approaches to personality Flashcards
Define the term ‘personality’ and what are personality theories?
personality - non-physical aspects of individuals
personality theories - outline the importance of fixed patterns which distinguish one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours
outline the overarching approaches to personality.
nomothetic vs idiographic
dispositional theories vs situational theories
overarching approaches to personality: nomothetic vs idiographic theories
nomothetic: individual differences are predefined attributes caused by physiological differences
idiographic: individuals are too unique to use the same concepts to categorise them
overarching approaches to personality: dispositional theories vs situational theories
dispositional - personality seen as consistent are mostly independent of situational factors
situational - no core essence, unrelated series of behaviours determined by situational factors
outline the four temperaments theory of personality.
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)
how was the four temperaments theory of personality developed?
hippocrates - physical illness = balance of bodily fluids/humours
galen - balance of bodily fluids determines the balance of the 4 temperaments phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine, melancholic
outline the contribution the of 4 temperament theory had on our understanding of personality today.
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
Outline Eysneck’s PEN theory of personality.
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
outline the supertraits in Eysneck’s PEN theory
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
Outline the difference between a ‘psychopath’ ‘psychoticism’ and ‘psychosis’
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
outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s extroversion axis (PEN theory).
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
outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s neuroticism axis (PEN theory).
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
outline the biology behind Eyesneck’s psychotisicm axis (PEN theory).
psychoticism linked to male hormones or dopamine levels
evaluate Eyesneck’s PEN theory as a biological approach to personality.
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
outline critical research into Eyenseck’s PEN theory, including Gale, Train&Craig et al.
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
Outline Gray’s BAS/BIS theory of personality.
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
Outline the BAS system in GRAY’s BAS/BIS theory.
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
Outline the BIS system in GRAY’s BAS/BIS theory.
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
What is the r-RST Theory of Personality and who contributed to its development?
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.
How was the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) redefined in the r-RST Theory and what does it aim to explain?
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.
There is a significant correlation between traits and behaviour, with estimated correlations of…
0.4
