2.2.1. Personality

Question 1

What is the definition of personality?

Answer 1

The sum of an individual’s characteristics which makes them unique.

Question 2

Who was personality types proposed by?

Answer 2

Eysenck

Question 3

Characteristics of an introvert

Answer 3

• doesn’t seek social situations
• shy
• prefer individual activities

Question 4

Example of an introvert

Answer 4

a netballer avoiding communication with the team

Question 5

Characteristics of an extrovert

Answer 5

• likes social situations
• outgoing
• prefers team sports

Question 6

Example of an extrovert

Answer 6

net baller socialising/ communicating with team

Question 7

characteristics of stable personality

Answer 7

behaviour is predictable and consistent

Question 8

example of stable personality

Answer 8

net baller reacting in same calm manner to decisions

Question 9

characteristics of unstable personality

Answer 9

behaviour is unpredictable and changeable
also known as neurotic

Question 10

example of unstable personality

Answer 10

netball player reacting in a different way to decisions
an individual might be emotionally aggressive but the amount of aggression varies from time to time

Question 11

Who proposed the narrow band theory?

Answer 11

Girdano

Question 12

characteristics of type a personality

Answer 12

• prone to personal anxiety and stress
• highly competitive
• likes to be in control
• desire to succeed
• works fast

Question 13

example of type a personality

Answer 13

football player volunteering to take penalties

Question 14

characteristics of type b personality

Answer 14

• not prone to personal anxiety and stress
• not competitive
• doesn’t like to be in control
• lacking desire to succeed
• works slow

Question 15

example of type b personality

Answer 15

football player not volunteering to take penalties

Question 16

Description of trait theory

Answer 16

Proposes that personality is:
- innate/ inherited
- stable and enduring
- consistent across situations

Question 17

sporting example of trait theory

Answer 17

a boxer inherits traits of aggression and demonstrates it both inside and out of the ring

Question 18

Positives of trait theory

Answer 18

• There is some evidence to show personality is innate e.g. aggression
• If correct, behaviour can be predicted e.g. by coaches

Question 19

Negatives of trait theory

Answer 19

• unlikely to just be innate input that determines personality
• doesn’t take into account learnt behaviour
• identical twins brought up in different environments don’t demonstrates the same personality, suggesting it’s not just traits that determine personality

Question 20

Description of social learning theory

Answer 20

Proposes that personality is learnt as a result of:
- the environment
- imitation of significant other/ role model
- learning requires reinforcement

• theory presented by Bandura
• most likely if same gender, race or person of authority
• suggests that personality changes with the situation and the environment influences behaviours

Question 21

Sporting example of SLT

Answer 21

a young player imitating a captain kicking the ball out of play when an opposition player is injured and clapped by the crowd

Question 22

Positives of SLT

Answer 22

+ evidence that some aspects of personality learned by watching and copying significant role models/ environment

+ Bobo doll experiment supports this idea

Question 23

Negatives of SLT

Answer 23

• children/ siblings/ twins brought up in the same way don’t always display the same personality
• doesn’t take into account innate traits
• if the theory was true we would all have the same personality/copy our role models

Question 24

Description of the interactionist theory

Answer 24

Proposes that:
- personality formation is a combination of the trait and social learning approach
- innate traits are triggered by environmental change

Question 25

sporting example of interactionist theory

Answer 25

the trait of aggression is triggered following a high tackle in rugby or the trait of competitive anxiety is only triggered in a cup final

Question 26

Positives of interactionist theory

Answer 26

+ more realistic than the trait theory as it explains how the environment can trigger inherited traits

+ it explains why our behaviour is often unpredictable/ why an individual might act differently in different situations

+ explains why people in the same environment behave differently

Question 27

Negatives of the interactionist theory

Answer 27

• theory still proposes that innate traits must be present to be triggered by the environment