explaining personality

Question 1

psychoanalytical approaches

3 sub theories

Answer 1

topographic
structural
genetic

Question 2

psychoanalytical approaches]

topographic

Answer 2

levels of mental life; conscious, preconscious, unconscious

Question 3

psychoanalytical approaches

structural

Answer 3

organisation of the personality; Id, Ego+super-ego

Question 4

psychoanalytical approaches

genetic

Answer 4

stages of personality development

psychosexual stages

Question 5

psychoanalytical approaches

id

Answer 5

pleasure principle
instincts and desires
impulsive
incapable of delay of gratification`

Question 6

psychoanalytical approaches

ego

Answer 6

partly conscious
mediated between id+ego
reality principle

Question 7

psychoanalytical approaches

super ego

Answer 7

moral sense
unconscious
internalised ‘parental voice’

Question 8

psychoanalytical approaches

stages

Answer 8

oral 0-2
anal 2-3
phallic 3-7
latency 7-11
genetic 11+

Question 9

psychoanalytical approaches

critiques

Answer 9

determinism
instinct theory-sex+aggression
unreliable/not scientific

Question 10

Biological approaches

evolutionary approaches

Answer 10

natural selection
selective neutrality
frequency-dependent selection

Question 11

Biological approaches

frequency-dependent selection

Answer 11

an evolutionary process by which the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency relative to other phenotype in a population

Question 12

Biological approaches

selective neutrality

Answer 12

extroverts; more sexual partners, more likely to be hospitalised
introverts; more likely to live long enough to reproduce
balance; extroverts who did survive long enough to reproduce would have more offspring.

Question 13

Biological approaches

what is a gene

Answer 13

DNA

Question 14

Biological approaches

what is a phenotype

Answer 14

outward manifestation e.g. physical appearance

Question 15

Biological approaches

2 theories

Answer 15

eysenck’s general arousal theory

grays reinforcement sensitivity theory

Question 16

Biological approaches

eysenck’s general arousal theory

Answer 16

individual differences in personality as a result of differences in brain functioning
personality traits are inherited
focused on extraversion, neuroticism+psychoticism (PEN) model
2 neural mechanisms; excitatory+inhibitory

Question 17

Biological approaches
eysenck’s general arousal theory
extraversion

Answer 17

the difference between introverts+extroverts is their level of arousal, for extroverts, their level is lower and hence they look for stimulation

Question 18

Biological approaches
eysenck’s general arousal theory
neuroticism

Answer 18

high neuroticism=high stress+anxiety

low neuroticism= more emotional stability

Question 19

Biological approaches
eysenck’s general arousal theory
psychoticism

Answer 19

high psychoticism= likely to engage in irresponsible behaviour and this is influenced by biological factors

Question 20

Biological approaches

grays reinforcement sensitivity theory

Answer 20

there are 2 separate reward+punishment systems in the brain that are important in the development of personality
behavioural inhibition system
behavioural activation system

Question 21

Biological approaches
grays reinforcement sensitivity theory
behavioural inhibition system

Answer 21

increase in CNS arousal+attention
freezing in anticipation of danger
learn better about punishment

Question 22

Biological approaches
grays reinforcement sensitivity theory
behavioural activation system

Answer 22

learn better about reward outcomes
drawn to desired stimuli
explain the reward-directed behaviour

Question 23

neurotransmitter theories
RDS
reward dependence system

Answer 23

the tendency to respond to signals of reward

when reward dependence levels deviate from normal we see the rise of personality+addictive disorders

Question 24

neurotransmitter theories
BFS
behavioural facilitation system

Answer 24

the pursuits of one’s goals

Question 25

neurotransmitter theories

carver

Answer 25

serotonin=agression

Question 26

cognitive approach

what is it

Answer 26

focus on ways of thinking and construction of meaning

personalities are different due to the ways we think being different

Question 27

cognitive approach

locus of control

Answer 27

the outcomes of our behaviour are in our control or out of it

Question 28

cognitive approach

self-efficiacy

Answer 28

belief in our ability to carry out desired behaviour

Question 29

cognitive approach

4 approaches

Answer 29

constructing-personal constructs
representing- the self
explaining-attributional style
coping-styles

Question 30

cognitive approach

constructing-personal constructs

Answer 30

humans are driven to understand, predict+control our environments
personal construct theories to assist in this
each person has a system of constructs (personality) to perceive the world

Question 31

cognitive approach

explaining-attributional style

Answer 31

attributes are about how we explain the world
people aim to determine the causes of events and experiences
attributions differ on dimensions;
internal vs. external
stable vs. unstable
global vs. specific
focus on negative event

Question 32

cognitive approach

coping-styles

Answer 32

people differ in coping strategies;
emotion or problem focused
controllable situation=problem focused

Question 33

cognitive approach

representing-the self

Answer 33

the self is a mental representation of one’s personal attributes
2 individual differences relating to it; self-esteem+self-complexity

Question 34

cognitive approach

what is self esteem

Answer 34

the degree to which the self is valued

Question 35

cognitive approach

what is self complexity

Answer 35

degree to which the structure is complex

number of self aspects