Relatively stable across many situations.
- Certain traits have high predictive validity.
- Conscientiousness predicts success in work and longevity.
- High agreeableness and low
neuroticism predicts success in interpersonal relationships. - There appears to be a strong genetic contribution to personality traits.
What are some criticisms of trait perspective?
- Oversimplifies personality (reduce to a few dimensions).
- Traits that are expressed can depend on the situation.
- People may be punctual (conscientious) when it comes to school, but not with friends for an informal gathering.
- Portray personality as fixed rather than changeable.
- Certain traits change over the lifespan (openness to experience is generally higher in teens than in persons in their 50s)… could reflect maturational (developmental) changes.
Explain the Person-Situation debate.
- What is the relative importance of personality traits (internal characteristics) and situations (external factors) in determining how we behave?
- Trait theorists argue in favor of personality dominating.
- Others argue that the situations we are in determine our behavior.
- If personality is important, it should persist over time and situations.
What is the situationist perspective?
Characteristics of individuals are not
important. Ultimately all behaviour results from environmental factors.
What is the interactionist perspective?
- Both personality and situations
are important in determining behaviour. - Acknowledges the importance of situations, but suggests the situationist position is too extreme.
What is reciprocal determinism?
3-way interaction between internal factors (thoughts and feelings), behavior, and environmental factors (social situations).
Give 3 ways individuals and environments interact.
- Different people choose different environments.
- Our personality determines how we perceive and react to situations.
- .Our personalities shape situations.
