approaches to personality

Question 1

Define the term ‘personality’ and what are personality theories?

Answer 1

personality - non-physical aspects of individuals
personality theories - outline the importance of fixed patterns which distinguish one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours

Question 2

outline the overarching approaches to personality.

Answer 2

nomothetic vs idiographic
dispositional theories vs situational theories

Question 3

overarching approaches to personality: nomothetic vs idiographic theories

Answer 3

nomothetic: individual differences are predefined attributes caused by physiological differences
idiographic: individuals are too unique to use the same concepts to categorise them

Question 4

overarching approaches to personality: dispositional theories vs situational theories

Answer 4

dispositional - personality seen as consistent are mostly independent of situational factors
situational - no core essence, unrelated series of behaviours determined by situational factors

Question 5

outline the four temperaments theory of personality.

Answer 5

galen - balance of bodily fluids determines the balance of the 4 temperaments:
phlegmatic (calm, mucas)
choleric (angry, bile)
sanguine (happy, blood levels)
melancholic (depressed, black bile)

Question 5

how was the four temperaments theory of personality developed?

Answer 5

hippocrates - physical illness = balance of bodily fluids/humours
galen - balance of bodily fluids determines the balance of the 4 temperaments phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine, melancholic

Question 6

outline the contribution the of 4 temperament theory had on our understanding of personality today.

Answer 6

Introduced idea of personality types
These descriptions of personality types have been used in more modern theories as a means to ‘map’ certain personality types
Idea that there are links between biology and temperament

Question 7

Outline Eysneck’s PEN theory of personality.

Answer 7

everyone sits on two independent continuums of the ‘supertraits’ - extraversion and neuroticism
normally distributed and have clear biological underpinnings which dictate where we sit on the axis
third dimension (psychoticism) added in 1970s - not normally distributed and positively correlated with high N

Question 8

outline the supertraits in Eysneck’s PEN theory

Answer 8

High N (neuroticism) - anxious, moody, depressed
Low N (emotional stability) - stable, positive calm
High E (extraversion) - social, chatty, outgoing
Low E (introversion) - asocial, passive, slow
High P (psychoticism) - unempathetic, aggressive, cold
Low P (tender mindedness) - altruistic, conformist, rational

Question 9

Outline the difference between a ‘psychopath’ ‘psychoticism’ and ‘psychosis’

Answer 9

psychopath - extreme personality with an inability to feel remorse or empathy, disregard for society’s norms

psychoticism - supertrait, added due to observations of emotionally unstable (high N) individuals, but with lower levels of fear and low appreciation of consequences of actions

psychosis - mental health disturbance causing a break from reality

Question 10

outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s extroversion axis (PEN theory).

Answer 10

Extroversion axis - reticulo-cortical system (alertness) RAS switch used to modulate activity/baseline activity
we aim to achieve ‘preferred state of arousal’
high E - low levels of cortical arousal/less sensitive to stimuli, seek external stim
low E - high levels of cortical arousal - avoid external stim

Question 11

outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s neuroticism axis (PEN theory).

Answer 11

neuroticism axis - reticulo-limbic system (emotional processing centre)
limbic system regulates the intensity of emotional responses (dimmer)
High neuroticism– high baseline levels in this area
Low neuroticism – low baseline levels in this area

Question 12

outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s psychotisicm axis (PEN theory).

Answer 12

psychoticism linked to male hormones or dopamine levels

Question 13

evaluate Eyesneck’s PEN theory as a biological approach to personality.

Answer 13

Positives:
good cross-cultural evidence for E and N factors
major contribution to biological theories of personality
development of personality questionnaires
Negatives
P rejected by other models
neurobiology of emotional processing more complex
overfocus on biology/genetics
methodological issues in research

Question 14

outline critical research into Eyenseck’s PEN theory, including Gale, Train&Craig et al.

Answer 14

Gale - mixed evidence for studies which tested if extraverts have lower levels of cortical arousal to stim
identified methodological issues in supporting studies - unsystematic use of personality measures, difficult to compare baseline of high E individuals vs low E due to adaptation to preferred level of cortical arousal e.g relaxation in high arousal tasks for low E
Train&Craig et al - measured EEGs in frontal region, older group (stable personality) and moderate arousal tasks - found introverts exhibited smaller mean EEG peaks in cortical arousal = higher frequency and arousal

Question 15

Outline Gray’s BAS/BIS theory of personality.

Answer 15

Biological theory of personality which argues that the BAS and BIS systems dictate our behaviour
Areas involved here are the amygdala, VH, mindbrain gray matter.
Argued that there are two independent axis of personality - the anxiety dimension – controlled by BIS strength, and the impulsivity dimension - controlled by BAS strength
Psychoticism considered something separate to these systems and not included

Question 16

Outline the BAS system in GRAY’s BAS/BIS theory.

Answer 16

Behavioural Activation System
goal-oriented behaviour, motivated to seek reward, based on conditioned responses associated with positive events
high activity = high impulsivity
low activity = low impulsivity

Question 17

Outline the BIS system in GRAY’s BAS/BIS theory.

Answer 17

Behavioural Inhibition System
attention on costs, motvated to avoid harm or punishment, inhibits behaviours associated with negative events
high activity = high anxiety
low activity = low anxiety

Question 18

What is the r-RST Theory of Personality and who contributed to its development?

Answer 18

The r-RST Theory of Personality is a revised version of Gray’s theory, incorporating neuroscience advancements. Walker et al. contributed by introducing the ‘Fight/Flight/Freezing System’ (FFFS) as part of the theory.

Question 19

How was the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) redefined in the r-RST Theory and what does it aim to explain?

Answer 19

The BIS was revised not only as an avoidance mechanism but as an evaluative, comparative system for response conflicts. It guides cautious approaches and weighs potential responses for optimal choice. The r-RST Theory aims to explain a broad range of responses in situations by integrating neuroscience, introducing the FFFS, and redefining the BIS to evaluate response conflicts.

Question 20

There is a significant correlation between traits and behaviour, with estimated correlations of…

Answer 20

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