p1 - topic 2: dispositional approach: lexical traits

Question 1

kretschmer’s type theory

Answer 1

picnic (bipolar disorder)
asthenic/leptosome body type (schizophrenia)
athletic (epilepsy)

Question 2

personality types - depth psychology approach (carl jung)

Answer 2

• is the person’s general attitude directed toward the outer / inner world?
• extroverted: focused on outer object, sociable -> beneficial for adaptability
• introverted: their attention directed inward, toward its own subjective world -> beneficial for process of individuation

Question 3

type - definition

Answer 3

• distinct, not continuous categories
• black and white, extrovert and introvert

Question 4

deposition hypothesis

Answer 4

cattel
lexical research
all aspects of human personality that are important, of interest / useful are fixed in the fabric of language

Question 5

trait - definition

Answer 5

• goes by dimensions, is a continous variable
• it is like a gradient

Question 6

strong vs weak trait theory

Answer 6

strong: each trait reflects internally, bio deterministic tendency that is inherent in people and these inner tendencies determine person’s behaviour
weak: traits are descriptive concepts (labels) in the mind of the observer

Question 7

who made the temperament theory?

Answer 7

hippocrates

Question 8

what types are in the temperament theory?

hippocrates

Answer 8

sanguine (healthy)
choleric (bitter, impulsive)
melancholic (fragile)
phlegmatic (sluggish)

Question 9

circumplex mdel of personality - interpersonal circumplex

Answer 9

• dominance
• friendliness
• submissiveness
• hostility
• antagonism
• introversion
• extraversion
• agreeableness

Question 10

role of factor analysis in personality psychology

Answer 10

reduces wide range of personality manifestations to a more manageable number of traits
some traits are more important than others

Question 11

lexical hypothesis

Answer 11

goldberg
lexical research
difference between individuals that are the most outstanding and important in people’s lives are coded in language

Question 12

steps of lexical research

Answer 12

variable selection
data collection
data reduction (factor analysis)
interpreting and naming factors

Question 13

sheldon’s type theory

Answer 13

endomorph
mesomorph
ectomorph

Question 14

allport’s definition of personality traits

Answer 14

• general traits: aspects of personality based on which most people within a given culture are successfully comparable (nomothetic approach)
• personal dispositions: neuropsychological structures specific to the individual characterised by both stimulus and response equivalence (idiographic approach)

Question 15

disadvantages of factor analysis

Answer 15

can only classify what was included in initial pool of variables –> subjective element, prone to bias

Question 16

what are typologies?

Answer 16

aggregating and simplifying categories with an all or nothing principle