Introduction to Personality

Question 1

Define Personality

Answer 1

Enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, motivations, and behaviours. Relatively stable. Unique and adaptive.

Question 2

Three ways we describe personality

Answer 2

Human nature- like all others

Individual and group differences- like some others

Individual uniqueness- like no others

Question 3

Traits

Answer 3

• Emotional, cognitive and behavioural tendencies which are unique to individuals
• Traits influence behaviour but do not dictate behaviour

Question 4

Explain Personality Mechanism

Answer 4

The process of personality:
1. Input
2. Decision rules
3. Output

Question 5

How does personality influence interaction?

Answer 5

Thru the process of interaction:
1. Perception - trait can change how we perceive something or a situation
2. Selection - People may select their environment based on their traits.
3. Evocation - The response we evoke in others. This can be intentional or unintentional.
4. Manipulation - Purposefully influencing others or influencing our environment

Question 6

What are Adaptation functions in personality?

Answer 6

Allows us to adapt to our environment. They are:
1. Physical - They can allow us to get the resources we need
2. Intrapsychic - Our environment within our own mind
3. Social environment - Allow us to adapt as we fit in with different social circles

Question 7

Define Trait Perspective/Depositional.

Answer 7

• It focuses on the ways individual differ from one another
• The goal is to identify and measure how individuals differ

Question 8

What are 2 ways to think about traits?

Answer 8

1. Internal causal properties:
   - Traits are internal
   - Traits are causal
   -Traits can lie dormant
2. Purely descriptive summaries:
   - Descriptive summaries of a person
   - No assumption about internality
   - Causality is not assumed

Question 9

List the Identifying Traits

Answer 9

1. Lexical Approach - The belief that traits are encoded within our language
2. Statistical Approach - Using all of those traits that emerge from language and emerge from lexical approach and using statistical analysis to determine which ones are the key traits
3. Theoretical Approach - Using theory and going to theory and looking at what theory is the most important traits and that’s what we focus on

Question 10

What are 3 key Taxonomies of Personality?

Answer 10

1. Eysenck’s Hierarchical Model of Personality
2. Cattell’s Taxonomy
3. Five-Factor Model

Question 11

Describe Eysenck’s Hierarchical Model of Personality

Answer 11

• It is based on the idea that personality was highly heritable
• A trait is a group of correlated habits
• Order: Super Trait > Traits > Habits > Behaviours

Question 12

Describe The Five-Factor Model

Answer 12

• Openness to Experience
• Consciousness
• Extraversion
• Aggreeableness
• Neuroticism

Question 12

Describe Cattell’s Taxonomy

Answer 12

• Identifies 16 traits
• Key goal was to identify and measure the basic units of personality

Question 12

What are Eysenck’s Super Traits?

Answer 12

1. Extraversion - Introversion (E)
2. Neuoticism - Emotional Stability (N)
3. Psychoticism - Low Psychoticism (P)

Question 13

Define BAS & BIS

Answer 13

Behavioural approach systems (BAS) attuned to rewards

Behavioural inhibition system (BIS) attuned to punishment