Lecture 9 Flashcards
Behaviourism suggests that ______ motivation is the only cause of behaviour.
extrinsic (eg radical environmentalism which suggests that environmental factors have way more importance than heredity in determining behaviour)
_____ is the first to suggest intrinsic motives for behaviour
MacDougall
In the 19__’s, there were big debates between _____ like Watson and _____ like MacDougall on the topic of motivation
20’s; behaviourists; evolutionary psychologists
What is MacDougall’s instinct theory of motivation?
- all organisms are motivated by limited set of innate motives (12)
- all other motives are derived from these as a function of individual experience (can blend instincts to understand more complex behaviours)
- almost opposite of behaviourism!!
- theory was very popular but didn’t get traction among researchers
MacDougall’s “primary motives” were initially called ____, and later called ______ because _______.
instincts; propensities; bc instinct was too strongly worded
What are the 5 steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Physiological, Safety, Love/belonging, Esteem, Self-actualization
Maslow classifies Physiological, Safety, Love/belonging, and Esteem needs as _____ needs. This means that motivation (increases/decreases) as needs are met.
DEFICIENCY; DECREASES
Maslow classifies Self-actualization needs as _____ needs. This means that motivation (increases/decreases) as needs are met.
BEING/GROWTH; INCREASES
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is similar to what other idea discussed in class?
MacDougal’s instincts/propensities
_____ is the father of humanistic psychology
Abraham Maslow
Humanistic psychology rose in opposition to ____ and ____
behaviourism and psychoanalysis
Humanistic psychology views free will as _____
a central aspect of human existence
(emphasized capacity to shape own life through conscious choices, self-awareness, and personal responsibility)
In the 20’s, Maslow was first drawn to psychology by ____
Watson’s behaviourism
What are 3 positive aspects of behaviourism in the 20’s?
- more “scientific” (vs things like eugenics)
- potential of leading to social improvements
- no negative attitude towards sex, sexuality, race, etc.
Why was it surprising that Maslow ended up with a poorly-paid low-level position at Brooklyn College? Why might this have happened?
- trained at the best schools! (PhD w Harlow at U of Wisconsin, post-doc w Thorndike at Columbia)
- might have been passed over for opportunities bc he was jewish
Why did Dr. Roy say that Maslow’s crappy job in Brooklyn could have been a blessing in disguise?
- New York became a new hub for intellectuals in 30s-40s
- called the “New Athens”
- had lots of cool mentors like Erich Fromm
Who was Erich Fromm? What did he think about the concept of free will?
- one of Maslow’s mentors in New York
- believed we are all naturally endowed w capacity for free will
- every time we make a choice, we exclude something else (another possibility)
- escaping freedom is root of psychological conflicts (ex immersing self in ideology or religion/guru)
According to Maslow, self-actualization occurs when “the individual is doing _________”
what he is fitted for (this is more about what you want; not necessarily what you’re good at)
Maslow’s idea of self-actualization is similar to what other idea discussed in class?
- Aristotle’s “final cause” or telos
The word personality comes from _____
the Greek work persona (theatre masks)
In the 1800s/early 1900s, personality was mainly associated with…
had medical connotations (eg personality disorder)
Why was the term “personality” favoured over the word “character”?
- personality is more neutral and “scientific”
- character usually has a quality (good/bad)
What was the 1919 Woodworth Personal Data Sheet?
- one of first non-intellective psychological tests
- used to identify soldiers who would be susceptible to shell-shock (PTSD)
- 116 questions, eg “do you wet the bed at night?”
The unifying concept of of personality studies is _____
their focus on TRAITS
Who was William Stern?
- Allport did his post-doc w him in 1923
- studied personality (called it “individuality”)
How did Stern distinguish relational vs real individuality?
- relational: defined by relative positions on large variety of traits (quantitative; looks at patterns of scores)
- real: Gestalt-like conception of each person’s unique self that is more than the sum of its individual characteristics (can’t be reduced to any pattern of numbers)
Who taught the first university courses on personality?
Gordon Allport (at Harvard and Dartmouth)
Allport’s 1930 book “Personality: A Psychological Interpretation” marked the start of the distinction between ____ and ____
qualitative and quantitative methods
How did Allport distinguish Nomothetic vs Idiographic methods?
- Nomothetic: study ppl in terms of general dimensions on which they vary to quantitatively specifiable degrees
Idiographic: investigate/describe what it is that makes a person unique
Who was Raymond Cattel? How did he contribute to personality research?
- statistician trained at Uni of London in factor analysis
- hired to work w Allport to break down 35 traits into 16 more basic factors
- had to move to Illinois to use one of first computers to do this bc it was too much to do by hand (story where he rented out the whole gym at Harvard to cover the floor w papers)