Lecture 11: Self and Personality Development

Question 1

categorical self

Answer 1

children classify themselves in a social category based on age, gender and other physical characteristics

Question 2

self recognition

Answer 2

based on the cognitive development of the brain, social interactions and cultural context
- children in individualistic cultures learn to recognize themselves more quickly

Question 3

easy temperament (40%)

Answer 3

often satisfied and happy babies. they are open and adapt quickly. they have a regular feeding and sleeping pattern and tolerate frustration

Question 4

difficult temperament (10%)

Answer 4

they are active, moody, and erratic in their actions. they often react negatively to changes in routine and are slow to get used to new people or situations. they cry frequently and loudly and have outbursts when frustrated

Question 5

slow-to-warm-up temperament (15%)

Answer 5

they are relatively inactive, somewhat moody and only occasionally regular in their daily schedules. they get used to new people and situations slowly, but they react less violently than babies with a difficult temperament

Question 6

3 major dimensions of temperament

Answer 6

• intrusiveness/extraversion: the tendency to approach new experiences actively and energetically, in an emotionally positive way. these babies are actively involved in life and laugh a lot
• negative affect: sad, anxious, easily frustrated, moody and difficult to comfort
• effortful control: the ability to focus and shift attention when they want to, suppress reactions and appreciate low-intensity activities such as sitting on a parent’s lap

can be measured by creating situations that provoke fear, anger and joy

Question 7

goodness of fit between child and environment

Answer 7

the degree to which the child’s temperament is compatible with the demands and expectations of the social world

Question 8

social comparison

Answer 8

from the age of 8 children can also describe their psychological and social qualities, they develop a social identity, placing themselves in a group. they can also make social comparisons using information about others to evaluate themselves

Question 9

children in primary school

Answer 9

can assess their self worth according to 5 criteria:
- academic competence
- social acceptance
- behavioral attitude
- athletic competence
- physical appearance
they also develop an ideal self-image

Question 10

ideal self-image

Answer 10

a picture of themselves as how they should be. the older a person gets, the greater the gap becomes between their ideal self and realistic self

Question 11

3 factors that influence how we develop our self-image

Answer 11

• genetics: our level of self-esteem is a hereditary trait
• competence
• social feedback

Question 12

identity

Answer 12

concept of who and what we are. forming an identity is the product of 5 factors:
- cognitive development
- personality
- quality of relationship with parents
- cultural context
- opportunities for exploration

Question 13

moratorium period

Answer 13

according to Erikson, society stimulates young people by giving them a moratorium period; a period in which they are free of responsibilities, in which they can experiment

Question 14

diffusion/dissemination status

Answer 14

no crisis, no commitment. the individual has not yet thought about the identity or has not yet figured it out, they don’t really care

Question 15

moratorium status

Answer 15

crisis, but no commitment. the individual experiences an identity crisis and is looking for answers

Question 16

foreclosure/shielding status

Answer 16

no crisis, but commitment. the individual seems to know who they are and has not thought too much about their identity

Question 17

identity statues achieved

Answer 17

crisis and commitment. the individual has passed through an identity crisis and experiences commitment to specific goals, beliefs and values

Question 18

ethnic identity

Answer 18

sense of personal identification with an ethnic group and its values and traditions

Question 19

occupational identity

Answer 19

another aspect of identity, which is particularly important for the career that is developed

Question 20

person-environment fit

Answer 20

according to Holland, this is the optimal fit between someones personality and a job. there are 6 personality types, each which fit a cluster of jobs

Question 21

inquisitive types

Answer 21

enjoy learning, solving problems and being creative with ideas; this suits scientists

Question 22

social types

Answer 22

like to interact and help others; this suits teachers and counselors or therapists

Question 23

realistic types

Answer 23

like to do practical work with concrete jobs; this suits car mechanics and construction workers

Question 24

artistic types

Answer 24

do not want to conform to anything and want to express themselves creatively; this suits artists and musicians

Question 25

conventional types

Answer 25

prefer structure, order and predictability; this suits accountants and library staff

Question 26

enterprising types

Answer 26

like to influence others and gain status; this suits salesmen, entrepreneurs and leaders of organizations

Question 27

how can adults maintain positive self image even when they experience difficulties?

Answer 27

they do this by narrowing the gap between ideal and realistic self-image; by adjusting their goals and standards of self-evaluation to make them more realistic; comparing themselves to older adults instead of younger adults and finally avoiding negative self-stereotyping

Question 28

maturity principle

Answer 28

towards adulthood, people become more emotionally stable, more cooperative, and easier to work with. adults are more disciplined and more responsible

Question 29

what ensures that the personality remains stable over time?

Answer 29

genetics ensures continuity. the effects of childhood experiences are long-lasting. traits seem to remain stable when the environment also remains stable. the gene-environment correlation can promote continuity

Question 30

what causes changes in our personalities?

Answer 30

biological factors such as diseases and dementia. changes in the environment, such as major life events. changes can also be caused by poor person-environment fit

Question 31

selective optimization with compensation (SOC)

Answer 31

older people best cope with aging by using SOC. for example, people can focus on a few tasks and delegate other tasks (selection), practice more and stay up to date on specialisation (optimization) and take more notes as working memory decreases (compensation)

Question 32

shy temperament (20%)

Answer 32

these children are anxious and inhibited in new situations, which has both positive and negative effects
- positive: early signs of awareness, discipline
- negative: shyness and anxiety may persist throughout life, causing hinderance in social situations

Question 33

exuberant temperament

Answer 33

characterized by being uninhibited and fearless when dealing with new situations . there are greater risks of later developing externalizing behavioral problems