Module 1: Personality

Question 1

What is a personality?

Answer 1

It is a set of relatively enduring and behavioural cognitive chatacteristics

Question 2

What is a trait?

Answer 2

It is a consistent pattern of behaviour that one displays in relevant circumstances

Question 3

What is national character?

Answer 3

Each culture has a model personality type

Most people in that culture share aspects of it

Question 4

What are the problems with the development of personality measures used in cross-cultural research being done in a single language and single culture?

Answer 4

It imposes an assumed etic construct on cultures and has questionable reliability and validity

Question 5

What is the Five-Factor model?

Answer 5

It is a model that describes all personality characteristics to reflect some combination of five or more traits

Question 6

What are the five (Big Five) core traits of the Five-Factor Model?

Answer 6

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness 
Neuroticism

Question 7

What are the aspects of Openness?

Answer 7

Imaginative, curious, broad minded vs. concrete minded, practical, narrow interests

Question 8

What are the aspects of Consciensciousness?

Answer 8

Dependable, organized, relatable, hardworking vs. undependable, disorganized, impulsive, lazy

Question 9

What are the aspects of Agreeableness?

Answer 9

Pleasant, good-nature, sympathetic vs. unfriendly, unpleasant, hostile

Question 10

What are the aspects of Neuroticism?

Answer 10

Anxious, excitable, irritable vs. clam, even-tempered, relaxed

Question 11

Do perceptions of national character correspond to aggregate personality traits?

Answer 11

Perceptions of national character do not necessarily correlate with actual, aggregate personal levels of individuals of those cultures
Ecological fallacy - error of reasoning brought by arguing that the relationship between properties of groups might apply to the people themselves

Question 12

What are the 6 aspects of interpersonal relatedness developed by Chung for China’s and overseas Chinese culture?

Answer 12

Harmony
Rien Qing
Modernization
Thrift vs. Extravagance
Ah-Q Mentality
Face

Question 13

What are the aspects of Harmony?

Answer 13

Inner peace of mind
Contentment
Interpersonal harmony
Avoidance of conflict
Maintenance of equilibrium

Question 14

What are the aspects of Ren Qing?

Answer 14

Adherence to cultural norms of interaction based in reciprocity, exchange of social behaviours, and exchange of affection according to implicit rules

Question 15

What are the aspects of Modernization?

Answer 15

Personality change in response to societal modernization and attitudes toward traditional Chinese beliefs

Question 16

What are the aspects of Thriftiness vs. Extravagance?

Answer 16

Traditional virtue of saving rather than wasting and carefulness in spending, in contrast to the willingness to spend money for hedonistic purposes

Question 17

What are the aspects of Ah-Q Mentality?

Answer 17

Defensiveness, self-protective rationalization, externalization of blame, and belittling of others’ achievements

Question 18

What are the aspects of Face?

Answer 18

Patterns of orientations in an international and hierarchical connection in and social behaviours to enhance one’s face and to avoid losing one’s face

Question 19

What is the Authoritarian personality?

Answer 19

Dominance, different degrees of dependence on authority and hierarchical status

Question 20

What is the internal Locus of Control?

Answer 20

Belief that we have control over situations and rewards
Individuality, separateness, and uniqueness
European Americans - high internal locus of control

Question 21

What is the external Locus of Control?

Answer 21

Belief that events outside ourselves determine what happens
Fate, luck, supernatural forces, relationships with others
East Asians, African-Americans, Filipinos, Brazilians

Question 22

What factors inform the personalities of regions and cities?

Answer 22

Historical imprint of economic and industrial structure
Physical environment
Social factors

Question 23

How does the historical imprint of economic and industrial structure affect the personality of a region or city?

Answer 23

Old industrial regions -agreeableness and conscientiousness
Sales, business headquarters, and high-levels services - extroversion
Large coastal cities, historically home to diverse economic structures, immigrant populations, and longstanding artistic and bohemian quarters - openness
Eg. “Bohemian-Gay/Hipster Index” - the “creative class”

Question 24

How does the physical environment affect the personality of a region or city?

Answer 24

Cold climates and dark winters - seasonal affective disorder, depression, stress, anxiety
Warmer climates - aggressive behaviour
Rainy climates - neuroticism

Question 25

How does the social factors affect the personality of a region or city?

Answer 25

“Social Founder Effect”
People come to acquire personality traits that reflect their practices, lifestyles, and beliefs
Places that encourage openness attract open-minded people and, people who are not initially open-minded, will internalize those values over time

“Selective Migration”
Geographical differences in personality - result of immigrants selectively migrating to places that satisfy and reinforce their psychology and physical needs

“Genetic Founder Effects”
Initial groups establish personality traits passed down to subsequent generations
Social pressure and influence