Module 1 Flashcards
Studying Personality: Research Methods and Key Concepts
can be understood as a unique combination of genetic traits, individual experiences, and external influences, temperament, which shape our behavior, emotions, and perceptions. It is the way we react to our surroundings, how situations impact us, and the specific interests and moral frameworks we adopt.
Or A stable set of traits shaped by genetics, emotions, environment, brain structure, and social influences, guiding our reactions and perceptions.
Personality
How different theorists define personality:
Gordon Allport: highlights psychophysical systems -interaction between the mind (psychological aspects) and the body (biological/physical factors), emphasizing how both influence behaviour and personality. both
- Traits and dispositions are psychological because they are internal, mental characteristics that guide behavior, though they may also influence physical responses like body language or physiological reactions. Both are influence by both nature & nurture. Traits and dispositions shape how we experience and interpret the world through psychological and physical factors.
Henry Murray: branch of psychology, study of human lives, factors that influence leading individual differences.
Carl Jung: innate idiosyncrasy of a living being, high courage (risk taking), adaptation to universal conditions, freedom for self-determination. Self-actualization, rooted in Jung and adopted by Maslow, is realizing one’s full potential through risk, courage, and individuality.
McAdams and Pals: individual variations from evolutionary factors, developing dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, integrative life stories and culture.
Acting “in character” or performing as a “character” doesn’t mean people are defined by stable traits; instead, it reflects shifting roles or masks, like the trickster or transformation. Carl Jung, influenced by Eastern traditions, explored how these roles shape personality and morality.
Cultures have shown interest in understanding the enduring characteristics of “individuals” shown by literature and artifacts.
Cultures have shown interest in understanding the enduring characteristics of “individuals” shown by literature and artifacts. T/F
True
Personality in theatre and ceremony:
Ancient Greece, Theophrastus, creators of “character sketches” in Western Culture
Wearing masks to denote particular characters is common in many cultures.
Philosophical, religious, spiritual traditions views on personality:
Western - Christianity and Judaism: suggest people created “in God’s image” and “Divine purpose” good against evil struggle.
Eastern - Buddhism and Hinduism - quest toward self-fulfillment, expansion of consciousness. Multiple “lives”
Many psychological theories developed within these.
Psychologist differ among themselves how they define or describe personality.
We perceive other differently and have varying perception of personality.
Taken From the textbook.
Relatively permanent but may change
theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas.
Root word for personality
Persona
Differing views on nature of humanity have led to unique theories of personality. T/F
True
Personality theories differ in assumptions about use of scientific method to study personality and type of evidence.
Yes
Textbook definition of personality:
Pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that have consistency and individuality to person’s behaviour.
What refers to relatively permanent disposition of an individual, inferred from behaviour.
Trait
Give individual differences
- Can be unique, common to group of species
- Subset of characteristics BTW
Unique qualities of an individual such as temperament, physique, intelligence, and others is referred to:
Characteristics
Characteristic adaptations:
Characteristic adaptations” are personality changes influenced by life context, like motivations or behaviors that shift due to age, social roles, or environment.
Trait: A stable pattern of behavior (e.g., extraversion – enjoys socializing).
Disposition: A tendency to behave in a certain way, often reflecting mood or mindset (e.g., optimistic – tends to see the bright side).
Characteristic: A defining quality or feature of an individual (e.g., kindness – regularly helping others).
Life stories, personal narrative individuals build to make meaning and build identities in their social world
Life narratives
Personality theory or theory is:
SET OF (not single) Related assumptions (may not be proven facts) that allow people to make logical deductive reasoning (general theory, to hypotheses).
- Formulate testable hypotheses to test the assumptions.
- Hypotheses should be testable or falsifiable.
Misunderstood term: Theory is often confused with truth or fact.
theory offers a broad explanation of personality, a hypothesis provides a specific, testable prediction based on that theory.
Philosophy: Theories don’t deal with values or morality.
Speculation: Theories are based on empirical data, not just ideas.
Hypothesis: A hypothesis is a specific prediction from a broader theory.
Taxonomy: Taxonomy is classification; when it generates hypotheses, it becomes a theory.
Inductive reasoning:
Theorist collect observations and analysis of empirical data leads to personality theories to be refined and/or new theories to be built.
Different perspective on personality:
Psychodynamic (Freud, Jung Horney):
- Early life exposure
- Unconscious forces
- neurosis (unhealthy rela.)
Humanistic - Existential (Maslow, Rogers, May)
- People motivated by meaning, growth & psychological health
- Freedom of choice, anxiety, & awareness of death
Dispositional - (Allport, McCrae & Costa)
- Predisposed traits (individual diff.
- The BIG FIVE: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
Biological- evolutionary (Eysenck, Buss)
- Role of evolutionary forces) in natural and sexual selection
- Thought and behavior.
Learning (Social-Cognitive) - Skinner and Bandura, Rotter
- Role of environmental conditions
- Learning through Association and consequences
- Internal and external char.
What makes up a theory useful:
Dynamic interaction with research data:
- Theories - hypotheses - research and data collection - data and evidence reshape theories
OR textbook:
Generate research:
Falsifiable: testable
Organize Data: structure findings
Practical actions:
Its ideas must be logically coherent:
Be parsimonious
Cyclical relationship.
Six dimensions to help with comparing theories:
1) Determinism vs free choice
- Are behaviors controlled or freely chosen?
2) Pessimism vs optimism
- Are people doomed or can they grow?
3) Causality vs teleology
- Does behavior stem from past events or future goals?
4) Conscious vs unconscious determinants of behaviour
- Are behaviors driven by awareness or unconscious forces?
5) Biological vs social influences on personality
- Is personality shaped by biology or social factors?
6) Uniqueness vs similarities
-Do people differ or share common traits?
OR:
Concept of Humanity:
Determinism: Behavior shaped by unconscious drives and past experiences.
Pessimism: Humans are driven by destructive and sexual forces.
Causality: Behavior shaped by past, not future goals.
Unconscious: Major influence on behavior; we’re unaware of our true motivations.
Biology vs. Social: Biological instincts mostly shape personality.
Uniqueness: Individual experiences, especially childhood, shape personality.
Personality studies answer “Why?”
Skinner: Behavior is predictable through repeated exposure.
Freud: Focused on manifested symptoms.
Freud’s Contribution:
Freud combined philosophical ideas with scientific methods.
Developed a “Grand Theory” based on clinical observations to explain all personality.
Influenced the development of modern personality theories.
Personality and Variability:
All species, including humans, exhibit individual differences (personality).
Human variability is more pronounced than in other species.
Humans differ in introversion, social needs, emotional stability, etc.
Different theorists, influenced by culture, experience, and training, offer diverse perspectives.
Personality theorists
Research in Personality Theory:
Theory-Data Link: Theories generate research that reshapes theories.
Personality Inventories: Must be reliable (consistent) and valid (measure what they intend).
Construct Validity: Measures the right trait.
Predictive Validity: Predicts future behavior.
