Chapter 12 Notes

Question 1

Allport’s Psychology of the Individual believed that

Answer 1

Attempts to describe people in terms of general
traits rob them of their unique individuality.

Allport objected to trait and factor theories

rejected the psychoanalytic and behavioral views of humanity as being too deterministic and
too mechanistic.

traits are not determined by unconscious motives originating in early childhood but by conscious choices

Question 2

He called the study of the individual

Answer 2

morphogenic science and contrasted it with the nomothetic methods used by most other psychologists

was willing to accept at face value the self-disclosure statements of most participants
in a study

Question 3

what kind of approach?

Answer 3

eclectic

no theory is completely comprehensive

Question 4

What Is Personality?

Answer 4

includes both overt behaviors and covert thoughts

People not only adjust to their environment, but also their environment adjusts to them

Question 5

Role of Conscious Motivation?

Answer 5

Healthy adults are generally aware of what they are doing and their reasons for doing it

healthy people are motivated largely by conscious
processes

did not ignore the existence or even the importance
of unconscious processes,but unlike freud, was inclined to accept self-reports at face value

Question 6

behavior of a Healthy Person?

Answer 6

proactive behavior

new and innovative ways

not merely directed at reducing tensions but also at establishing new ones. (rock climber)

Question 7

6 characteristics of healthy person

Answer 7

extension of the sense of self - Social
interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl)

warm relating of self to others

emotional security or self-acceptance

realistic perception of their environment

insight and humor

unifying philosophy of life

Question 8

Personal Dispositions are broken into:

Answer 8

Common traits

personal dispositions

Question 9

Levels of Personal Dispositions

Answer 9

cardinal dispositions - eminent characteristic or ruling passion - only a few people possess and which are so conspicuous that they cannot
be hidden

central dispositions - 5 to 10 most outstanding characteristics that make a person unique

secondary dispositions less distinguishable but far more numerous than central dispositions.

Question 10

Allport called these intensely experienced dispositions

Answer 10

motivational dispositions

receive their motivation from basic needs and drives

motivational dispositions initiate action

eating

Question 11

_____ dispositions guide action

Answer 11

Stylistic

How you dress, politeness

Question 12

proprium

Answer 12

those behaviors and personal dispositions that are
warm and central to our lives and that we regard as peculiarly our own

the self is everything

Question 13

Most people, Allport believed, are motivated by _____ drives rather than by ____ events and are aware of what they are doing and have some understanding of why
they are doing it

Answer 13

present

past

Question 14

motives/strivings

Answer 14

Peripheral motives are those that reduce a need, whereas propriate strivings seek to maintain tension and disequilibrium

Question 15

Theory of Motivation rests on the assumption that

Answer 15

people not only react to their environment but also shape their environment and cause it to react to them

Question 16

the concept of functional autonomy holds

Answer 16

motives that are self-sustaining and
independent from the motives that were originally responsible for a behavior

a person may originally plant a garden to satisfy a hunger drive but eventually become interested in gardening for its own sake

Question 17

Perseverative Functional Autonomy

Answer 17

habits and behaviors that are not part of one’s proprium.

Question 18

Propriate Functional Autonomy

Answer 18

self-sustaining motives that are related to the proprium

Question 19

Criterion for Functional Autonomy

Answer 19

motive is functionally autonomous to the extent that it seeks new goals

Question 20

Processes That Are Not Functionally Autonomous

Answer 20

(1) biological drives, such as eating, breathing, and sleeping;
(2) motives directly linked to the reduction of basic drives;
(3) reflex actions such as an eye blink;
(4) constitutional equipment, namely
physique, intelligence, and temperament;
(5) habits in the process of being formed;
patterns of behavior that require primary reinforcement;
(7) sublimations that can
be tied to childhood sexual desires; and
(8) some neurotic or pathological symptoms

Question 21

Examples of wholly morphogenic procedures

Answer 21

such as diaries and letters, which

stress patterns of behavior within a single individual

Question 22

Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Religious Orientation Findings

Answer 22

intrinsic better people extrinsic more prejudice

Question 23

How to Reduce Prejudice:

Answer 23

optimal contact

(1) equal status between the two groups,
(2) common goals,
(3) cooperation between groups, and
(4) support of an authority figure, law, or custom.

Question 24

Critique of Allport

Answer 24

generated research? On this criterion, Allport’s theory receives a moderate rating

falsifiability, Allport’s theory must receive a low rating

organization for observations: Much of what is known about human personality cannot be easily integrated into Allport’s theory

guide for the practitioner, Allport’s theory has moderate usefulness

His precise language renders the theory both internally consistent and parsimonious.

Question 25

Concept of Humanity

Answer 25

basically optimistic

limited freedom approach // more self-insight a person develops, the greater that person’s freedom of
choice

more teleological than causal

moderate emphasis on social factors; personality has some life of its own

most of which are within their realm of consciousness.
Early childhood experiences are of relatively minor importance

individual differences and uniqueness
receive far greater emphasis

Question 26

Personal dispositions that initiate actions are called

Answer 26

motivational traits

Question 27

Personal dispositions that guide actions are called

Answer 27

stylistic traits

Question 28

Discuss how Allport’s meeting with Freud affected his choice of a career

Answer 28

wanted to talk about something he saw on the way over and Freud wanted to dig really deep into unconscious motivations whereas Allport saw the significance of staying on the surface

Question 29

Explain the rationale and results of the analysis of Letters from Jenny.

Answer 29

Published the 300 letters to describe her person

personal structure analysis and factor analysis respectively, while Allport used a common-sense approach to discern Jenny’s personality structure as revealed by her letters.

All three approaches yielded similar results, suggesting that morphogenic studies can be reliable

Question 30

Summarize research on the Religious Orientation Scale

Answer 30

Their findings generally supported Allport’s view that there are good and bad ways to be religious: The more intrinsically oriented toward religion a person is, the less likely the person is to experience depression and be prejudice; the more extrinsically oriented, the more likely a person is to be depressed and prejudiced.

The conclusion is that while religion can be good for one’s health, it is important to be religious for the right reasons in order to derive health benefits

Question 31

Explain the difference between a trait and a personal disposition

Answer 31

“peculiar to the individual”

Personal dispositions are individual; common traits are shared by several people.

Question 32

From Allport’s point of view, explain the difference between a functionally autonomous motive and a habit in the process of becoming extinct.

Answer 32

functionally autonomous motive has no original reinforcer but the new behavior keeps going

an extinct behavior has disappeared to the the fact that reinforcement is lacking