Ch. 8 - Personality Flashcards

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1
Q

Personality

A

Enduring ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that characterize a person’s response to situations

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2
Q

What 3 behaviours are attributed to personality?

A

Components of identity
Perceived internal cause
Perceived organization and structure

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3
Q

Conscious

A

A person’s immediate awareness of their current environment

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4
Q

Preconscious

A

Available to awareness (things that aren’t always in our awareness, but they can be easily recalled)

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5
Q

Unconscious

A

Unavailable to awareness (repressed wishes and conflicts)

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6
Q

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

A

Human behaviour is influenced by unconscious memories, thoughts, and urges. Freud used techniques such as hypnosis, free association, and dream analysis to try to access people’s unconscious minds

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7
Q

Name the 3 components of the mind according to Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

A

Id
Ego
Superego

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8
Q

Id

A

Unconscious mind only
Believed to be the only structure present at birth
Operates under the pleasure principle

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9
Q

Ego

A

Primarily functions at conscious level, but also within preconscious level
A mediator between Id and Superego
Operates under the reality principle

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10
Q

Superego

A

Involved in morals of our personality
Permanently blocks gratification of the id
Typically develops by age of 5 years old

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11
Q

Pleasure Principle

A

Seeking immediate gratification/release (or avoiding pain) regardless of ethical/rational concerns, and environmental realities

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12
Q

Reality Principle

A

Assessing the reality of the external world, and acting upon it accordingly rather than acting on the pleasure principle (only give into unconscious desires when it makes sense)

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13
Q

Name the 7 common defence mechanisms

A

Displacement
Repression
Sublimation
Regression
Denial
Projection
Rationalization

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14
Q

Displacement

A

Dangerous impulse is repressed, but redirected to a less threatening target

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15
Q

Defence Mechanisms

A

Common reactions that help us cope with stressful situations. These mechanisms usually operate on an unconscious level and they distort/deny reality

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16
Q

Repression

A

Ego uses its energy to prevent anxiety-arousing thoughts from entering one’s consciousness. Thus, one has no memory of traumatic events, but the events influence their actions and behaviours

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17
Q

Sublimation

A

Transforming socially unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions or behaviours (a mature defence mechanism)

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18
Q

Regression

A

Person retreats to a child-like state so they do not have to deal with their anxiety

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19
Q

Denial

A

Person does not acknowledge reality or denies the consequences of their reality

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20
Q

Projection

A

Rather than acting on a socially unacceptable impulse, a person attributes their unacceptable impulse onto other people

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21
Q

Rationalization

A

Person creates false explanations for their anxiety-arousing behaviour. This protects themselves from feelings of guilt, disappointment, and anxiety

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22
Q

Freud’s Psychosexual Development Theory

A

Personalities are moulded by early life experiences. At each stage of life, a key task centred around a particular erogenous zone needs to be accomplished before the next stage to avoid fixation

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23
Q

Stages of Psychosexual Development

A
  1. Oral
  2. Anal
  3. Phallic
  4. Latency
  5. Genital
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24
Q

Oral Stage of Psychosexual Development

A

Occurs at 0-2 years of age
Erogenous Zone: Mouth
Key Task: Weaning (transition from breastfeeding to other foods and fluids)

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25
Q

Anal Stage of Psychosexual Development

A

Occurs at 2-3 years old
Erogenous Zone: Anus
Key Task: Toilet training

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26
Q

Phallic Stage of Psychosexual Development

A

Occurs at 4-6 years of age
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Key Task: Resolving Oedipus complex

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27
Q

Oedipus Complex

A

Desire for sexual involvement with parent of the opposite gender and jealousy towards parent of the same sex

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28
Q

Latency Stage of Psychosexual Development

A

Occurs starting at age of 7 up to puberty
No erogenous zone
Key Task: Developing social relationships

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29
Q

Genital Stage of Psychosexual Development

A

Starts when a child hits puberty
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Key Task: Developing mature social and sexual relationships

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30
Q

Neoanalytic Approaches (Psychodynamic Perspective on Personality)

A

Emphasized social-cultural influences on personality

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31
Q

According to Adler, what motivates humans?

A

Humans are social creatures that are motivated by social interest. We have the desire to improve other people’s well-being. People also strive for superiority

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32
Q

Striving for superiority

A

An inferiority complex leads to people attempting to compensate for real or imagined deficits

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33
Q

Humanistic Approach to Personality

A

Emphasize the good in humans and the human spirit
Belief that the consciousness plays a role in changing things we are aware of

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34
Q

Self-actualization

A

The ultimate human need; the realization of a person’s full potential

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35
Q

George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory

A

Primary goal of life is to make sense out of the world. We do this by finding personal meaning in the world.

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36
Q

Personal Constructs

A

Cognitive categories which sort the people and events in one’s life. Can be used to predict a person’s behaviour to understand their personality

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37
Q

Fixed-role Therapy

A

Therapist writes role descriptions that challenge a client’s personal constructs to get clients to adopt a new construct in their lives

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38
Q

Carl Rogers Self Theory

A

Behaviour is a response to our immediate conscious experience of self and environment. Forces that direct our behaviours are within us

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39
Q

Self Concept

A

An organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself. Self-concept then guides one’s perceptions and directs behaviour

40
Q

Self-consistency

A

Consistency among self perceptions

41
Q

Congruence

A

Consistency between self perceptions and experiences

42
Q

What happens when an experience does not match one’s self-concept?

A

Anxiety

43
Q

How do healthy individuals respond to a mismatch between their experiences and their self-concept?

A

Healthy individuals modify their self-concept so that their experiences are congruent with themselves

44
Q

How do unhealthy individuals respond to a mismatch between their experiences and their self-concept?

A

Unhealthy individuals tend to distort their experiences to try to remove the incongruence between their experiences and themselves (“a problem in living”)

45
Q

Self-esteem

A

How positively or negatively we feel about ourselves (an evaluation of our self-concept)

46
Q

Characteristics of People with High Self-Esteem

A

Fewer interpersonal problems (less likely to be influenced by social pressures)
Higher achievement (happier, more successful, capable of forming relationships)

47
Q

What are the consequences of unrealistically high self esteem?

A

Unrealistically high self-esteem can lead to people acting aggressively when their self-esteem is being threatened

48
Q

How can high self-esteem be developed?

A

Positive thoughts
High self-worth
Unconditional acceptance/love from caregivers

49
Q

Characteristics of People with Poor Self-Esteem

A

Anxiety/depression
Poor achievement
Poor relationships

50
Q

Need for Positive Regard

A

Humans are born with an innate need for acceptance, sympathy, and love from others (ideally provided unconditionally by caregivers)

51
Q

Unconditional Positive Regard

A

Positive regard is provided independently of behaviour. Note that there are repercussions for poor behaviours

52
Q

Conditional Positive Regard

A

Positive regard is provided only when a person is well-behaved

53
Q

Positive self-regard

A

Experience of being understood and valued; gives us freedom to grow. Lack of positive self-regard creates conditions of worth

54
Q

Conditions of Worth

A

Only get acceptance, sympathy, and love when one meets certain standards. Dictates when we approve/disapprove of ourselves

55
Q

What are some concerns with the humanistic theories?

A

Too much reliance on self-reports
Not “scientific” enough (accepting a person’s self-reports can lead to errors in conclusions due to unconscious forces or a lack of honesty)

56
Q

Trait Theorists

A

Aim to describe the basic classes of behaviour that define our personalities. They measure individual differences in personality traits and use them to understand and predict people’s behaviours

57
Q

Factor Analysis

A

Group related traits together by similarity. Each dimension (factor) reflects a continuum of behaviour

58
Q

Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factors

A

”Splitter”: Split personality into 16 different factors
Each factor is non-orthogonal (factors are related)

59
Q

Eysenck’s Extraversion-Stability Model

A

“Lumper”: Lump traits together under one dimension
Classified personality under 3 dimensions (orthogonal -> independent):
Extraversion/Introversion
Neuroticism/Stability
Psychoticism/Socialized

60
Q

Psychoticism

A

Not sympathetic
Impulsive
Socially deviant
Creative

61
Q

The Big Five (OCEAN)

A

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

62
Q

What are the biological differences between introverts and extroverts

A

Introverts and extroverts have different arousal patterns in their brains. Introverts tend to be over-aroused, while extroverts tend to be under-aroused

63
Q

What are the biological differences between stable and neurotic people?

A

There are differences in autonomic nervous system arousal. Neurotic people have large shifts in arousal (hair trigger nervous systems). Stable people have smaller/more gradual shifts in arousal

64
Q

What neurotransmitters affect impulsivity?

A

Dopamine and serotonin

65
Q

According to Julian Rotter, what 2 factors govern behaviour?

A

Expectancy
Reinforcement

66
Q

Social Cognitive Theories

A

Combine behavioural and cognitive perspectives to try to explain personality. Attributes behaviours to internal and external factors

67
Q

Expectancy

A

Likelihood of consequences given behaviour

68
Q

Reinforcement

A

How much we desire or dread the consequences of a behaviour

69
Q

Locus of Control

A

The expectancy concerning personal control in our lives. People may have a predominantly internal or external locus of control

70
Q

What are the pros and cons of using the trait approach to analyzing personality?

A

Pro: Focused on identifying and measuring personality dispositions, can be useful for predicting behaviours

Con: Cannot explain underlying psychological mechanisms (describes behaviours using traits but not the inner workings of how someone operates)

71
Q

Human Agency

A

Idea proposed by Albert Bandura. Humans are active agents in their own lives (not at the mercy of our environment). Composed of 4 aspects:
Intentionality
Forethought
Self-reactiveness
Self-reflectiveness

72
Q

Intentionality

A

We make or modify plans with intention

73
Q

Forethought

A

Choosing behaviours that are relevant to our goals since we can anticipate outcomes

74
Q

Self-reactiveness

A

Motivating/regulating our actions
Modifying goals
Monitoring progress

75
Q

Self-reflectiveness

A

Evaluating our motivations, values, and goals

76
Q

Self-efficacy

A

A person’s beliefs concerning their ability to perform behaviours needed to achieve outcomes

77
Q

What factors influence a person’s self efficacy?

A

Performance experiences
Observational learning
Verbal persuasion
Emotional arousal

78
Q

Performance experiences

A

Previous success and failure experiences on similar tasks

79
Q

Observational learning

A

Observation of the behaviours and consequences to similar models in similar situations (“if they can do it, so can I”)

80
Q

Emotional arousal

A

Arousal that can be interpreted as enthusiasm or anxiety (can be mediated by learning to control negative emotions)

81
Q

Verbal persuasion

A

Encouraging or discouraging messages received from others

82
Q

Personality Assessment

A

How we measure a person’s personality. Different approaches include:
Personality scales & self-ratings
Projective tests
Physiological measures
Behavioural assessment
Reports/ratings from others
Interviews

83
Q

Interviews

A

A structured set of questions that notes behaviours, appearances, and speech patterns

84
Q

What are the drawbacks of using interviews to measure a person’s personality

A

Interviewee’s responses could be impacted by interviewer’s personality
Co-operation and honesty is not guaranteed

85
Q

Behavioural Assessments

A

Observing behaviours in specific situations under certain conditions. In particular, measure the frequency of behaviours under specific conditions

86
Q

Remote Behavioural Sampling

A

Collect samples of behaviours from respondents as they live their daily lives. Works well for finding patterns in behaviour (can obtain a large, detailed dataset easily)

87
Q

Personality Scales

A

Use standard questions and agreed upon scoring key. They are objective assessments and they can collect data from many people at the same time

88
Q

What are the disadvantages of using personality scales?

A

The validity of answers is questionable since people can lie. Need to frame questions in a way that avoids social desirability bias

89
Q

Projective Tests

A

People are presented with an ambiguous stimulus. Provides a “projection” of a person’s inner workings since people need to interpret from within themselves. Two main tests:
Rorschach Inkblots
Thematic Apperception Test

90
Q

Thematic Apperception Test

A

Person is given a series of illustrations and photos. They are asked to tell a story using the provided illustrations. Responses analyze the types of relationships, motives, feelings, and outcome of the person’s “story”

91
Q

What personality assessment do psychodynamic theorists most likely use?

A

Projective Tests

92
Q

Which personality assessment do humanistic theorists most likely use?

A

Self-report measures

93
Q

Which personality assessment do social-cognitive theorists most likely use?

A

Behavioural assessments

94
Q

Which personality assessment do biological theorists most likely use?

A

Physiological measurements

95
Q

Which personality assessment do trait theorists most likely use?

A

Inventories

96
Q

Reciprocal Determinism

A

A person’s behaviour both influences and is influenced by personal and environmental factors