Chapter 9 Flashcards
longitudinal study
follows group of people over extended time, advantage is comparing same people as they age rather than different people over various ages, disadvantage is cost and drop-outs (attrition), valid and reliable measures are important (correlation not causation)
findings from longitudinal studies
correlation between type A personality and development of cardiovascular disease, having successful marriage and performing well in school/work, subtle correlates like smiling can predict life outcomes
important note with personality and success
having good personality is more important for success at work than coming from well-off or educated family, even tiny variations can have significant effects and some aspects of personality can be changed
child temperament
genetically based behavioral tendencies in young children, with age the temperament, follows physical development
temperament and the big 5
many models of child temperament overlap with big 5 traits, by adolescence, personality traits more clearly resemble adult big 5
child temperament with the big 5
positive affect (smiling/happy) => extraversion
Affiliativeness (liking being around others) => agreeableness
effortful control (behavior control) => conscientiousness
negative affect (crying/sad) => neuroticism
orienting sensitivity (alertness) => openness
what does the marshmallow experiment test
effortful control
child temperament turning into adult personality strength
stronger with some traits than others, like under controlled kids are lower in conscientiousness so more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol
childhood and control
develop better control of emotions and actions as mature, become more inhibited so can control impulses, especially between 4-9 years, relates to higher conscientiousness and important to functioning in society
key development in adolescence
increased understanding of intellectual and abstract ideas, so better understanding of ideas/concepts that are intangible, openness increases from 11-18, conscientiousness and agreeableness increase
self-esteem during childhood and adolescence
moderate in elementary school, dips in early teens, increases in high school and young adult, girls self-esteem increases slower than boys
stages of life overall
infant 0-12 months
toddler 1-2 yrs
preschooler 2-4 yrs
school aged child 5-10 yrs
early adolescence 11-13 yrs
middle adolescence 12-16 yrs
late adolescence 17-18 yrs
young/emerging adulthood 18-29 yrs
middle adulthood 20-59 yrs
older adulthood 60+ yrs
Birth order and personality
birth order only has small effect, more about roles taken on in family dynamic
firstborn personality
higher conscientiousness and neuroticism, more dominant/bossy
middleborn personality
lower in conscientiousness
younger personality
higher in openness, more reckless/impulsive, higher agreeableness
only children personality
better relationships with parents
big 5 changes from young adult to old age
personality mellows as get older, less neurotic and more conscientious, increase in assertiveness (facet of extraversion), self esteem decreases after 60s because of loss of loved ones and career, narcissism decreases, patterns could be due to generational differences
impact of life events on personality “quantum change” or radical personality change
infrequent, entering full-time workforce increases conscientiousness for those who work rather than go to college (college-goers do catch up), successful career leads to more confidence, dominance, norm-adherence, less neuroticism
personality and romantic relationships
young adults in long term relationships increase in conscientiousness and self-esteem, decrease in neuroticism - similar pattern for older people with Erik Erikson and intimacy vs. social isolation
Erikson Infancy, 0-1.5 yrs
trust vs. mistrust, trusting others means higher agreeableness and extraversion, lower trust means lower of those two
Erikson’s early childhood, 1.5-3 yrs
autonomy vs. shame, autonomy means higher self-efficacy and independence, higher openness and lower neuroticism, higher shame means lower self-esteem, interdependence, lower extraversion and higher neuroticism
Erikson’s preschool 3-5 yrs
higher self-efficacy and independence, higher openness, lower neuroticism, guilt leading to lower self-esteem and interdependence, lower extraversion, neuroticism
Erikson’s school age
industry vs. inferiority, industry leads to higher self-efficacy, independence, openness, lower neuroticism, inferiority means lower self-esteem, interdependence, lower extraversion, higher neuroticism
Erikson’s adolescence 12-18
ego identity vs. role confusion, finding who we are, what groups we belong to
Erikson’s young adulthood 18-40
intimacy vs. isolation, close deep relationships, vulnerability (which is hard for those without industry), isolation makes not close relationships so difficulty socializing and connecting
Erikson’s middle adulthood 20-65
generativity vs. stagnation, leaving a legacy for the future, not contributing can make people feel stuck and without goals
Erikson’s older adulthood 65+
ego integrity vs. despair, find ways to maintain identity with changes in functioning, despair if lose identity roles and feel empty/lost
significant life experiences and social investment theory: becoming a parent
adults with 2+ children increase in neuroticism over time, becoming a father magnifies preexisting tendencies in men’s sociability, few differences in personality traits
note about significant life events and personality
negative/positive events affect people differently, personality traits can predict experiences and effects depend on perception, some very negative events can change personality, but personality is more likely to predict events
