Approaches to personality Flashcards
nomothetic approach to personality
individual differences can be described in terms of predefined attributes
e.g. extraversion or brain are X are linked
idiographic approach to personality
individuals are so unique that two different people cannot be describe using the same concepts
e.g. Freud’s psychodynamic theory
Dispositional theory
personality seen as consistent, internal dispositions to think/act/feel in similar ways, largely independent of situation
situational theory
personality is a series of largely unrelated states, primarily determined by situational factors. No core essence, just distinct behavioral signatures made of ‘if A then B’ rules.
dispositions in different situations
- dispositional theorists do not deny a role of context in moderating behaviour
- e.g. how social you are in certain situations
- but still characteristic patterns e.g. more social as an extrovert than an introvert
- significant correlation between traits and behaviour (r=.40 (Funder, 2001))
- traits also influence type of situations encountered
early models of personality: the four temperaments
- from ancient greek philosophy
- rooted in physical and mental disturbances
- (Hippocrates and) GALEN
- balance of bodily fluids determines balance of temperaments (link of biology)
what are the 4 temperaments
- phlegmatic: calm relaxed
- choleric: angry
- sanguine: happy
- melancholic: sad
the 4 bodily humours and the temperaments they correspond to
- black bile: melancholic
- bile: choleric
- mucus: phlegmatic
- blood levels: sanguine
Eysneck’s model
The Gigantic Three
- PEN theory
initial PEN theory
- 1947
- 2 dimensions of personality
- extraversion ((high E) vs introversion (low E))
- neuroticism (anxious (high N) vs. emotional stability (low N))
- dimensions which everyone can be placed
- orthogonal to one another (independent)
- normal distribution for each dimension
- ‘super traits’ provide complete description
- biological mechanism behind
PEN theory and biological link
- high extroversion: combination of choleric and sanguine
- high introversion: melancholic and phlegmatic
- high neuroticism: melancholic and choleric
- low neuroticism: phlegmatic and sanguine
later PEN theory
- 70s
- low neuroticism with no remorse
- third dimension of ‘psychoticism’
- High P: unempathetic
- low P: empathetic
- not normally distributed
- not independent of Neurocitism (some positive corelation)
psychopath
extreme personality associated with callous, deceptive, manipulative nature no remorse or empathy violates social norms
psychoticism
major trait in Eysenck’s PEN model of personality
psychosis
mental disturbance associated with a break from reality
what is extraversion-introversion explained by in PEN theory
- differing levels of activity in the reticulo-cortical system
what modulates the cortical system
- ascending reticular activation system (ARAS) in the brain stem modulates the amount of electrical activity in the cortex
levels of cortical arousal in personality
extraverts: low levels of cortical arousal, seek out external stimulation
introverts: high levels of cortical arousal, avoid external stimulation
PEN theory hypothesis
- in a given situation, extraverts will have lower levels of cortical arousal than introverts
- using EEG we can test: will have high frequency lower amplitude waves
Gale 1983
- reviewed studies that tested this hypothesis
- majority of evidence supported theory
- methodological issues identified: unsystematic use of personality measures, high/low levels of arousal task causes extroverts/introverts to adapt to preferred level of cortical arousal - obscures differences
Tran, Craig & McIsaac 2001
- addressed methodological issues
- measured activity from frontal regions of brain
- older participants (personality more stable)
- used moderately demanding task (suitable to both groups of people - opening and closing eyes)
- significant difference in mean peak amplitude (i: 4.5mv, e: 6.8mv)(p<.05)
- supports PEN theory
what is neuroticism stability explained by
activity levels in the reticulo-limbic system (involved in emotional processing)
- high N = more activity and vice versa
pros for PEN theory
- good cross-cultural evidence for E and N
- major contribution to trait and biological theories of personality
- development of several personality questionnaires
examples of personality questionnaires developed from PEN theory
- EPT: Eysneck Personality Inventory
- MMQ: maudsley Medical Questionnaire
- EPQ-P: Eysneck personality questionaire revised
- EPP: eysneck personality profiler
