Intro Flashcards
What is the dictionary definition of personality?
- state of being a person
- characteristics and qualities that form a person’s distinctive character
- sum total of a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics
What is the textbook definition of personality?
- consistent behaviour patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual
- individual differences
- consistent behaviour patterns across time and situations
- external sources influence personality
What are interpersonal processes?
- take place between people
What are intrapersonal processes?
- all the emotional, motivational, and cognitive processes that go on inside of us that affect how we act and feel
What is the psychological definition of personality?
- unique and relatively enduring internal and external aspects of a person’s character
What is the APA definition of personality?
- the enduring configuration of characteristics and behaviour that comprises an individual’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns
- personality is generally viewed as a complex, dynamic integration or totality shapes by many forces, including hereditary and constitutional tendencies; physical maturation; early training; identification with significant individuals and groups; culturally conditioned values and roles; and critical experiences and relationships
- various theories explain the structure and development of personality in different ways, but all agree that personality helps determine behaviour
What are traits?
- personality characteristics that determine a person’s behaviour or by which it can be explained
What are interests?
- something that is significant to the individual or that arouses an individual’s attention
What are drives?
- a ready state of action, motivating a person to attain a goal
What are values?
- a moral principal for what is considered good or bad
What is self-concept?
- one’s description of oneself
What is ability?
- what someone is capable of doing
What are emotional patterns?
- ways in which people react emotionally to events
What is the relationship between the person and the situation?
- both the situation and the person contribute to behaviour
- how we act depends on the situation
- how people typically respond to environmental demands, but not everyone reacts the same
- individual’s personality determines:
1) how different they are from others
2) how they behave in the different situations
Who came up with the Five Factor Model?
- McRae and Costa
What is the Five Factor Model?
- there are five big personality dimensions
- OCEAN
1) openness to experience
2) conscientiousness
3) extraversion
4) agreeableness
5) neuroticism/emotional stability
What does it mean to be high on openness?
- imaginative
- curious
- open to new ideas
What does it mean to be low on openness?
- narrow field of interests
- likes the tried and true
What does it mean to be high on conscientiousness?
- responsible
- dependable
- goal oriented
What does it mean to be low on conscientiousness?
- impulsive
- carefree
What does it mean to be high on extraversion?
- outgoing
- energetic
- gregarious
What does it mean to be low on extraversion?
- quiet
- withdrawn
- unassertive
What does it mean to be high on agreeableness?
- warm
- considerate
- good natured
What does it mean to be low on agreeableness?
- aloof
- easily irritated
What does it mean to be high (low) on neuroticism (emotional stability)?
- moody
- tense
- lower self confidence
What does it mean to be low (high) on neuroticism (emotional stability)?
- stable
- confident
Which of the big five have a positive relationship with sales?
- conscientiousness and openness
- high conscientiousness would know how to answer questions
- high openness are more adaptable and learn new things
- so high in both makes good sales person
Which of the big five have a negative relationship with sales?
- agreeableness
- not good to always agree and not know right answers
- competitive environment so not good to be agreeable
- high in agreeableness makes worse sales person
Which of the big five have a significant relationship with sales?
- extraversion and neuroticism
- high extraversion is good for sales
- low neuroticism is good for sales
Can personality be tested?
- no
- no such thing as personality tests
- personality assessments or inventories
How is the big five assessed?
- Q-sort items: sort cards with traits in order of what best fits with personality
- people measured on scales, items that have to do with each trait
How do people present themselves on social media?
- people generally present themselves as they are
- at least as accurate as face to face
- people show themselves as more emotionally stable (positive correlation on how people rated them and how they rated themselves)
- introverted, neurotic, lonely, socially awkward may find it easier to express their true selves
Do selfies make people more or less likable?
- people who post selfies are rated more negatively
- self absorbed, low self esteem, lonely…
How can social media use impact a person?
associated (correlation) with
- anxiety and depression
- perceived isolation
- lower self-esteem
- less healthy activity
- disrupted concentration
- sleep deprivation
- lonely
- introverted
- Link to depression for those high in neuroticism but not fore those high in agreeableness
How does social media reflect personality?
- more extraverted
- open to new experiences
- less conscientious
- lower emotional stability
- lower self esteem
- lower socialization skills
What are the six approaches to personality?
- psychoanalytic approach
- trait approach
- biological approach
- humanistic approach
- behavioural/social learning approach
- cognitive approach
What is the psychoanalytic approach?
- unconscious mind is responsible for important differences in behaviour styles
What is the trait approach?
- an individual lies along a continuum of various personality characteristics
What is the biological approach?
- inherited predispositions and physiological processes contribute to differences in personality
What is the humanistic approach?
- personal responsibility and feelings of self-acceptance cause differences in personality
What is the behavioural/social learning approach?
- consistent behaviour patterns are the result of conditioning and expectations
What is the cognitive approach?
- differences in the way people process information explains differences in behaviour
What are examples of the biological approach?
- Eysenck’s arousal hypothesis
- sensation seeking (reward deficiency syndrome)
- affective neuroscience theory
What is Eysenck’s arousal hypothesis?
- argued that introverts had high cortical arousal, leading them to avoid stimulation
- extraverts had low cortical arousal, which is associated with an unpleasant experience, causing them to seek out stimulating experiences
- extraverts seek situations that may increase their arousal, thus they engage in extraverted behaviour
What is reward deficiency sundrome?
- sensation seekers, because of their lower numbers of inherited D2 receptors, are constantly motivated by the search for more intense sources of rewards
- high sensation seekers are more prone to having problems with self-control, drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour, and aggressive behaviour
Who proposed reward deficiency syndrome?
- Kenneth Blum
What is affective neuroscience theory?
- Jaak Panksepp’s primary emotional systems
- personality is due to the differential contribution between people of brain systems
- we’re difference because of different inherited activity in certain brain areas
- relating personality dimensions to brain areas and neurotransmitters
What are the affective prototypes (personality dimensions) in the affective neuroscience theory?
- seeking
- rage
- fear
- lust
- care
- panic
- play
What is the seeking system?
- generalized motivational arousal
What is the rage system?
- affective attack
- anger?
What is the lust system?
- sexuality
What is the care system?
- nurturance/maternal
What is the panic system?
- separation distress
- social bonding
What is the play system?
- social joy
- affection
What is an examples of the humanistic approach?
- Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs
What are the steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs?
- physiological needs
- safety needs
- love and belonging
- esteem
- self-actualization
need to fulfill one before moving on
What are physiological needs?
- air
- water
- food
- shelter
- sleep
- clothing
- reproduction
What are safety needs?
- personal security
- employment
- resources
- health
- property
What are love and belonging needs?
- friendship
- intimacy
- family
- sense of connection
What are esteem needs?
- respect
- self-esteem
- status
- recognition
- strength
- freedom
What are self-actualization needs?
- desire to become the most that one can be
- aware of all potentials
What needs to most people think are unimportant?
- self actualization
- safety and esteem?
What needs to most people think are important?
- belonging
- physiological needs
How is openness linked with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems?
- most strongly correlated with self-actualization
- self-actualization
- seeking
- Seeking aligns with curiosity, creativity, and the desire to explore and grow, which are central to openness and Maslow’s highest need for self-actualization
How is conscientiousness linked with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems?
- most strongly correlated with self-actualization
- esteem and self-actualization
- no association with primary emotional system
- Conscientiousness, related to self-discipline and goal orientation, aligns with the needs for achievement, respect, and reaching one’s full potential
How is extraversion linked with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems?
- most strongly correlated with esteem
- love-belonging
- play
- Play represents social engagement, joy, and relationships, which support extraversion and correspond to the need for connection, friendship, and belonging
How is agreeableness linked with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems?
- most strongly correlated with belonging
- love/belonging and safety
- high care/low anger
- Care fosters compassion and harmonious social relationships, while low anger supports trust, aligning with the needs for love, acceptance, and social security
How is neuroticism linked with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems?
- strongly and negatively correlated with all of Maslow’s needs; strongest association with esteem (high neuroticism, low self-esteem)
- safety
- high sadness/high fear/high anger
- The emotional systems underlying neuroticism (fear, sadness, anger) reflect concerns with safety, stability, and protection from harm
What is the psychoanalytic explanation for aggression?
- unconscious death instinct
- unconscious desire to self destruct
- self-destructive impulses may be turned outward and expressed against others
- aggression results when blocked from reaching our goals
- person is unaware of the real reasons of the aggression
What is the trait approach explanation for aggression?
- individual differences and the stability of aggressive behaviour
- children identified as aggressive in elementary school were the most likely to have become aggressive adults
What is the biological explanation for aggression?
- genetic predisposition
- born with aggressive dispositions that, depending on their upbringing, result in their becoming aggressive adults
- evolutionary theory: male inherited ned to exercise control over rivals
- role of hormones and neurotransmitters play in behaviour
What is the humanistic explanation for aggression?
- people are basically good
- all people can become happy, nonviolent adults if allowed to grow and develop in an enriching and encouraging environment
- problems (aggression) arises when something interferes with the natural growth process
- basic needs not met, poor self-image
What is the behavioural/social learning explanation for aggression?
- learn to be aggressive
- find that aggressive behaviour is rewarded
- become aggressive from watching models
What is the cognitive explanation for aggression?
- certain cues in the environment trigger a network of aggressive thoughts and emotions
- when aggressive thoughts are highly accessible, people are more likely to interpret situations as threatening and respond to perceived threats with violence
What is the psychoanalytic explanation for depression?
- anger turned inward
- unconscious feeling of anger and hostility
- we have internalized the standards and values of society which discourages the expression of hostility so we take it out on ourselves
- takes place at unconscious level
What is the trait approach explanation for depression?
- identifying depression-prone individuals
- person’s general emotional level at present can indicate that person’s emotions in the future
What is the biological explanation for depression?
- inherit a genetic susceptibility to depression
What is the humanistic explanation for depression?
- in terms of self-esteem
- failed to develop a good sense of self-worth
What is the behavioural/social learning explanation for depression?
- lack of positive reinforcers in a person’s life
- see few activities in your life worth doing
- experiences with aversive situations over which people have little control
- exposure to uncontrollable events
What is the cognitive explanation for depression?
- negative thoughts about self, pessimistic about future and interpret events in a negative manner
- depressive filter to interpret and process information
- easily recall unhappy experiences
What are individualistic cultures?
- place emphasis on individual needs and accomplishments
- see themselves as independent and unique
- includes Northern European countries and the United States
What are collectivist cultures?
- place emphasis on belonging to a larger group; family, tribe, nation
- interested in cooperation
- includes Asian, African, Central American, and South American countries
What are the four components necessary for a complete understanding of personality?
- theory
- application
- assessment
- research
What is the evaluation/assessment of personality used for?
- diagnosis
- education
- counseling
- research
What are the principles of measurement in assessments of personality?
- reliability
- validity
What is reliability?
- consistency of response to a psychological assessment device
What is validity?
- extent to which an assessment device measures what it is intended to measure
What are self report inventories?
- subjects answer questions about their behaviours and feelings
- example; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
What are the advantages of self report inventories?
- objective scoring
- quick assessment
What are the disadvantages of self report inventories?
- not suited for people who possess limited reading skills
- tendency of subjects to provide socially desirable answers
What is the dark triad/the dirty dozen?
- personality inventory that measures machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissm
What is the international personality item pool?
- personality inventory that measures the big five
- use likert scale to answer statements about each dimension
What are advantages to online test administration?
- Less time-consuming and expensive
- Objective scoring
- Accepted by younger employees
- Prevents test takers from looking ahead at questions and changing their answers
What are the types of projective tests?
- Rorschach Inkblot Technique
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
- Word association and sentence completion
What are disadvantages to projective tests?
- Interpretation is subjective
- Reliability and validity of the tests are low
- could be subconscious thoughts or thoughts about something recently seen
What is the Rorschach Inkblot Technique?
- show image of inkblot
- whatever you see is a reflection of your subconscious
- looking for patterns
- interpretation of therapist
What is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) assessment?
- pictures shown one at a time
- subjects depicts story from picture
- asked to describe the situation, the thoughts and feelings of the characters, the preceding events and the final outcome
- look for similar themes across pictures, means they see the world a certain way
What is the recording procedure of the TAT assessment?
- Complete responses presented by a subject should be recorded
- Along with behavioural observations: stuttering, voice tone, body posture, hand movements, exclamation, and so on
- Practitioner should engage in questioning and inquiry to produce a continuous flow of the subject’s fantasy
- The cards should be administered in the sequence they were presented to the subject
