Ch.6 Flashcards
focuses on one particular trait and its consequences for behaviour (ex. narcissism). asks “what do people with a certain personality trait do?”
- The Single-Trait Approach
Looks at the relationships between a particular behavior and as many different traits as possible. Examines correlations between one behaviour and many traits. asks, “who does that important behaviour?”
- The Many-Trait Approach
attempts to identify the few traits that are central to understanding all others. This includes the big five: extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. These are broad traits that can organize the understanding of personality. Asks, “which traits are the most important and really matter?”
- The Essential-Trait Approach
shows how people differ in kind, not just disagreeing. Three basic personalities: well-adjusted, maladjusted, overcontrolled, and maladjusted undercontrolling. Common: MBTI and Enneagram. Asks, “Are people in different types different in ways that conventional trait measures cannot capture?”
- Typological Approaches to Personality
traits are not…
…total determinants of behaviour
Self-monitoring (single-trait approach)
It’s not necessarily better to be high or low.
Actors scored high, and mental patients scored low
High-Self Monitoring: can adapt well, read the room, go with the flow
Low-Self Monitoring: more consistent, more guided by inner personality, easier to judge, perfectionist, irritable
- Charming, make good first
impression - Manipulative, overbearing,
entitled, vain, arrogant, exhibitionistic - May not feel good about themselves
- Many negative behaviors and attributes
- aggressive when positive self-view is threatened
- they’re defending unrealistic self-concept
- failure to control decisions and make impulsive decisions, have a hard time with delayed gratification
Narcissism (excessive self-love)
uncooperative and inflexible, likely to obey commands to harm others, fewer positive emotions, crave strong leaders; attitudes may be from attempts to lessen fear; likely to have had parents high on authoritarianism
Authoritarian Personality
The Big Five
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Conscientiousness
- Agreeableness
- Openess
important aspects of life will be labeled with words
lexical hypothesis
Implications of the Big Five
- Traits are orthogonal, or unrelated - they’re all independent of one another
- they are more complex than they seem at first
Implications of the Big Five
- Traits are orthogonal, or unrelated - they’re all independent of one another
- they are more complex than they seem at first
- Crave extreme levels of stimulation and react less to sensory stimuli
- Active, outspoken, dominant, forceful, adventurous, spunky
- Cheerful, upbeat, optimistic
- Ambitious, hard-working, achievement-oriented
- Powerful influence on behavior
- Sensitive to rewards
- Experience positive emotions more
disadvantage: mate poaching, argumentative, need to be in control, poor time management, at risk for becoming overweight
Extraversion
- Ineffective problem solving; strong negative reactions
to stress - Sensitive to social threats
- Emotional instability, negative emotionality
- self-reports: unhappiness, anxiety, and physical illness
- associated with undesirable life outcomes
- strong negative reactions to stress
Neuroticism (negative emotions)
Dutiful, careful, rule-abiding, ambitious
Valuable employees
Careful and considerate drivers
Avoid risk and seek to protect themselves
Live Longer
downsides: more prone to feel guilty when not meeting expectations , satisfaction with life decreases with unemployment, may not be popular or creative
Conscientiousness
