LB, Personality & Wellbeing, WEEK 3 Flashcards
1
Q
What is personality?
A
- personality is something (can be measured, DV) but can also influence something (IV manipulation)
- Personality is a dynamic organisation > personality can change (Allport, 1961)
-Personality includes psycho-physical systems (many systems such as cognition, emotion) > these different systems plays into what personality is - Personality influences our unique adjustment to our environment > every personality trait adapts in different ways for individual people depending on the environment they are in
- Mischel (1976) similarly says personality is distinctive patterns of behaviour, thoughts + emotions that characterise each adaptation to situations > personality comes across differently for friends compared to lecturers for example
- Personality is stable (generally the same over time) but can change + changes dependent on the situation > changes have been found to occur across the lifespan and in response to major life events.
- Personality is “multifaceted” > many things impact what our personality is, is measurable + unique (although some people share similar traits + interests, how the traits manifests is unique to the person)
The influence of personality factors on psychological well-being has been examined in chronic illnesses.
2
Q
Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory
A
- Shows 16 different personality types, each with 4 different characteristics > ppts choose to be either extrovert or introvert and so on, the letters put together show the personality type you have
- Was created by a mother and daughter based on subjective observations
3
Q
Criticisms of Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory
A
- this was not scientific in the slightest + although is widely used informally on social media or occupational settings, it is disregarded much in an academic regard
- Minimal supporting lit > just because a theory exists doesn’t mean it is always appropriate to use it > need to be critical of measures, theories, and tools used
- characteristics are and either/or situation, personality exists on a continuum, for example: people may be more of an ambivert
- poor test re-test reliability > e.g. feeling is .43 while extraversion .73 > fluctuate because of how it is measured > In retests over a five week period, a one point difference on a particular dimension resulted in a reclassification of personality type for 50 % of the subjects in the study.
- Questionable construct validity > Myers and Briggs developed the MBTI in many ways that were inconsistent with Jung’s (1923/1971) theory of personality types when MB tried operationalising his ideas > they aren’t measuring what they intended to
4
Q
Friedman & Rosenman (1976)
A
- Looked at how different people respond to stress, from this a personality theory developed > people will lay on a continuum of the type they are
- Type A: Competitive, self-critical, intolerant, poor work-life balance, wound up, sense of urgency, impatient, hostile, aggressive. Prone to heart-disease & stress related illness
- Type B: Relaxed, patient, easy-going, tolerant, reflective, imaginative, creative, versatile, slow to anger, forgiving (opposite of type A)
- Type C: Sensitive to others emotions/needs, difficulty expressing own emotion (especially negative), avoids conflict, high social desirability, over compliance to rules which may not be correct, over patient, ‘pathological niceness” (being nice in situations which are detrimental to their wellbeing). Difficulty managing pressures on time & resources
5
Q
Eysenck’s (1975) Three Factor Model
A
- Argues temperament (i.e personality in this case) is inherited + genetic > not learnt through experiences + is there from birth, refining throughout lifespan
- He identified traits using factor analysis > in SPSS + allows researchers to identify which questions in a questionnaire cluster together > this shows they are measuring the same underlying trait/construct
- Relied on observation, his psychological knowledge and research to interpret & label the factors – factor analysis is not just statistical > needs interpretation too
- Using this, identified that there were 3 different scales > people lay somewhere on a continuum for each scale
- Scale includes introversion-extraversion, stability-neuroticism and self-control-psychoticism
6
Q
“Big Five” Model (OCEAN)
A
- Argues there are 5 big personality traits on a continuum
- assumed that being at one end of the continuum was better than the other > so being very high in all traits except for neuroticism (should be very low) is best > is not true, it can be dangerous to be at an extreme end of either side of the continuum (personality disorders are likely)
7
Q
“Big Five” Model traits
A
- Openness: people high in this are insightful, creative, curious, receptive to new experiences, sensations and thoughts > low in this are resistant to change, closed off from new experiences, distrusts new ideas, tends to think concretely & in absolutes.
- Conscientiousness: high > Impulse control, planning, hard-working, attention to detail, methodical, think before doing & likes structure and schedules. Low > Impulsive, disorganised, procrastinates, doesn’t complete tasks on time, disruptive and does not like structure or schedules
- Extraversion: high > Energy from social interactions, like being centre of attention, talkative, don’t always think before speaking, often have lots of acquittances but not many close friends. Low > Social interactions drain, comfortable being alone, tend to have a few close friends but not a lot of acquittances, think carefully before speaking
- Agreeableness: high > Friendly, approachable, caring, empathetic, cooperative, very trusting, willing to compromise. Low > Competitive, self-interest, uncompromising, stubborn, distrustful, aloof, uncompromising
- Neuroticism: high > Mood fluctuation, anxious, worrying, depression, sadness, paranoia, irritability, frustration, unstable, quick to anger. Low > Less likely to worry, it takes more to upset them, stable/steady, relaxed
8
Q
Strengths of big five model
A
- The traits exist across different population including children, university students, older adults, and in culturally and linguistically diverse groups > population validity
Also shows validity + reliability across cross-cultural research
9
Q
Similarities across models
A
- The most significant + scientific theories exist on a continuum > people are not just either/or in terms of personality
- Neuroticism has consistently come across different theories > this may be a reliable personality trait evident in all people at some level perhaps > Elevated levels of neuroticism are consistently found to be associated with higher rates of psychological disorders and more severe distress levels > By definition, neuroticism is characterised by moodiness, anxiety, and depression, and hence items measuring facets of this personality factor relate to pessimistic thoughts, negative emotions, sensitivity to threat, high stress reactivity, and lack of coping skills.
- Most theories do cover similar traits > reliable traits?
10
Q
Projective Measures (way of measuring personality) Rorschach test
A
- Based off Freudian theory + psychoanalysis > assessed by producing abstract images by dropping ink on a page, folding the page + creating an image which people then interpret + see what it means to them
- After asked what this means, probes are asked to delve deeper + see how they are perceiving different objects
- Interpretation is complex and training is needed in the Rorschach Method (training to administer tests takes months, and learning to be an interpreter takes years > Still requires broad knowledge about personality (& personality disorder)
- This method tends to be used by psychodynamic clinicians to try understand their patients
- seek to expose people’s unconscious perceptions by using ambiguous stimuli to reveal the inner aspects of an individual’s personality but they are sensitive to examiner’s beliefs/biases and the honesty of self-report (e.g. lying, social desirability and guessing what the assessor wants to hear are all risks).
- They are highly criticized for having poor reliability and validity, lacking scientific evidence, and relying too much on the subjective judgment of a clinician.
11
Q
Projective Measures
Thematic apperception test
A
- more based on Jung’s approach to psychology (argues we have archetypal images of people/situations + this is the unconscious influence on us
- 30 cards showing different situations (ambiguous drawings)
- Ppt tells the test administrator a story about the pictures, including the background & thoughts & feelings about the characters
- There are lots of different scoring methods but the most common one now is the Social Cognition and Objects Relations Scales (SCORS) which rates responses on 8 7-point Likert Scales
- These are 1) Complexity of Representation (how complex the story is), 2) Affective Quality of Representation (emotion behind the story, postive/negative), 3) Emotional Investment in Relationships (how invested in characters are they) 4) Emotional Investment in Values and Moral Standards (are ppts using the characters to show their underlying values) 5) Understanding of Social Causality (cause + effect? One character causes something else), 6) Experience and Management of Aggressive Impulses (are they trying not to say everything they are thinking), 7) Self-Esteem and 8) Identity and Coherence of Self (how in-depth + consistent are the described characters)
- low score equals low proficiency e.g. a low score on Complexity of Representation would mean that someone struggles to see others as integrated complex beings (instead they see the people in a more all-or-nothing kind of way i.e. entirely good or entirely bad).
- This scale helps the clinician identify the unconscious processes coming into play > their score may be reflective of their personality
12
Q
Criticisms of projective measures
A
- Open to interpretation > relying on what the client is telling you which may not be accurate, but it is also meant to be an interpretation of what people have said > ideas may be lost in translation via projective measures
- Can be useful for identifying potential underlying personality disorders by trained clinicians > takes a lot of expertise + is usually used alongside other techniques > not enough on its own
13
Q
Objective Measurement
A
- Can measure personality using parametric tests > questionnaires designed through rigorous scientific work (based on theory, then extensively piloted + refined based on research) > Designing, piloting, standardising and revising psychometric tests is challenging and time consuming process. It can take years and they are often amended later based on new findings. To use psychometric tests, you often need training and access is limited by this condition and costs > need extensive psychological knowledge
- A good questionnaire should be asking one question only (not double-barrelled where two responses can be given), the wording of the q can change how it is perceived by the ppt, may have to recode questions (e.g. if using a 7 point likert scale but wording is negative, some qs worded positively mean a high score= high in that trait while negatively worded means high score = low on trait > means you need to re-word that item so it is positive + high score always = high on the trait)
- Another factor in questionnaires can be included to test for social desirability/lying > Eysenck did this to tell if ppts were being honest > qs can be asked to monitor attention too
- E.G.: The 16 PF (personality factor) inventory measures personality according Cattell’s 16 factor theory of personality. The 16PF can also used be used by psychologists and other mental health professionals as a clinical instrument to help diagnose psychiatric disorders and help with prognosis and therapy planning. It provides clinicians with a normal-range measurement of anxiety, adjustment, emotional stability, and behavioral problems. It can also be used within other areas of psychology, such as career and occupational selection. (more in onenote)
14
Q
Does personality predict wellbeing: Myers-Briggs
A
- Boult (2017), the director of the lab, explains how their model can predict wellbeing > not objective because Boult is affiliated w/ + has motive to promote the scale
- based on Seligman’s (2011) PERMA model of wellbeing > this model argues wellbeing includes different components such as positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment > meaning well-being is assessed on these criteria
- Boult took a sample of 3113, self-completed Myers-Briggs Type Inventory in relation to workplace wellbeing (not general well-being, contextual)
- Generally all Ps reported positive levels of workplace wellbeing (unexpected, no variation?) > how likely is it for all ppts to be reporting positively on every scale? > is this valid + reliable?
- Highest level of workplace wellbeing for ENFPs (people with a preference for extraversion, intuition, feeling and perceiving from the four categories)
- Extraverts generally reported higher levels of workplace wellbeing compared to introverts. Note that this was just in relation to workplace wellbeing, general wellbeing was not assessed and we do not know the type(s) of workplace > other studies support extraverts tend to have better well-being so perhaps this finding could be reliable
- The results however remain largely dubious as it was released by the company director (subjective + biased), people have been categorised as either/or + not on a continuum > MB models doesn’t allow fluctuation even though whether you are introverted or extroverted differs based on the EV
- results are concerning due to how valid + reliable the research is, supports model but is NOT a good source
- how was confidentiality ensured? likely to lie because they want to be seen positively by employers
15
Q
Limitations of Boult, 2017
Myers & Briggs > wellbeing
A
- It is not by an objective source, the director has a vested interest in promoting the tool they sell.
- The PERMA model is just one way of conceptualising well-being (it’s generally good, but it is only one way)
- It’s based on participants picking one of the two options for each category (i.e. it is all-or-nothing and it does not recognise that personality traits vary on strength and are usually seen as being on a continuum)
- Is it normal for everyone in a workplace to report positive wellbeing? Now, this might happen but it is extremely unlikely (e.g. illnesses, relationship problems, disabilities, dissatisfaction with role etc).
How was confidentiality ensured? Employee’s may not be truthful if they think their employer will disapprove of negative comments
