Developmental chapter 11 (personality)

Question 1

Erikson’s theory

Answer 1

suggested that personal growth and change could occur despite harmful early experiences

Question 2

Freud theory

Answer 2

personality is formed in the stages of psychosexual development ( in the first 5 years of life) and then remains the same

Question 3

trait theory based on the psychometric approach

Answer 3

defines personality as a set of consistent and enduring traits that people differ in
↳ The Big 5:
openness to experience → curiosity vs. preference for the same things
conscientiousness → discipline and organization vs. lack of seriousness
extraversion → sociability and outgoingness vs. introversion
agreeableness → compliance and cooperativeness vs. suspiciousness
neuroticism → emotional stability vs. instability

Question 4

social learning theory

Answer 4

• it don’t believe in stages or traits of personality
• suggests people’s behavior is influenced by situations and changes in the environment

Question 5

dispositional traits

Answer 5

features that describe an individual’s patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior over time and across situations

Question 6

The Emerging Self

Answer 6

2-3 months → agency → a sense that one can cause things to happen

6 months → realize other people are separate beings with different perspectives

18 months → self-recognition → infants recognize themselves as distinct individuals

18-24 months → categorical self → classify themselves by age, sex, and other characteristics

• self-awareness develops through cognitive development and social interaction
  ↳ develops quicker in individualistic cultures

Question 7

self-concept →

Answer 7

one’s perception of their traits

Question 7

characteristic adaptations

Answer 7

situation-specific and changeable ways in which people adapt
to their environment and roles

Question 8

The 3 temperament categories

Answer 8

1. easy temperament:
   - typically content
   - open to new experiences
   - regular habits
   - tolerate discomfort
2. difficult temperament:
   - active
   - irritable
   - irregular habits
   - adapt slowly to new situations
3. slow-to-warm-up temperament:
   - relatively inactive
   - moody
   - slow in adapting but respond mildly

Temperament grows into a predictable personality in childhood and predicts later personality

Question 8

temperament

Answer 8

tendencies to respond to events in predictable ways, the basis for later
personality (research shows infants are born with certain temperaments)

Question 9

• 3 dimensions for defining temperament:

Answer 9

1. surgency/extraversion → tendency to approach new experiences
2. negative affectivity → tendency to be sad, fearful, and difficult to comfort
3. effortful control → ability to focus and shift attention

Question 10

Self-Esteem

Answer 10

becomes more multidimensional with age

{5 aspects of self-esteem}
1. scholastic competence
2. social acceptance → being popular or feeling liked
3. behavioral conduct → staying out of trouble
4. athletic competence
5. physical appearance

Question 11

The Adolescent and Self-Concept

Answer 11

self-descriptions change:
- less physical, more psychological
- more abstract, differentiated, integrated, and coherent
- as adolescents get really self-conscious, self-esteem decreases

Question 12

moratorium period

Answer 12

period the society allows for the youth, where they are relatively
responsibility-free and can experiment and find themselves

Question 13

• the status of identity can be viewed in terms of

Answer 13

crisis → struggling with identity and exploring
commitment → resolving the questions and settling on an identity

Question 14

whar are the 4 identity statuses?

Answer 14

1. diffusion → no crisis experienced and no commitment is made
2. foreclosure → no crisis yet, commitment is made, but based on parents or others
3. moratorium → identity crisis is experienced and commitment is not made
4. identity achievement → after crisis, answers are found and identity is established

Question 15

constructing narrative identitie

Answer 15

• the creation of a life story, or narrative identity is important in adolescence
  ↳ in older age, a life review happens which helps people come to terms with dying

Question 16

maintaining good self-esteem implies:

Answer 16

→ reducing the gap between the actual and ideal self
→ adjusting the goals and standards of evaluation
→ making social comparisons to others of similar ages
→ avoiding negative self-stereotyping

Question 17

moratorium period

Answer 17

period the society allows for the youth, where they are relatively
responsibility-free and can experiment and find themselves

↳ makes finding an identity harder because of the multitude of possibilities

Question 18

ethnic identity

Answer 18

• developing an ethnic identity is most important for minorities and multiracial youth
• a positive ethnic identity leads to good self-esteem and adjustment

Question 19

vocational identity

Answer 19

• as more realistic self-concept emerge, more realistic career paths are desired
  the search for the best fit between personality and occupation
• 6 personality types that fit different occupations:
  1. investigative → enjoy learning, solving problems, and working with ideas
  2. social → enjoy interacting and helping others
  3. realistic → enjoy practical work with objects
  4. artistic → enjoy expressing themselves creatively
  5. conventional → enjoy order and structure
  6. enterprising → enjoy influencing others and attaining status

Question 20

Self-Concept and Self-Esteem (Adults)

Answer 20

• maintaining good self-esteem implies:
  → reducing the gap between the actual and ideal self
  → adjusting the goals and standards of evaluation
  → making social comparisons to others of similar ages
  → avoiding negative self-stereotyping

Question 21

maturity principle

Answer 21

shift toward greater emotional stability, agreeableness, and
conscientiousness with age

Question 22

**

cultural influences

Answer 22

in individualistic people:
- feel like they have a consistent inner self across situations
- emphasis on uniqueness
- self-enhancing → seeing the self as above average

in collectivist people:
- see situational influences as influencing their sense of self
- are more modest and less self-absorbed
- self-effacing → self-critical and aware of inadequacies

Question 23

Midlife Crisis

Answer 23

• transition period from age 40-45 that is especially significant for adults
• adults go through a repeated process of building a life structure (pattern of living), and then question and alter it every 7 years

Question 24

midlife questioning

Answer 24

a non-universal psychological crisis that can occur in response to life
events, and can happen at any age

Question 25

Vocational Development and Adjustment

Answer 25

• around the age of 40, most adults have settled and are at their peak
• personality and environment are important influences on how successful someone is
• gender is influential on vocational choices due to gender discrimination and gender-role
  norms