Jan 12, 2016 Flashcards
What is the definition of personality according to Allport
personality is a dynamic organization inside the person, of psycho-physical systems that create the person’s characteristic patters of behaviour, thoughts, and feelings.
what are the six key aspects of personality according to Allport?
1) organization: some qualities are more important than others - sometimes they hide, sometimes to dominant to hide.
2) active processes: constantly changing
3) Tied to the physical body
4) Causal Force: based on experiences will influence perceptions of the world
5) Patterns: hard to stop or change personality, vast majority of when you do something will recur
6) Displayed in many ways: what music you listen to when sad versus when you’re going to a party versus angry etc.
What are the two fundamental issues in personality?
- Individual differences
- Intrapersonal functoning
Each person is unique, but where do these differences come from? Why and how are these differences important?
Individual differences
Certain mechanisms or processes lead you to act in the ways you do; but what kinds of mechanisms or processes are involved, and why are they important?
“Mind over Matter”
Intrapersonal Functioning
What is a group of logically related statements (formulas, ideas, rules) that explain events that have happened in the past as well as predict events that will occur in the future
A theory
A model of reality : an abstract, simplified simulation of the world tried to explain some aspects of some phenomena - can apply to a very limited or specific class of events or can be very general.
A theory
What are the four general purposes of a theory?
1) provides us with a guide to collect the kind of information we need to describe some phenomenon of interest.
2) helps is integrate a set of facts into general categories or “scientific laws”
3) helps us present information in an organized and coherent way so subsequent efforts at answering the same or a related question are not randomly done
4) allows powerful and wide-ranging explanations of observed phenomena through the utilization of scientific laws
What are the 4 important elements of a theory?
1) Variables
2) Constructs
3) Operational Definitions
4) Hypotheses
Anything that can take on more than one value (ex. scores on an IQ test)
Variables
Hypothetical phenomena; groups of variables related to each other on some theoretical level (ex. aggression: kicking, biting, scratching)
Constructs
The transformation of constructs into measurable form
ex. aggression defined by number of times kicking, biting, scratching exhibited etc
Operational Definitions
Educated guesses that posit an “if” question THEN relationship among variables or constructs that can be tested. (ex. IF boys are more aggressive than girls THEN boys shall exhibit higher levels of kicking, biting, and scratching)
Hypotheses
What are the 6 criterion for judging a theory?
1) inclusiveness: how many different phenomena does the theory address?
2) consistency: how well can the theory predict future outcomes and explain past ones?
3) Accuracy: How well can the theory predict future outcomes and explain past ones? (ex. gender roles, accurate here might be not somewhere else)
4) Relevance: how closely is the theory related to the information collected within that theory (i.e. how well does it reflect the facts?) (Oedipus complex - not relevant)
5) Fruitfulness: how well does the theory generate new ideas and directions for inquiry? (has nothing to do with being right or wrong ex. Freud)
6) Simplicity: How simple or unencumbered is the theory (i.e. how easy is it to understand?)
Dispositional Theory
human nature has to do with relatively permanent, stable, displayed in different ways, are qualities built inside of us.
