Chapter One Flashcards
What do personality theorists study?
The forces and factors that shape personality.
List Cattel’s 16 personality factors
- cool and reserved or warm and easygoing
- easily upset or calm and stable
- sober and serious or happy-go-lucky
- practical or imaginative
- self assured or apprehensive
- conservative or experimenting
- undisciplined or self-disciplined
- relaxed or tense and driven
when you study the conscious aspects of personality, you are studying …
Only those aspects of personality that can be observed and scientifically tested.
when you study the unconscious aspects of personality, you are studying …
the whole person - both the unconscious and the conscious elements of the psyche.
the study of the unconscious emerged from …
Freud’s psychoanalytic movement in the 1880’s
The study of the conscious mind emerged from …
Wilhelm Wundt’s creation of the first experimental psychology lab
provide a brief overview of the academic psychology approach to the study of personality.
- Uncovering general principles of personality through research methods such as correlations and experiments
- Conducted in an academic setting
- Precursor: Wilhelm Wundt
What was the precursor to the academic psychology approach to the study of personality?
Wilhelm Wundt’s establishment of the first experimental lab
Provide a brief overview of the clinical practice approach to the study of personality.
- study of individual personality through case histories
- conducted in a psychotheraputic, or clinical, environment
- Precursor: Freud
What was the precursor to the clinical practice approach to the study of personality?
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
What is the practical purpose of the evaluation of personality?
Diagnosis, education, counselling, research, etc.
What are the two principles of measurement in the study of personality?
reliability and validity
validity
measure what it is intended to measure
reliability
consistency of response
What are the six assessment methods in the study of personality that we discussed in class?
- Self report inventories
- Online test administration
- projective tests
- clinical interviews
- behavioral assessment
- thought and experience samples
Name the two objective self report inventories
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI)
List some advantages and disadvantages of self report inventories
Advantages:
- Objective scoring
- Low cost
- Test-takers report greater privacy and a sense of anonymity when revealing personal information.
Disadvantages:
- Reading level confound - inaccessible to those who struggle with English
- Social desirability confound - may answer in a way which participant perceives as being socially desirable (esp when taking tests for employment)
- minor changes in the wording of such tests can lead to major changes in the results
Describe online test administration in the study of personality
Computerized versions of self report inventories which participants can fill out in the comfort of their own homes.
List some advantages and disadvantages of online test administration / the virtual research method of personality research
Advantages
- less time consuming
- accepted by the younger generation
- Less costly
Disadvantages
- May reveal private and embarrassing information which participants will later regret
- unrepresentative samples
List four projective tests used in the study of personaliity
- Rorschach Inkblot Technique
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
- Word association
- Sentance completion
List some advantages and disadvantages of projective tests in the study of personality
Advantages
- Unique scientific value (? - debatable)
Disadvantages:
- Low reliability and validity
- subjective scoring
In a clinical interview, what does the therapist ask the client about?
- past and present life experiences
- social and family relationships
- reasons for seeking psychological help
List some advantages and disadvantages of clinical interviews
Advantages:
- focus assessment at the beginning
Disadvantages:
- subjective
Where do behavioral assessments take place?
Either within a clinical interview or within a relevant situation.
List some advantages and disadvantages of behavioral assessments
Advantages:
- gain valuable insights
Disadvantages:
- less systematic
List some advantages and disadvantages of thought and experience sampling
Advantages
- Determine how impacted by context
Disadvantages
- forgetting
- failure to respond
Describe the problem of gender and ethnicity which has emerged from historical theories of personality
- White male theorists dominated the field of personality research
- they generally ignored gender and ethnicity - samples were unrepresentative
- personality theorists would imply that their scientific findings concerning personality were valid for all people, regardless of gender, race, or ethnic origin.
- Does not even seem valid to generalize across an ethnic or cultural group - differ tremendously within
- Cross cultural psychology has shown that gender and ethnic differences impact personality
Describe the impact of ethnicity and culture on personality development
Influences our view of human nature, which in turn has an impact on our subjective sense of well-being, self efficacy, parenting, level of self enhancement, etc.
Individualism verses collectivism
Individualism:
focus on personal freedom
Collectivism:
focus on group norms and values
According to cross cultural psychology, ______ are high in depression and social concern, and low in depression
women
according to cross cultural psychology, ________ are high in collectivism, and low in assertiveness, optimism, and seeking mental health treatment.
Asians