Chapter 11

Question 1

Narrative identities

Answer 1

Unique life stories that we construct about our past and future

Question 2

Characteristic adaptations

Answer 2

Situational-specific, handling of personal roles

Question 3

Thomas & Chess

Answer 3

Easy, difficult, and slow to warm up temperaments

Question 4

Jerome Kagan

Answer 4

Behavioral inhibition

Question 5

Individualist culture

Answer 5

Emphasis on autonomy; pursue your own goals

Question 6

Define and give examples of the aspects of personality called dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity.

Answer 6

Dispositional traits - relatively enduring; ex. extraversion or intraversion; independence or dependence

Characteristic adaptations - situation-specific; changeable in the ways people adapt to their roles and environments. ex. motives, goals, plans, coping mechanisms

Narrative identity - unique life stories that we construct about our pasts and futures to give ourselves identity and our lives meaning.

Question 7

Compare how psychoanalytic, trait and social learning theorists view personality and its development.

Answer 7

Psychoanalytic theory - personality inner dynamics, Freud - personality determined/formed during first 5 years. Later issues a result of problems during that formation period. Erickson - stages of personality development; confront the issues that arise during each stage of development. Placed more emphasis on social issues. Saw potential for personal growth and change throughout lifespan.

Trait theory - based on psychometric approach. Personality is a set of dispositional trait dimensions along which people can differ. Personality traits are consistent across situations and relatively enduring. Expect to see carryover of personality over the years. Do not believe that personality unfolds in stages. Five factor model - both genetically and environmentally influenced. Also universal.

Social learning theory - No universal stages of personality development. Question the existence of enduring personality traits. People’s behavior influenced by the situations they are in. Personality boils down to a set of behavioral tendencies shaped by interactions with other people in specific social situations. Social context very powerful. Consistency over the years only if environment stays the same.

Question 8

Describe three different approaches to describing infants’ temperament.

Answer 8

Easy temperament - even tempered, content or happy, open and adaptable to new experiences, regular sleeping and feeding habits; tolerates frustration.

Difficult temperament - active, irritable, irregular in their habits, often react negatively to changes in routine; slow to adapt to new situations, cry frequently.

Slow to warm up temperament - relatively inactive, somewhat moody, only moderately regular in their habits; slow to adapt to new people and situations; eventually adjust

Question 9

List the 5 aspects of self-esteem (self-worth) differentiated by mid-elementary school children.

Answer 9

Scholastic competence
Social acceptance
Behavioral conduct
Athletic competence
Physical appearance

Question 10

Name James Marcia’s four identity statuses

Answer 10

Diffusion status - not yet thought about who they are; no crisis, no commitment

Foreclosure status - accepted identities suggested to them without giving it much thought

Moratorium status - experiencing a crisis or actively exploring identity issues

Identity achievement - able to answer question of who they are.

Question 11

Describe the strategies that aging adults use to maintain self esteem

Answer 11

1. Reduce the gap between ideal and real self - scaling down what you really can be, ideal and present selves converge
2. Adjusting goals and standards of self-evaluation - apply different measuring sticks in evaluating ourselves
3. Comparing to other older adults
4. Not internalizing ageist stereotypes. resist applying negative stereotypes

Question 12

List 4 things that contribute to continuity of personality over the lifespan and three things that might cause significant changes in personality.

Answer 12

Continuity of personality

1. genetic makeup
2. lasting effects of childhood experiences
3. environments remain stable
4. gene-environment correlations

Changes in personality

1. biological factors
2. changes in environment
3. poor person-environment fit

Question 13

List and describe Erikson’s 8 stages of psychosocial growth.

Answer 13

1. trust vs. mistrust
2. autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3. Initiative vs. guilt
4. industry vs. inferiority
5. identity vs. role confusion
6. intimacy vs. isolation
7. generativity vs. stagnation
8. integrity vs. despair

Question 14

Apply the selective optimization with compensation strategy to maintaining career excellence as a person ages

Answer 14

Focus on strongest area and delegating weaker areas to someone else.
Taking more notes at meetings to adjust to memory issues
Focus on staying up to date on specialty area

Question 15

Personality

Answer 15

An organized contribution of attributes, motives, values and behaviors unique to each individual

Question 16

Categorical self

Answer 16

Classification into social categories based on age, sex, and other visible characteristics; what is like me, what is not like me

Question 17

Behavioral inhibition

Answer 17

A temperamental characteristic reflecting a person’s tendency to withdraw from unfamiliar people and situations

Question 18

Goodness of fit

Answer 18

The extent to which the child’s temperament and the demands of the child’s social environment are compatible or mesh, according to Thomas and Chess; more generally, a good match between person and environment.

Question 19

Individualist culture

Answer 19

Emphasis on autonomy; pursue your own goals

Question 20

Collectivist culture

Answer 20

Emphasize relatedness to others, subordinate individual goals to the goals of the group

Question 21

Self concept

Answer 21

People’s perceptions of their unique attributes or traits.

Question 22

Self esteem

Answer 22

People’s overall evaluation of their worth as based on an assessment of the qualities that make up the self-concept.

Question 23

Identity

Answer 23

A self-definition or sense of who one is, where one is going, and how one fits into society.