7: Costa, McCrae, Cattell, & Eysenck - Trait Theories Flashcards
the aspect of our personalities that is genetically based and inborn - there since birth
temperament
ancient Greek personality type with an abundance of blood (warm and wet) - cheerful, optimistic, comfortable, and pleasant to be with - has a healthful look, including rosy cheeks
sanguine
ancient Greek personality type with an overabundance of bile (warm and dry) - hot-tempered and aggressive - yellowish complexion and tense muscles
choleric
ancient Greek personality type with an overabundance of phlegm (cool and wet) - slow, lazy, dull
phlegmatic
ancient Greek personality type with an overabundance of “black bile” (cool and dry) - sad, depressed, pessimistic
melancholy
two factors that informed the four personality types described by ancient Greeks (warm/cool and wet/dry)
temperature and humidity
statistical technique that extracts a number of “dimensions” from large masses of data - employed by Eysenck
factor analysis
Eysenck’s term for the first dimension of temperament - scale from calm/collected to highly nervous
neuroticism-stability
part of the nervous system that controls much of our emotional responses to emergency situations (“fight or flight” responses)
sympathetic nervous system
neurotic symptom that occurs when the sympathetic nervous system and nervous stimulation feed off of each other in a spiral, generating an overwhelming physical response (likened by Eysenck to microphone feedback)
panic attack
Eysenck’s term for the second dimension of temperament - scale from shyness/quietness to outgoingness/loudness
extraversion-introversion
factor in extraversion-introversion described by Pavlov - the brain waking itself up and entering an alert, learning state
excitation
factor in extraversion-introversion described by Pavlov - the brain calming itself down, either to relax/sleep or protect itself from overwhelming stimuli
inhibition
Eysenck’s proposed third dimension of temperament - scale from mentally-functioning people to psychotic people
psychoticism-normality
psychiatrist who defined three distinct physical types related to psychological disorders (pyknic, asthenic, and athletic)
Ernst Kretschmer
Kretschmer’s short, round physical type that’s more prone to cyclothymic / bipolar disorders
pyknic
Kretschmer’s tall, thin physical type that’s more prone to schizophrenia
asthenic
Kretschmer’s muscular physical type that’s slightly more prone to schizophrenia (less than asthenic)
athletic
psychologist inspired by Kretschmer’s theories who developed a precise measurement system that defined three distinct body “types” and related personality “types”
William Sheldon
Sheldon’s first body type - slender, often tall, long arms/legs, fine features - parallel to cerebrotonic personality
ectomorphs
Sheldon’s second body type - stocky, broad shoulders, good musculature - parallel to somatotonic personality
mesomorphs
Sheldon’s third body type - chubby, “pear-shaped” - parallel to viscerotonic personality
endomorphs
Sheldon’s first personality type - nervous, relatively shy, often intellectual - parallel to ectomorph body type
cerebrotonics
Sheldon’s second personality type - active, physically fit, energetic - parallel to mesomorph body type
somatotonics