Approaches to Personality 1a Flashcards
What do dispositional theorists NOT deny?
Role of context/situation in moderating behaviour
What do traits influence?
Types of situations encountered
What is the meaning of nomothetic?
Individual differences can be described and explained in terms of predefined attributes
What is the meaning of idiographic?
Individuals are so unique that two different people cannot be described using the same concepts.
What is the meaning of dispositional?
Personality is seen as consistent, internal dispositions to think/act/feel in similar ways, largely independent of situation
What is the meaning of situational?
Personality is a series of largely unrelated states, primarily determined by situational factors - NO core essence, just distinct behavioral signatures.
What were the origins of personality theories?
The Four Temperaments - Ancient Greece philosophy. Rooted in descriptions of physical and mental disturbance - Hippocrates and humours. Physical illness arising from the imbalance of the humours.
What were the four humours?
Blood, Mucus, Black Bile, and Bile
How did early viewings of personality contribute to our modern view of personality?
- Notion of personality ‘types’
- Temperament descriptors have influenced modern theories of personality.
- Specifies links between biology and temperament.
What was the initial PEN theory that Eysenck proposed?
Only two dimensions of personality, on which everyone can be placed. Orthogonal to one another and a normal distribution for each dimension.
What were the two dimensions initially proposed in Eysenck’s PEN theory?
Extraversion and introversion.
What was the 3rd dimension added to the theory?
N, individuals who were emotionally unstable, but with lower levels of fear and anxiety. Lack of remorse or conscience, and lack of appreciation of consequences of actions “psychopaths”.
What is psychoticism?
A high ‘P’.
Meant that you were unempathetic, impersonal, aggressive, antisocial, cold and creative.
What did a low P mean?
Tender mindedness, meant that you were altruistic, conformist, rational, organised, patient and empathetic.
Did a low P mean it was normally distributed?
No.
Is a low P independent of N?
No.
How is introversion explained?
Differential activity levels in the reticulo-cortical system.
How is introversion explained?
Differential activity levels in the reticulo-cortical system.
What does Ascending Reticular Activation System (ARAS) in the brain stem modulate?
The amount of electrical activity in the cortex.
What kind of levels of cortical arousal is preferred in introversion?
Moderate.
What are the cortical levels associated with extroverts?
Lower levels, and therefore they seek out external stimulation.
What are the cortical levels associated with introverts?
Higher levels, and therefore avoid external stimulation
What do lower frequency, high amplitude EEG traces mean?
Lower cortical arousal
What do higher frequency, lower amplitude EEG traces mean?
Higher cortical arousal
What do higher frequency, lower amplitude EEG traces mean?
Higher cortical arousal
What is the limbic system involved in?
Emotional processing.
What is BAS?
Behavioural activation system, it activates ‘approach’ behaviour toward goal - Motivated to seek reward, and is based on conditioned responses associated with positive events.
What is BIS?
Behavioural inhibition system focuses attention on potential costs. Inhibits behaviours associated with negative events - motivated to avoid harm and punishment.
What are the main neural components on BAS/BIS theory?
Amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamus, and the midbrain gray matter
What are the two different dimensions of personality, proposed by Gray?
Anxiety, driven by the BIS system, and Impulsivity, driven by the BAS system.
What development of RST did Walker propose?
Developed an additional ‘Fight/Flight/Freezing System’.
What was Gray’s work based on?
Non-human animals and then further applied to all mammals
What are the limitations of Eysenck’s theory?
- P factor less accepted
- Neurobiology of emotional processing more complex than originally thought
- Too much focus on biology/genetics
What are some positives of Eysenck’s theory?
- Good cross-cultural evidence for E and N factors
- Major contribution to trait and biological theories of personality
- Development of several personality questionnaires
