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Psychology > Chapter 13: Personality > Flashcards

Chapter 13: Personality Flashcards

1
Q

Personality

A

The characteristics thoughts, emotional responses, and behaviors that are relatively stable in an individual over time and across circumstances

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2
Q

Personality Trait

A

A characteristic; a dispositional tendency to act in a certain way over time and across circumstances

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3
Q

Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

A

Freud’s theory that unconscious forces–such as wishes, desires, and hidden memories–determine behavior.

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4
Q

Freudian Conscious Level

A

consists of thoughts that we are aware of

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5
Q

Freudian Preconscious Level

A

consists of content that is not currently in awareness but could be brought to awareness

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6
Q

Freudian Unconscious Level

A

contains material that the mind cannot easily retrieve

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7
Q

id

A

In psychodynamic theory, the component of personality that is completely submerged in the unconscious and operates according to the pleasure principal

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8
Q

Superego

A

In psychodynamic theory, the internalization of societal and parental standards of conduct. Acts as a break on the id, and is largely unconscious. Is a rigid structure of morality or conscience

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9
Q

Ego

A

In psychodynamic theory, the component of personality that tries to satisfy the wishes of the id while being responsive to the dictates of the superego. Operates according to the reality principle, which involves rational thought and problem solving.

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10
Q

Defense mechanisms

A

In Freudian theory, unconscious mental strategies that the mind uses to protect itself from distress, which might be caused by conflicts between the id and superego. Include denial, repression, projection. Now believed to protect self-esteem.

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11
Q

Psychosexual Stages

A

According to Freud, developmental stages that correspond to distinct libidinal urges. Each stages is focused on one of the erogenous zones. Progression through these stages profoundly affects personality (research stages if this is important in class!)

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12
Q

Object Relations Theory

A

Theory by neo-Freudians that a person’s mind and sense of self develop in relation to others in the particular environment.

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13
Q

Humanistic Approaches

A

Approaches to studying personality that emphasize how people seek to fulfill their potential through greater self-understanding (called self-actualization). Emphasizes personal experience, belief systems, and uniqueness of human condition .

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14
Q

Unconditional Positive Regard

A

View that parents should accept and prize their children no matter how the children behave. This prevents them from not being true to themselves in order to gain parents’ regard

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15
Q

Personal Constructs

A

Personal theories of how the world works. Idea developed by cognitive theorist George Kelly, who believed that we view the world as if we are scientists

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16
Q

Internal locus of control

A

People with an internal locus of control feel they bring about their own rewards

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17
Q

External locus of control

A

People with an external locus of control believe rewards–and their personal fates–result from forces beyond their control

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18
Q

Cognitive-social theories of personality

A

Theories that emphasize how personal beliefs, expectancies and interpretations of social situations shape behavior and personality

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19
Q

Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS)

A

Says that our personalities often fail to predict our behavior across different circumstances. Instead, responses are influenced by how we perceive a given situation, our affective (emotional) responses to the situation, or skills in dealing with challenges, and our anticipation of the outcomes of our behavior

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20
Q

Defensive Pessimism

A

Defensive pessimists expect to fail, and therefore enter test situations with dread

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21
Q

Self-Regulatory Capacities

A

Our relative ability to set personal goals, evaluate our progress, and adjust our behavior accordingly

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22
Q

Personality Types

A

Discrete categories of people based on personality characteristics.

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23
Q

Implicit Personality Theory

A

The study of two tendencies related to personality types: we tend to assume that certain personality characteristics go together, and as a result we tend to make predictions about people based on minimal evidence.

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24
Q

Trait Approach

A

An approach to studying personality that focuses on how individuals differ in personality dispositions, such as sociability, cheerfulness, and aggressiveness

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25
Emotional Stability
Refers to how much a person's moods and emotions change
26
Neurotic
Describes a person with low emotional stability. Experiences frequent and dramatic mood swings, often feels anxious, moody and depressed, and generally holds a low opinion of self
27
Psychoticism
A mix of aggression, impulse control and empathy. Person with high psychoticism is more aggressive, impulsive and self-centered
28
Five-Factor Theory
The idea that personality can be described using five factors: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism
29
Ideographic Approaches
Person-centered approaches to studying personality; they focus on individual lives and how various characteristics are integrated into unique persons. Use different metric for each person, while nomothetic approaches use same metric.
30
Nomothetic Approaches
Approaches to studying personality that focus on how common characteristics vary from person to person. Use same metric for every person, while ideographic approaches use different metric.
31
Projective Measures
Personality tests that examine unconscious processes by having people interpret ambiguous stimuli
32
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Test developed to study achievement motivation. Subjects are asked to tell a story about an ambiguous picture. Useful for measuring motivational traits, and can predict how interpersonally dependent people are
33
Objective Measures
Relatively direct assessments of personality, usually based on information gathered through self-report questionnaires or observer ratings
34
California Q-Sort
Objective measure of personality in which participants sort cards into nine piles depending on how well the statements on them match their personalities. Reflects traits people feel are most central. Can also be performed by observer
35
Situationalism
The theory that behavior is determined more by situations than by personality traits
36
The Person/Situation Debate
Debate over the stability of personality traits across circumstances
37
Strong vs. Weak Situations
Strong situations (elevators, religious services, job interviews) tend to mask differences in personality. Weak situations (home) tend to reveal differences in personality
38
Interactionalists
Theorists who believe that behavior is determined jointly by situations and underlying dispositions
39
Temperaments
Biologically based tendencies to feel or act in certain ways. Broader than personality traits because life experiences may alter personality traits, but temperaments represent innate biological structures of personality
40
Activity Level
Temperament that is defined as the overall amount of energy and of behavior a person exhibits
41
Emotionality
Temperament defined as the intensity of emotional reactions
42
Sociability
Temperament defined as the general tendency to affiliate with others
43
Relationship between genes, temperaments and personality
Genes produce temperaments, temperaments affect how people respond to and shape their environment, environment and temperament interact to shape personality
44
Ascending Reticular Activating System (ARAS)
Regulates cortical arousal, or alertness. Eysenck proposed that differences in system of reticular activation cause introversion or extroversion. Proposed that resting levels of ARAS higher for introverts than extroverts.
45
Behavioral Approach System (BAS)
The brain system involved in the pursuit of incentives or rewards (the "go" system) Extroverts have stronger BAS than BIS
46
Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)
The brain system that is more sensitive to punishment and therefore inhibits behavior that might lead to danger or pain (the "stop" system) Introverts have stronger BIS than BAS
47
Basic Tendencies
Dispositional traits determined largely by biological processes, and are therefore very stable
48
Characteristic Adaptations
Adjustments to situational demands
49
Self-Concept
Everything you know about yourself
50
Objectified Self
The knowledge the subject holds about itself, such as its best and worst qualities
51
Self-Awareness
The sense of self as the object of attention
52
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Tory Higgins' theory that an individual's awareness of differences between personal standards and goals leads to strong emotions
53
Self-Schema
The cognitive aspect of the self-concept, or an integrated set of memories, beliefs and generalizations about the self
54
Working Self-Concept
The immediate experience of the self, which is limited to the amount of personal information that can be processed cognitively at any given time. Because it includes only a portion of a larger body of knowledge, sense of self varies from situation to situation
55
Self-Esteem
The evaluative aspect of the self-concept, or a person's emotional response to contemplating personal characteristics
56
Reflected Appraisal
The belief that self-esteem is based on how people believe others perceive them
57
Sociometer
An internal monitor of social acceptance or rejection. Self-esteem is a sociometer. This means when a person's sociometer indicates a low probability of rejection, the person will tend to experience high self-esteem
58
Terror Management Theory
Says that self-esteem gives meaning to people's lives, protecting them from the horror associated with knowing they will die. People counter fears of mortality by creating sense of symbolic immortality through contributing to culture and upholding its values
59
Narcissism
Personality trait associated with inflated self-esteem. Narcissists view themselves in grandiose terms, feel entitled to special treatment, and are manipulative.
60
Better-Than-Average Effect
Most people describe themselves as above average in nearly every way
61
Self-Evaluative Maintenance
Theory that people can feel threatened when someone close to them outperforms them on a task that is personally relevant. Causes people to exaggerate connection to winners and minimize relations to losers
62
Social Comparison
Occurs when people evaluate their own actions, abilities and beliefs by contrasting them with other people's. Means people compare themselves with others to see where they stand. People with high self-esteem tend to make downward comparisons, and people with low self-esteem tend to make upward comparisons
63
Self-Serving Bias
The tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors
64
Interdependent Self-Construals
When people's self-concepts are determined to a large extent by their social roles and personal relationships
65
Independent Self-Construals
When people's sense of self are based on their feelings of being distinct from others

Psychology (11 decks)

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