Lecture 2 - Personality Traits (Chapter 2) Flashcards
What is the nomothetic paradigm?
Assumes that individual differences can be described, explained and predicted in terms of pre-defined attributes.
What is the idiographic paradigm?
Assumes that individuals are unique and that two separate people cannot be described using the same concepts or terms.
Psychodynamic theories are based on which paradigm?
Idiographic paradigm - psychodynamic theories emphasise the unique nature of individuals’ life experiences.
What is the dispositional approach to personality?
Views personality in terms of consistent and unchanging dispositions to act, think and feel regardless of context.
What is the situational approach to personality?
Views personality in terms of unrelated states or behaviours determined by situational factors.
Dispositional approaches are naturally what paradigm, and why?
Dispositional approaches are naturally nomothetic because they describe people in the same terms.
When making distinctions based on traits, is it a nominal or ordinal difference? Why?
Ordinal because it assumes that each person has those traits, but in different quantities/extents.
When making distinctions based on types (of personalities), is it a nominal or ordinal difference? Why?
Nominal because it suggests a categorical difference.
Define ‘personality traits’.
Dynamic organisation inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create a person’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Who derived the very first theory of personality and what was it called?
Hippocrates-Galen personality or temperament theory.
What was the main assumption of the Greek classification of personality types?
That biological differences formed the basis, and were the cause of, psychological differences.
How did the four different types of temperament in the Greek classification describe biological differences?
In terms of the level of specific fluids in the body.
What characteristics might someone have if they have a sanguine temperament?
Enthusiastic
Optimistic
Cheerful
Satisfied with life
What was the sanguine temperament believed to be mediated by?
The strength of blood supply.
What characteristics might someone have if they have a choleric temperament?
Aggressive
Volatile
Temperamental
What was the choleric temperament believed to be mediated by?
The level of ‘yellow bile’, a chemical released by the gall bladder during digestion.
What characteristics might someone have if they have a phlegmatic temperament?
Calm
Relaxed
Slow-paced
What was the phlegmatic temperament believed to be mediated by?
The level of mucus.
What characteristics might someone have if they have a melancholic temperament?
Sad/depressed
Reflective
Pessimistic
What was the melancholic temperament believed to be caused by?
Malfunctioning of an organ called black bile.
What were the four temperaments assumed to exist by Greek theorists?
- Sanguine
- Choleric
- Plegmatic
- Melancholic
Eysenck conceptualised extraversion as what combination of Greek temperaments?
Sanguine and Choleric temperaments
Eysenck conceptualised introversion as what combination of Greek temperaments?
Phlegmatic and Melancholic temperaments
Eysenck conceptualised neuroticism as what combination of Greek temperaments?
Melancholic and Choleric temperaments
Eysenck conceptualised emotional stability as what combination of Greek temperaments?
Sanguine and Phlegmatic
What was Sheldon’s personality theory called and what did it suggest?
Somatotype theory - suggested that psychological dispositions and patterns of behaviour are associated with physical features.
What are the 3 personality types proposed by Sheldon’s personality theory?
Endomorphic, mesomorphic and ectomorphic.
According to Sheldon’s somatotype theory, what traits do endomorphic people have?
Sociable
Peaceful
Tolerant
Generally overweight
According to Sheldon’s somatotype theory, what traits do mesomorphic people have?
Assertive
Proactive
Vigorous
Muscular
According to Sheldon’s somatotype theory, what traits do ectomorphic people have?
Insecure
Sensitive
Quiet
Weak muscles
What did Carl Jung’s theory explain?
To explain the personal process of individuation by which the historical events of upbringing interact with universal psychological determinants.
What does the MBTI stand for?
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
What is the MBTI?
A questionnaire that assesses introversion-extraversion, intuition sensing, thinking-feeling and judgement-perception as the four major functions of temperament.
What are the characteristics of people with Type A personalities?
Proactive
Driven
Achievement-oriented
Very impatient
What are the characteristics of people with Type B personalities?
Relaxed
Calm
Easygoing
What do Block’s (1971) personality types assess?
The extent that individuals are well-adjusted (flexible and adaptable in interpersonal interactions).
What are the further categories within maladaptive personality types, according to Block (1971)?
Over-controlling and under-controlling.
Over-controlling - uptight and difficult to deal with
Under-controlling - impulsive, risk-taking and aggressive and pay little attention to social norms.
What did Raymond Cattell (1957) argue about the motivation or cause of behaviour?
Biological instincts such as hunger, sex drive and aggression should be considered as part of an individual’s personality, because they motivate/cause behaviour.
What did Helson and Moane (1987) find about the change in personality of women?
Women tend to get more confident, dominant and independent in late adulthood.
What is Eysenck’s Gigantic Three?
His theory suggesting that there are three main personality traits that all individuals can be classified on.
What are the three personality traits in the Gigantic Three?
Extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.
What does MMQ stand for?
Maudsley Medical Questionnaire
What does EPI stand for?
Eysenck’s Personality Inventory
What does EPQ-R stand for?
Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire
What does EPP stand for?
Eysenck Personality Profiler
What does it mean if dimensions on a theory are orthogonal?
Means they are independent of each other.
What is neuroticism?
An individual’s level of emotionality and tendency to worry, be moody, touchy and anxious.
What characteristics would you have if you were highly extroverted?
Energetic, sociable, lively, active, assertive, confident and dominant.
What characteristics would you have if you were highly psychotic?
Unempathetic, creative, sensation-seeking, aggressive and cold.
What is characteristic of sociopaths?
They show little/no respect for social norms.
How are personality traits distributed in the population?
Normally distributed
Eysenck (1967), Eysenck and Eysenck (1985) suggested what accounts for psychological and physiological differences between individuals?
Reticulo-cortical and reticulo-limbic systems.
Where is the reticulo-cortical system located?
Brain-stem reticular formation
Where is the reticulo-limbic system located?
Visceral area
What is the function of the reticulo-cortical system?
Controlling the cortical arousal produced by each incoming stimulus.
What is the function reticulo-limbic system?
Regulates responses to emotional stimuli.
What is the reticulo-limbic system composed of?
Amygdala, hippocampus, septum, cingular and hypothalamus.
How did Eysenck explain individual differences in Neuroticism?
Arousability of the limbic system, which generates activity which is perceived as arousal.
What did Eysenck suggest might be the biological cause of individual differences in psychoticism?
Dopamine - necessary for the experience and regulation of emotionality.
What is Gray’s Personality Theory also known as?
BAS - Behavioural activation system
BIS - Behavioural Inhibition system
How did Eysenck and Gray’s theories differ?
Gray investigated more fine-grain descriptions of neuropsychological processes underlying individual differences in personality.
What does BAS stand for?
Behavioural activation system
What does BIS stand for?
Behavioural inhibition system
What does the BAS do?
Motivates behaviour towards a reward by making the individual aware of the reward and triggering behaviour.
What does the BIS do?
Encourages an individual to stop a particular behaviour by increasing their awareness of potential negative outcomes.
What was Cattell’s theory on personality?
16 personality factors and the lexical hypothesis.
What was Cattell’s lexical hypothesis?
Every aspect of personality can be described using existing words.
What did Cattell argue about intelligence?
It should be conceptualised as part of personality and assessed using self report measures
Describe how the Cattell’s personality factors were further analysed/reduced.
16 factors were reduced dwon to 3 - QI, QII and QVIII. These 3 overlapped with/were similar to Extraversion, Neuroticism and Psychoticism respectively.
What is the 5 Factor Model of personality?
A trait theory of personality positing that there are 5 major and universal factors of personality:
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Openness to experience
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
What is the Big 5 based on?
- The lexical hypothesis.
- Statistical research.
The Big 5 offers which type of classification of individual differences?
Descriptive, rather than causal
What are the two abbreviations of the Big 5?
NEOAC and OCEAN
What are the primary facets of neuroticism in accordance with the Big 5?
Anxiety Angry Hostility Depression Self-consciousness Impulsiveness Vulnerability
What are the primary facets of extraversion in accordance with the Big 5?
Warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, excitement-seeking and positive emotions.
What are the primary facets of openness to experience in accordance with the Big 5?
Fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, unconventional ideas and values.
What is openness to experience (as part of the Big 5) also referred to as?
Creativity, Intellect and culture.
What is agreeableness (as part of the Big 5) also known as?
Sociability
What are the primary facets of Agreeableness in accordance with the Big 5?
Trust, straightforwardness, compliance, altruism, modesty and tender-mindedness.
Individuals high in agreeableness have a tendency to what?
Prosocial behaviour.
What are the primary facets of conscientiousness in accordance with the Big 5?
Competence, order, dutifulness, achievement-striving, self-discipline and deliberation
Why was Cattell’s approach to personality abandoned?
The traits that he proposed were not reliably replicated, etc on the basis of psychometrics.
