5 Flashcards
What is personality?
emphasis on characteristic or consistent ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving
Different definitions of personality in textbooks:
A dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychosocial systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings
Characteristic patterns
Relatively enduring and that influence his/her interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical , and social environments
The five factor model
Product of decades of research by dozens of independent groups of researchers
The most widely accepted taxonomy of personality traits to date
Identifies 5 dimensions/ “superordinate” personality traits that encompasses the diversity of traits in the english language, OCEAN
In general_______ are associated with postiive outcomes in life
OCEA
___ is associated with negative outcomes
N is correlated with negative outcomes
what is associated with More positive life events
O, E
Ie: getting married, getting high grades
what is associated with greater physical health and longer lifespan
C
People high in C are more likely to engage in good health practices (ie get blood work done, get yearly checkups, good diet, regular exercise)
what is associated with lower levels of depression
A
what is associated with poorer physical health and a shorter lifespan
People who are high in N are using poorer coping methods for stress (ie using drugs, alcohol for stress, cease physical activity, and carry excessive weight)
Individuals low in ___ and high in____ are 3x more likely to develop alzheimer’s
low in C and high in N
Increase of half standard deviation of N in one decade have a 40% greater likelihood of dying over the next 18 years
When assessing changes in personality traits across time, researchers use two indices:
mean level change
rank order consistency
Mean-level change
for a given personality trait, the degree to which a sample’s mean score changes across time (ie: mean score for the sample at time 1 vs. time 2)
Rank-order consistency
for a given personality trait, the stability of participant’s rank order within a sample across time (ie: participants with relatively low scores at time 1 have relatively low scores at time 2)
Test-retest correlations reflects the rank order consistency
If test-retest correlation is high, the rank order consistency is high, there are not many shifts in the rank order over time
With respect to FFM, research indicates that personality exhibits both mean-level change and rank order consistency across the life-span
Mean Level changes in FFM:
extraversion
Extraversion have been split into 2 categories:
1)social vitality(slight increase very early in life, and decreases in 20’s and declines toward older adulthood)
Qualities tied to our gregariousness and energy (ie: friendly, positive affect, energetic)
2)social dominance (steady incline in earlier years of life- young adulthood, largely plateaus in 40’s)
Extent to which we exhibit confidence in context of social interactions (ie: dominance, independent, autonomous)
mean level change in A
Increase over age of 60
mean level change in C
continuing to increase over lifespan
mean level chnage in Emotional stability (lOW N)
high increase from 20-30, then somewhat plateaus
mean level change in o
relatively stable after adolescence, and then decline in older adulthood
Mean level change reflect the ____principle
maturity
maturity principle
as we age we become more conscientious, dominant (component of E), agreeable, and emotionally stable (inverse of N)
Life experience forces us to adapt well to our lives
Rank order consistency of personality traits for different age groups (Roberts and delvecchio, 2000)
As we progress through life span, our rank order constituency tends to increase; we show less change in our ordinal position within population
Rank order consistency reflects increasing stability: as we age our relative scores on 5 dimensions become more stable
There is still probability for our levels to shift on 5 dimensions later in life despite the claim that our personality does not shift after age 30
In addition to scores on 5 dimensions, researchers have identified 4 personality types related to FFM:
Average: average on all 5 dimensions
Reserved: Low in O and N
Role Model: Low in N, high in O,C,E,A,; more common in older adults
Self-centered: High in E, Low in O,C,and A; more common in younger adults
As we get older we show more consistency on the ordinals of the factors in the FFM
psychosocial development reflected in
erikson theory of psychosocial development
erikson stage of adulthood
age 36-60
Generativity vs. stagnation
ego strength: care
erikson stage of Old age
age:61- death
Ego integrity vs. despair
ego strength:wisdom
Erikson argued that the achievement of ego strength in previous stage is essential to successful to resolvement of the crisis of the next stage
Generativity vs stagnation
Successful resolution: occurs when adults feel that they are able to guide, nurture, and contribute to the development of the next generation
Extends to society: taking love acquired in previous stage and extending it beyond relationship of intimate partner to society more broadly
“How can we contribute to society broadly”
Those who do not solve this crisis of contributing to the next generation, have self indulgence leads to hatred
If they solve the crisis, develop ego strength of care: a broad concern for others that extends beyond narrowness of self-concern
Examples of generativity: creating technological innovations
“The anatomy of generativity” (Mcadams)
Origins of generativity start in young adulthood
Start with inner desire for symbolic immortality and need to be needed, coupled with cultural demand(societal expectation) give rise to concern (for the next generation)
Coupled with belief in the species: people are good combined with commitment to society-> action: creating ,maintaining, offering to society
Narration:this generative action built upon commitment and concern give rise to life narrative of older adulthood, giving us a sense of integrity
Researches have found that generativity:
Highest in middle adulthood, but persists into older adulthood
Correlated positively with O,C,E, and A; correlated negatively with N
Correlated positively with life satisfaction, physical functioning , and longevity among older adults
example of fostering generativity in adults
Cultivate program:
Train older adults to work in schools, provide support to students in non-scholastic aspects of their life
Ego integrity vs. despair
Reflect our experience of death of friends and loved ones, and our own approaching death
They experience ego integrity (sense of satisfaction after evaluating life) or despair (regret, or desire to redo one’s life)
Successful resolution: occurs when older adult feel a sense of emotional integration or satisfaction with the choices they have made and the life experiences they have had
Ego strength: Wisdom (a detached by active concern with life in the face of death)
Detachment:to observe oneself and life without judgment
One who has wisdom is present, and not dwelling on past or future
Ego integrity of personal resolution and understanding of social dynamics of other people
We can view erikson psychosocial stages as the precursor to optimal aging
Erikson proposed that the primary task of the older person is to accept life as it has been lived in order to age successful and to achieve integrity
Self examination interview:
1)Life review:
Asked questions about their post retirement years
“How do you expect to be remembered in the world”
2)Historical perspective
3)Mentorship
Do you feel you have more to offer people now or less
4)Group identification: ability to defend the people in their group
Is there anyone you would die for
5)Universality:
ability for respondent to empathetically engage with humanity
Do you see life in different time and places as being very different in the life you’ve had
4 integrity statuses
Integrated (27-47%)
Despairing (4-9%)
non-exploring(36-51%)
pseudo-integrated(9-19%)
Integrated (27-47%)
Expresses general contentment. Is self aware, realistic, curios, socially connected
Despairing (4-9%)
Consistent with erikson’s theorizing
Express sorrow, disappointment, failure and regret over missed opportunities
non-exploring(36-51%)
Never given much consideration to self review, remain in spaces they are comfortable with in younger years of their life
Express general contentment with career and/or family successes, However engages in little introspection or self examination related with function, meaning, purpose, or values
pseudo-integrated(9-19%)
Expresses “brittle surface satisfaction”. Provides an excessively coherent self-presentation, reflecting a lack of self-awareness, unwillingness to examine problems, and desire to appear successful
Integrated status is:
(a) correlated positively with O and dialectical/synthetic thinking,
(b) correlated negatively with intolerance for ambiguity
(c ) associated with mature sociomoral reasoning and enhanced ego identity (ie exploration and commitment to an identity)
Despairing status is:
a) correlated positively with depression
b)correlated negatively with competence and perceived health
examples of fostering ego integrity among older adults
reminiscence therapy:
Paired with therapeutic listener, and subjected to 6 weeks of training
Reflect their entire life by talking to therapist
Shown lower levels of depression, higher levels of wellbeing, and lower levels of hopelessness
Enhance ego integrity
