Chapter 12: Personality Flashcards
Personality
people’s different style of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours from one another and how those differences shape how they respond in different situations
Self-Report
a method of gathering data by asking a person to provide information about themselves, such as their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or behaviors
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
psychological test that assesses personality traits and used to help diagnose mental health issues, develop treatment plans, and assess psychological stability
Projective techniques
research methods that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit a person’s true feelings, desires, and other personality characteristics
Rorschach Inkblot Test
a type of projective technique in which people look at ambiguous inkblot images and describe what they see in each one
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a type of projective technique in which people tell a story about each picture, describing the scene, the people’s thoughts and emotions, and what happens next
Trait
a consistent, stable, and coherent pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting that’s unique to an individual, building blocks of personality
The Big Five of Personality
Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
Psychodynamic Approach
how unconscious mental forces influence a person’s behaviour, emotions, and feelings, The idea that childhood experiences are a key factor in shaping personality
Id
the part of your personality that wants to feel good and acts on basic instincts without thinking, It is driven by basic needs and desires
Ego
the part of your personality that thinks things through and makes decisions, helps balance the wants of the id and the rules of the superego
Superego
the part of your personality that judges right from wrong and is shaped by parents and society, makes you feel proud, happy, ashamed, or guilty based on your actions
Defence Mechanisms
unconscious mental processes that protect the mind from anxiety and unacceptable impulses
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
a theory of human development that describes how a person’s personality and sexuality develop through five stages:
- Oral: (birth-1yr), the mouth is a sensitive area.
- Anal: (1-3yrs), the focus is on controlling urination and bowel movements.
- Phallic: (3-6 yrs), the genitals are a sensitive area.
- Latency: (6 years-13yrs), sexual feelings are not active
- Genital: (13 and up), people start to show interest in the opposite sex
Humanistic Approach
focuses on the whole person, their potential, and their relationship with the world
Self-Actualizing Tendency
describes the innate drive within people to grow, fulfill themselves, and reach their full potential
Existential Approach
focuses on understanding the human condition and the meaning of life and reality of death
Angst
a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity, people who are feeling angsty may express worry, dread, restlessness, or insecurity
Social-Cognitive Approach
explains how people’s personalities are shaped by a dynamic interaction between their personal factors, behaviour, and environment
Person-Situation Controversy
psychological debate that centres on whether a person’s personality or the situation they are in is more influential in determining their behaviour
Person Constructs
a mental framework or schema that a person uses to interpret their experiences and observations of the world; how people perceive themselves and others
Outcome Expectancies
the extent to which someone anticipates a positive or negative result based on their learning that a specific response leads to a desirable or undesirable outcome
Internal Locus of Control
the belief that a person’s own actions and decisions control the outcomes of events in their life; people feel responsible for their success or failure
External Locus of Control
the belief that external forces, like luck, fate, or other people, control the outcomes of events in a person’s life; people feel that they don’t have control over what happens to them
Self-Concept
a person’s overall idea of who they are, including their physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects; a collection of beliefs and opinions about oneself
Self-Esteem
the extent to which someone values and perceives their own characteristics and qualities; how much someone likes and values themselves, and how good they feel about who they are
Implicit Egotism
the tendency to unconsciously favour things that resemble oneself. It can affect a wide range of decisions
Name-Letter Affect
the tendency to favour alphabetical letters based on one’s name, especially initials
